MAKE-UP 101: ALL ABOUT FOUNDATION

So a friend recently emailed me because she knows how into beauty I am and studied up on the topic – and she said “I want to change my foundation – I want something that will make my skin look perfect, any suggestions”..” I want something that makes my skin look flawless, lol - smooth & not shiny”… so we got into the long winded conversation about how this is a very open question and there are multi-layer steps to answering it and potentially getting the end results with your foundation that you desire.

So I thought, why not share it with the rest of you too!

First and foremost – my immediate reaction to the question posed was “depends what your skin type is like” – with that I meant - do you have dry or oily skin issues? Larger pores..Acne?..  These are all issues that can easily be fixed with a proper foundation routine- but require their own, separate steps. The second layer to that response was - what kind of finish are you going for? Matte? Light, natural coverage? .. A Dewey glow.??. These are all things to take into consideration when choosing a foundation/ powder.

The next part of this is more just in response to the personal details for the question asker – but they can easily be applied to anyone who is looking for a matte/semi-Dewey face and doesn’t have problem skin.

Now for the juicy part…

FINDING THE RIGHT FOUNDATION SHADE:

 The best suggestion I can give based on years of trying and picking out foundations is to use the wrist area of your hand as a testing palette – for me at least, it’s the closest to my face color and it mimics my skin on my face best also so I can get a real feel for how it applies on...

My suggestion was if there are testers available, give it a swipe into the front our hand/wrist area and see how well is matches— my complexion shade changes through the seasons - so I have a few diff. ones that I switch between - but after so many years now of buying foundations, I can pretty much tell my shade just by looking at it – when I am unsure, or it’s a new product – I always revert back to the wrist test.

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES FOR SKIN ISSUES

I have oily skin and large pores- so I have way more preparation to do than someone who doesn’t have these issues (consider yourself lucky! LOL)

But here is the thing – it’s more about the way put your face on - than the foundation you use.... that’s the secret to these flawless skin finish faces – they are putting product on in lots of strategic ways to give the illusion that their skin is perfect, they are not perfect, no one is!

One of the most important first steps – and I am even guilty of not following this one all the time - is to exfoliate / cleanse with a soap that is meant for your skin type – because I have oily skin I use something made for oily skin that dries it out a bit and that has some roughness to exfoliate my larger pores within the soap – if you have dry skin your formal may be a wash with extra moisture/lotion added to it  - you really should wash your face every time before you put make up on.

‘THE’ STEPS TO PROPER FOUNDATION APPLICATION:

  

After you wash with soap/warm water and then rinse with colder water to close up pores), PAT dry with a towel – do NOT rub and break your pores open...

Next you should apply a liquid astringent /toner and some type of moisturizing facial lotion targeted at your type of skin..

Once you let that dry for a min THEN go in with liquid foundation you chose and use the technique you like most – some people swear by certain style brushes, other use their finger and a sponge – some people use their hands all together to apply – I use all of these techniques, not sure it really matters which one – just as long as you are blending stuff nicely and not leaving lots of caked on product, or wiping it off completely…

Let the foundation dry for a min. and then if you are not applying other items like eyeshadows, blushes etc, set everything in place with a powder. Here you have the choice of loose or pressed powder and you can apply with a fluff, sponge or brush .

Loose powders cover a lot of area quickly and depending how much you build coverage wise can really give you that super finished look. By applying with a brush you can control how much you use and really get the product every (including blending down the neck – NEVER FORGET THAT PART!).

Pressed powders are much less mess and you can really use to pat on where you need some extra coverage the most – this is usually my go to because its less mess and you do not have to have a brush handy to apply. My tip here: use a sponge to press onto your  face – don’t wipe hard across your face (bad habit) and it will possibly ruin the liquid you had put on earlier by lifting it away – or leave you looking streaky….

SUGGESTIONS ON BRANDS?

There are essentially 2 kinds of makeup products:

 Drugstore brands: These are usually *not always* cheaper and sold at any store with pharmacy products. There are lots of companies to choose from and because the market is fierce with competition there is always something newer, better, and just like the higher brand items coming out to compete. Even if they do typically cost less – people seem to think that means they also work less then better- that is def. false – there will always been products that are just DUDs but to discredit the whole drugstore make brand market is highly erroneous.

From my own purchasing experience (and I spent more than a pretty penny buying over the last 15 years!) the brands I migrate to that deliver consistent quality products and have met my needs are: Maybelline, L’Oreal and Neutrogena (I am talking strictly face makeup here).

Department Store/Professional Makeup Brands: These are the makeup brands that create a world full of artists and gurus and makeup fanatics dominating the space on YouTube today. But not everything offered by the higher brand makeup companies is THE BEST. Some of the stuff is pretty unbelievable – but its incorrect to think you can only achieve a flawless beautiful makeup look by buying pricey items – it really comes down to technique and finding which products work best for your needs – regardless of their label name.

I have to admit my opinion on these brands isn’t too great because I just cant justify spending the funds on much of the pricey items – but there are a number of GREAT solutions from MAC, Makeup Forever, Dior and Bobby Brown – that are all sold in department stores and used by professionals that deliver on their promise and are available at a much steeper price point than some of the drugstore brands. My Go-to has always been MAC…  and then there are ways to get department story makeup for cheap – discounted rates. But that is another blog entry in itself. Leave a comment and let me know if you’d like to see that as my next post … Hope this helps. Later Girls!!!! Xoxox

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