For uneven skin texture, Hollywood makeup artists often rely on a foundation primer to help smooth the skin and make it appear more even. Like spackle for your face, a primer usually contains silicones that can actually fill in imperfections like enlarged pores, fine lines, wrinkles and scars. When you apply your foundation over it, the makeup glides on more easily, and your skin has a smooth, even appearance. Don’t apply too much primer, though – usually a pea-size amount is all you need for your entire face.

Uneven skin usually features a specific color in its discolorations, such as redness around your nose, blue circles under your eyes or sallow sun spots. To camouflage these marks, Hollywood makeup artists usually rely on color theory, since colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel can cancel each other out. If your skin has a lot of redness, use a green-tinted primer or concealer on the areas to hide it. For blue or purple circles under the eyes, use a peach- or orange-tinted corrector to banish the darkness. If sallow skin has you looking uneven, use a lavender primer or corrector to even out your complexion. Use your color-correcting product under your foundation or concealer, or you’ll wind up with green, peach and purple spots all over your face.

If you have uneven skin tone, you may be tempted to pile on foundation to cover up your discolorations, but heavy foundation can easily become cakey and make you look older than you actually are. When you’re using liquid or cream foundation, applying it with a damp sponge can help make sure you use the right amount. The sponge actually absorbs some of the product, and the water helps thin the rest of it out to create a sheer, natural coverage that evens out your skin tone but doesn’t look too heavy. Don’t use a soaking-wet sponge, though – wet your sponge under the faucet and wring out the excess water so it only feels slightly damp to the touch.

Even if you apply a light layer of foundation, you can ruin your look by spreading concealer all over your face to hide your unevenness. Hollywood makeup artists solve the problem of applying too much concealer by using a small pointed brush to apply it instead of fingers. A brush can provide precision that your fingers cannot, so you can target a specific uneven area, such as a blemish or age spot, rather than blending concealer across your entire cheek. Once you apply the concealer with a brush, though, use your finger to gently dab it in – the heat from your skin helps the product blend into your skin for a seamless look.