How I'm Faking It: Freckles

How does one keep their #frecklesonfleek without the excess melanin? Easy, fake 'em. At least that's what Gucci Westman has taught me. Ever since she revealed that she likes to give Olivia Wilde a healthy speckling of fake freckles to give her a more natural look, it occurred to me that I should be doing the same. As someone who's partial to giving my face a matte finish, sometimes I just don't feel like myself when sporting a uniform, satin-finished complexion. To me, getting a little freckle-happy means striking a balance between evening out my skin tone, but ensuring my foundation never looks to cake-y.

When testing out the look, I found that it was a lot of trial and error. So my advice is to give yourself ample time to puzzle out not only how to achieve natural-looking flecks, but also knowing just where to place them. Here's the technique I settled on:

1. Use a felt-tip eyeliner pen in a hue that matches any natural freckles you have. I love Boots No7 Stay Precise Felt Tip Eye Liner in Brown (opens in new tab) ($8).

2. Apply a smattering of freckles to the sun-kissed planes of your face, like your nose and upper cheeks.

3. To ensure that your flecks have that born-with-it look, press the pen upon your face softly and remember that imperfection is the key here. Add some more shape to your dots by pressing your fingertip down on them.

4. Don't go overboard! I found I was most successful faking it when my colleagues didn't even notice the change, just my sprightly glow ;)

Photos by Kathryn Wirsing