(Foundation image above courtesy of BECCA Cosmetics sold through Adore Beauty)
Prepare your canvas
For a flawless base, it’s best to start with a great base, your skin. I try to exfoliate twice a week, with a gentle exfoliating wash with lots of very fine grains. I follow this with a peeling mask from 10.0.6. (visit my post on masks for more information). This leaves my skin clean, open and pores fresh to absorb moisturiser which I apply about 30 minutes before my base.
Pre-Foundation Primer
Essentially most primers prepare the skin for foundation. There are primers that fill enlarged pores so the foundation doesn’t “pool” in the pore. Other primers create a dewy finish with silicones (you can see “cone” at the end of the name in the product list. There are also primers are designed for a matte finish. These contain oil-absorbing ingredients. Most primers say they make the base last longer. Primers are also great for smoothing over pores and fine lines. If I’ve just cleansed my face, I only apply a mattifying primer to my oily areas.
What is Foundation?
Foundation is a cream, liquid or powder product designer to cover redness, acne, pigmentation and generally create a base for your other makeup. A good foundation forms the basis of a great makeup look.
How To Apply Foundation
Apply stick foundation, powder or liquid to the areas you really need it and blend out with your fingers, Beauty Blender or Foundation Brush. I use fingers initially and go in with the ModelCo Magic Blender Sponge AUD $14. I blend along the hairline and jaw to ensure there isn’t a tidemark where the foundation and my skin colour is obviously different.
How to Select the Perfect Shade
Ask the makeup sales lady in the cosmetic store for a couple of samples. The higher ends stores like Sephora and Mecca are happy to do this. Otherwise, take pot luck in the chemist/drugstore/supermarket when they are on sale and buy the on that looks about right. If you pick your purchase timing you can get it at a discount and if it isn’t right, go up or down a shade.
Skin Tone
There are several skin tones that the makeup companies identify:
Warm
(often the colour will have W, Y, G or the work warm or gold in the shade name ) and this is for golden based skin tones. People with golden skin tones tend to be either from Asia or the Mediterranean)
Cool
(this colour name with have a C in it or be called beige) for very fair people with a English, Scottish or Irish background.
Neutral
(confusing as it will have an N or be called neutral) is halfway between pink and yellow skin tones.
Identify if you are golden, pink or neutral and then you just need to select the shade light to dark, usually number from 1, the lightest. I try to put the tester colour on my jaw and now and blend to check. Or you can head to Sephora and find your perfect match with the Sephora +Pantone Colour IQ collaboration for that perfect fbase colour.
Finishing Touches
Lastly, there are two steps I always try to do.
Set my face with a translucent powder, but I do this after applying any cream products, such as concealer, luminizer and/or blush.
Spray my face with a setting spray (even just that Evian Spray would do). It helps to help it “settle” the various products, liquid and powder, which can help your face makeup last all day. There are a lot of brands that do a great job. See examples below:
I have linked some brilliant products to the stores online where you can purchase them. I bought from these stores and have tried the products and I can testify to their efficacy. The links are affiliate links, but I never link to a product I don’t own or haven’t tried and endorse. I use affiliate links to help to fund my site. If there is anything you’d like to see or tutorials that you’d like to see, please comment below.
