Originally published on HowtoBeaRedhead.com

I’m a skin junkie. What does that mean? (Hint: it’s not as naughty as it sounds.) As a makeup artist, it means that I am a fan of the colors, variations, and textures present in people’s skin, and I believe that makeup should beautifully enhance our uniqueness, rather than homogeneously masking it.

For many redheads, freckles present a unique challenge – you might have some blemishes or redness or unevenness that you’d like to correct, but how can you do that without obscuring your oh-so-sassy spots?

Laura Frazier. Photo by Steph Pierce; Hair by Jenursa; Makeup by Liz Washer

1. Don’t take the word “foundation” too literally. You don’t have to plaster your entire face with base. Once you’ve found a good color match, apply only where you need coverage and let your healthy skin shine through! In the photo above, I concealed only under the eyes, around the nose, and wherever I saw a blemish, as I didn’t want anything to take away from her natural skin.

Liz’s product picks: Make Up For Ever Invisible Cover HD, Face Atelier Ultra foundation

2. Sheer it out! Sometimes we do need a bit more coverage, but we still want our freckles to take center stage. If you already stick to sheer products like tinted moisturizers, you’ve got that “covered” – but if not? Make your own! A full-coverage liquid or cream foundation can be thinned with moisturizer until you achieve the perfect level of coverage. Got a bit of redness under those freckles? Start with a sheer layer of a green or yellow color correcting primer to neutralize the flush, and then apply your skintone shade on top. Use a translucent powder to set.

Liz’s product picks: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer (green & yellow)

3. Add some sun. Many freckly faces are also fair, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick to the pasty pink family for your cheeks! Freckles look beautiful against a soft touch of bronzer. Look for a color that’s a shade or two lighter than your freckles–not too taupe, not too orange, and not too sparkly–and apply it lightly along your cheekbones, forehead and the bridge of your nose – anywhere the sun would naturally hit your face. (Dusting a little on your neck is also a good idea if you’re particularly fair there.) This will give you dimension, warmth, and the color will complement your freckles beautifully, rather than making them look ashy.

Liz’s product picks: Benefit Hoola, NARS Laguna

To showcase your freckles, start with a very light application and stick to products that can be built up to the amount of coverage you need, where you need it. And if you’ve accidentally covered a few of your precious spots in the process? Just grab a cotton swab and a gentle makeup remover and proceed to lift the veil!