The sheer foundation Babaian recommends probably isn't going to do much in the way of covering up acne. She says to dot on a yellow concealer to knock out any redness -- but make sure to apply after you've put on your foundation, since applying foundation over concealer can smear it around and undo all of your hard work. You can also use a color-correcting primer (Hughes recommends the Smashbox Color Correcting Primers, or you can try one of our faves, Clinique Superprimer Face Primer) underneath your foundation to help cancel out any blotchiness.

To conceal acne, Hughes says to grab the smallest concealer brush you have and lightly dab on a full-coverage concealer only where you need it. Dust it with a translucent powder to set everything in place.

"I love freckled faces, but sometimes you just don't want to look cute, which freckles have a tendency to convey," says Babaian. When you want to hide your freckles, don't head straight to the heavy-duty foundations and concealers. "You have to do it with color, not thickness," she advises. Meaning: Find a sheer foundation that has slightly pink or peach undertones (even if your skin has yellow undertones), which will camouflage freckles. Build up the coverage as you go, concentrating on areas where your freckles are darkest and using less foundation in areas where your freckles are lighter. Use a fluffy brush to apply a translucent setting powder, like Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder, to make your makeup last. Powder is what makes foundation finishes cake-y, warns Babaian, so make sure you dust on a very sheer layer.

In the end, remember that it all comes down to application. Hughes says that you can use a full-coverage foundation,but to keep it from looking heavy, dab a damp Beauty Blender over your skin after applying it. This will thin the makeup enough just enough to give you a flawless but natural finish.