25 Days of Christmas - Day 5: Tip, Tricks and Techniques

Truth be told, I get stressed a lot. So I'm super susceptible to cold sores. I'm really good at telling right before I'm going to get one that I calm down and take some prescription meds and usually that will help. WELL Friends... this weekend I was stressed and it was cold, so I was running the heat a lot more than normal which dries up my skin and makes it irritable. But this past weekend I was in Knoxville for a workshop and to model for the workshop. Low and behold my little friend decided to show up cause I was stressed, modeling is a stressful thing and I was so nervous. I know I act all cool but really I was WAY nervous. I didn't have any meds, the Pharmacy was closed, and all I could get was my over the counter stuff. So first thing Sunday I went to the Pharmacy, picked up my prescription and stopped it, but it had already started to form. So it wasn't going to get worse, but it wasn't gonna be gone in 3 hours for my photos.  What was I to do? Well I didn't do anything. I went to the makeup gal, who was awesome and she taught me the most amazing tip ever. Now, I don't think I'd do this EVERY day that I have the cold sore. But what I would do is use this technique on those must hide it days, like my modeling gig last Sunday, and say... my husbands Christmas party (hopefully it will be gone by then, but you never know). Follow the instructions on the Liquid Bandaid, don't drink it, or eat it.  And do this at your own discretion.

How to hide a Cold Sore on the fly:

Supplies needed:
Liquid Bandaid
Abreeva (or something to keep it hydrated)
Concealer
Powder
Lipstick

Steps:
1- Look at your sad cold sore (image 1)
2- Make sure you have applied something to hydrate it before because you will not be able to add this after. Apply 1 layer of Liquid Bandaid (image 3). The package says you can do 2, but I'd recommend just one because it can make it bumpy which is what we don't want. We want a flat surface so that you can apply makeup over it. (image 2)
3- It looks a little shiny even after its dried (image 4)
4- Apply a layer of concealer. I tried to use my L'oreal stuff but it was a little to liquidy, so I tried my Smashbox stuff and that did the trick. I applied it with a sponge so that things stayed sanitary. I also applied a little powder over the top and around the rest of the mouth to try and keep the coloring the same. (image 5)
5- Apply some lipstick or your favorite gloss and go out for the night.

Mine lasted a good 5 hours before it became a little more noticeable. This may not work for you but it worked for me and saved me from looking like a hot mess.

Let me know if you end up trying this. I know this isn't the end all of hiding a cold sore but thought it was pretty neat.

P.S. Sorry for sharing my ugly cold sore, but I thought maybe this would help someone since I'd never heard of this.

xo, Steph

Pin It