Ever found yourself in a sticky skin situation? Enter: the sticky method (no seriously, bear with us).
Listen up, despite what years of airbrushing and perfectly filtered Instagram photos may tell you, there really is no such thing as perfect skin (unless you're five years old… their collagen levels are through the roof). And though we might not all be fighting the same skin battles, we bet there's no one reading this who can honestly say they've never wanted to cover up spots, blemishes or uneven textures on their face.
Whether you struggle with adult acne (in which case, you might need our ultimate guide to acne causes, symptoms and treatments) or just find your face becomes a hotbed for sebum around your monthly bleed, feeling good in the skin we're in makes a big difference to our overall confidence, hence why there are so, so many different types of concealers out there.
But one method of covering up those pesky pimples that you're unlikely to have heard of before is the ‘sticky method’ - no, we don't love the name either, but we love that it only uses three products and that, according to the makeup artist who invented it, it can cover any and all spots.
Mikayla Nogueira, 24, from Massachusetts, is a renowned makeup artist, who has earned viral fame - and 13.4 million followers - on TikTok by sharing top beauty tips and product recommendations. In one of her latest videos, the beauty pro revealed the process through which she completely conceals her acne - and it racked up over 3.1 million views in just 21 hours. Not too shabby.
Sustainable skincare 2.0.
“Here's how to perfectly cover acne using the sticky method,” she starts off the video saying. "We're going to make these [blemishes] look like they don't even exist on the face.
“It's called the sticky method because our face is about to get really sticky.”
TikTok content
Step One: The process begins with a hydrating serum that will leave a slightly 'tacky' layer on your skin. While Mikayla herself opted to use the Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Serum, she notes that “any serum that leaves the face feeling a little bit tacky after it's applied is going to work out... any serum that gives a tacky, sticky finish”.
After applying the product all over her clean face, she demonstrates that it leaves a slightly sticky residue which you are to let dry.
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Step Two: Then onto the next step. For this you apply a "gripping" primer - essentially any product that is meant to prime the skin while also helping to adhere any makeup to your face.
“I'm going to go in with the E.l.f. Power Grip Primer. This is a very sticky, gripping primer that grips makeup to the skin,” Mikayla explains, though she highlights that there are “tons and tons of gripping primers out there."
“After we've done this, our face is going to be very, very tacky and that is what we need, because that is going to adhere our matte concealer like glue.”
Step Three: After the complexion has been given a tacky layer of product, it's time to apply the concealer, which Mikayla should be matte. She opts for the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer and uses a concealer brush to apply it.
“We are going to take care of every single one of these blemishes,” she says. “I highly recommend using a concealer brush”
Finally, she advises: “Take a decent amount of concealer on your brush and you're going to put it right on top of the blemish. We're going to do this for the entire face wherever it's needed.”
And crucially here, you must let the concealer dry: "That's why a matte concealer is going to be the best option because it's going to have a higher chance of drying down.
“Give it two to five minutes to dry completely. That dry down time is super important with the sticky method. I even recommend using a fan if you have one.”
She also warns that you must not, on any terms, blend the concealer (I know, shock, horror!).
Step Four: Finally, once your concealer has been allowed to dry for several minutes, add a medium to full coverage foundation on top of it.
“I highly recommend using a sponge for application, that is going to make sure it doesn't interrupt the dried down concealer underneath,” the TikToker says.
Get the glow instead.
"Apply your foundation as usual; a medium to full coverage [product] is probably best with this method.
“You can already see how beautiful the skin is going to look with this method.”
And that's it, all you need to do from there is finish the rest of your makeup routine as normal, safe in the knowledge that those pesky little pimples are totally buried for the day, or night, ahead.
Now, as with all TikTok hacks, we know what you're thinking: does this really work? Well, aside from the fact you can see the miraculous results on Mikayla in the video, the thousands of comments that adoring fans and fellow skincare fanatics have left under the upload should serve as sufficient proof that it's at least worth a try.
“Okay but this is one of the best methods I’ve witnessed,” writes one, another echoing: “I do this all the time it really does work. is great for texture and not letting makeup separate.”
A third added: “It's like magic.”
While others were quick to explain that they had immediately gone out to buy the products in the video to give it a go themselves. So, BRB, we're off to join them.
Bacne? We don't know her.
