I have often wondered if tattoo cover up creams and "makeups" actually work, so I recently tried a couple. I tried a cheap one from Wal-Mart, and an expensive online only cream that is guaranteed to work. I looked online before I bought either one, and found some reviews and tips from other people about what they have tried, and decided to test a couple myself. Here is what I found...

I am in a wedding this weekend and wanted to cover up a couple larger tats on both of my calves. *Disclaimer: Although I am not completely ashamed or regretful of these particular tattoos, I am also not extremely proud or content with them either, under certain circumstances. It was a personal decision to cover them for the wedding.* I was told by a family member that there was a tattoo cover up makeup made by Kat Von D, and I was intrigued. I figured a prominent female figure in the tattoo community and a celebrity would certainly have a good product or she wouldn't have put her name on it. Well, after checking out a few reviews online (her stuff costs about $25 and is only found at Sephora), I found out that it doesn't work all that well. A couple different YouTube reviews compared her stuff to some $6 "heavy concealer" that is marketed for heavy concealer makeup and tattoo cover up. Both reviews I watched concluded that the $6 Wal-Mart stuff worked better than the $25 Kat Von D concealer. I decided that $6 was worth the attempt to see if this stuff truly worked. The tats on my calves are both medium-large sized and very dark. They both have a lot of black and dark red, orange and blues, so naturally, this was a challenge to begin with. Since I was weary about the $6 concealer working, even after watching the reviews, I looked online some more and found some stuff called Tattoo Camo. It says its guaranteed to work and usually only needs one coat to cover even dark tattoos. (By the way, aren't most tattoos pretty dark? I have 12, and none of mine are "light") This stuff was sold online only, and was $35. It came with the concealer paste, and a "finishing powder". It was a bit pricey, but I got it anyway just in case. I figured if the cheap stuff didn't work, maybe this stuff that is "guaranteed to work" would. I got the cheap stuff last weekend, and just got the expensive stuff today. I have already tried both products and even tried a couple different methods to see if there was a difference. I am VERY fair skinned and also have freckles, even on my legs (unfortunately), so finding a very light concealer that will cover up a very dark and large tattoo without making it look like a huge bruise or something, was a feat in itself, or so I thought. Here is what I found from personal use of both products. 

I'll cut to the chase, then go into more detail. After all, everyone's different, and will get a little different results, based on many factors, but I hope this review will be helpful to others like myself when I was looking for answers.

The $6 stuff from Wal-Mart was by far the better buy, in almost every category, or at least the ones that count the most. The brand is Hard Candy, and the product is called Glamoflauge- Heavy Duty Concealer. My only complaint in comparison to the $35 Tattoo Camo is that this stuff doesn't ever seem to dry. It stays wet even hours after application, and attempts to put powder on it (for me at least) ended in my powder brush getting concealer on it. It comes with a concealer pencil that you apply first and basically color in the tattoo with it, then use the concealer cream on top to finish the cover up and to blend in the surrounding skin. For me, the concealer pencil worked ok, but I tried using a little of my CoverGirl Ultimate Finish liquid powder make-up 410 Classic ivory first (in place of using the pencil) and then put the concealer on top. I dabbed with my finger instead of rubbing or smearing, and used my finger while covering the actual tattoo, and around the edges, but used a make-up sponge to spread out the concealer thinner on the surrounding skin, so it wouldn't be so obvious that that particular part of my leg didn't have any freckles or skin pigment differences. I only had to put 2 coats of the concealer on (you don't have to use much at a time, so 2 coats really isn't that much). When I was finished (this was just the practice run, so I didn't go all out to make it perfect), I couldn't believe how well it worked. Even with my extremely fair (almost translucent) legs, it looked amazing, and I could BARELY tell, close up, that there was any make-up or concealer. While standing and looking down at my calf, I could not tell anything. It looked like my leg before I had a tattoo (minus the freckles, but wasn't real obvious from even 3-4 feet away). When I looked at my leg in a stand up mirror from about 4-5 foot away, I couldn't tell that I had a tattoo, or that it was covered for that matter. Sunlight actually made it look better than artificial, but both light sources still made it looked amazing. Literally my only "complaint" is that this stuff doesn't seem to really dry, and it transfers to other objects or materials that come into contact with it really easily. And this stuff doesn't seem to come out of materials very well either, but all I tried to use so far was water and a towel, so I can't really say it "stains" materials yet. All-in-all, excellent product, if you take your time and play with different techniques, it's awesome. The color even blended with my skin color really well (if you didn't pick that up already), and I was impressed that it wasn't darker shaded or obvious that I had make-up covering my tat. I would recommend this product to anyone wanting to temporary cover up a tattoo.
 Now on to the expensive stuff...

I am VERY disappointed in the Tattoo Camo and will probably be sending it back for my "money back guarantee". I should have listened to my gut when I ordered this stuff. There weren't many reviews about it, but I ordered anyway.  I tried this cream by itself (without a starter base) first, and applied it the same way that I did the Hard Candy concealer. One coat did not remotely cover it up like they say it will, and this stuff does not require an under coat of anything else. I tried it on a different tat, but this time used the same CoverGirl make-up base I did under the Hard Candy, then applied the Tattoo Camo paste on top. Still, did not cover it. I even put a second coat of the Tattoo Camo and I could still see the darkness of the tattoo underneath, and it was VERY obvious that I had make-up over it. I got the lightest shade of the paste that they make, and its close, but still a little too dark. It is also very thick, which you would think is a good thing, but no. It still doesn't cover the tat and just looks cakey like I just loaded a lot of make-up on my leg in a vague and failed attempt to cover the tat. The ONE upside to this stuff is that it does actually dry fairly fast. It still transfers a little, but not nearly as bad as the Hard Candy. I don't really see the upside to the "setting powder", because it just looks like translucent loose face powder, which you can buy really cheap almost anywhere. This stuff is REALLY expensive, and REALLY doesn't work. 

Do yourself (and your wallet) a favor, and try the Hard Candy first. You may have to try a couple different methods to see what works best for your skin type and tone, and your tattoo color, etc. If my extremely white legs and my very dark tattoos can be covered VERY well by this stuff, I believe it would work for almost anyone. They have many different shades, and its cheap, so you're really not wasting any money if it doesn't work the way you want it to. My skin is probably one of the hardest to cover things up, and the Hard Candy worked better than I could have ever hoped for or expected. Also, a couple other people online said that the Hard Candy also is a great concealer for your face or other blemishes, bruises, scars, etc. So if it doesn't cover your tat like you want, you can still use it. The Tattoo Camo (in my opinion) can't be used for much else, if anything. It is way too thick, cakey, and obvious. I hope this helps someone to make a decision. If you want anymore details or information, feel free to comment or ask. I will answer any questions you may have regarding this subject. Information is a wonderful thing...