Foundation: Your best friend or your worse enemy. It can make a complexion look flawless, youthful and radiant or like a walking pastry. Here are a few foundation tips to keep the pastry where it belongs…in the bakery. ;)
Fortunately foundations have come a long way since the cakey, masklike stuff your mom use to wear. Okay to be honest, or like I use to wear in high school. Today they feel as lightweight as a moisturizer.
Find your perfect color: This is probably the most important step! Test the foundation on your jawline and check it in the daylight. The color is correct if it disappears without blending. If you have no idea of which shade to purchase, get a beauty advisor at a department store to help you pick the perfect color, and ask for a sample to take home. Now you know the correct shade of foundation to purchase, whether being from there or somewhere else.
Prep you skin: Prior to application make sure your skin is clean and well moisturized. Allow a couple minutes before applying the foundation, giving enough time for your skin to absorb the moisturizer. Also, a primer is a great addition just before applying your foundation. This will minimize pores, help with the appearance of fine lines, and the foundation will wear longer. Some makeup artists think it’s a crime not to prime..I agree.
Application: For a little coverage use your finger tips. For more coverage use a sponge or foundation brush or for blending after using finger tips. The sponge and brush soak up less foundation and blend flawlessly, I prefer a foundation brush. Apply dots of foundation on your cheeks, chin, forehead and tip of your nose. You don’t want to apply all over your face, just the areas that are uneven. Next, set the foundation with loose powder immediately.
* If you’ve overdone your foundation, you don’t have to start over. Simply putting a dime-sized amount of moisturizer on a foundation brush and working the brush over your face will remedy the situation. Remember when it comes to foundation, less is more.
*If your foundation formula is too oily, try adding a few drops of astringent. This will make the foundation a bit sheerer , but does not cut down on the oiliness.
* If you do choose to use foundation all over the face, be sure to blend into your jawline and slightly onto the neck. Otherwise, you will have a distinct line between the two, and it will make you like you are wearing a mask.
* Sometimes in a photograph of yourself you’ll notice that your face is white and your chest is tan. That’s because the flash reflects light off the face and the raw skin of your chest and neck absorbs the light. Next time you think you are going to be photographed, be sure to apply a bit of powder to your neck and chest.
