Makeup For Dummies Vol 2: Flawless Foundation

Hello world!

Now that you have the information about the brushes, lets get started with the foundation. 

Women typically have two concerns when it comes to a good foundation:

• I can never find a shade that matches my skin tone.
• I can never find a foundation that lasts all day.

Well, let me help you with that ladies :) To find a shade all you need to do is make sure it matches your neck and, more or less, your chest. Sometimes peoples' faces can be quite a different tone than the rest of them. So, when you match it purely with your face, i.e. sampling some on your cheek, you are going to have that line around your face. Not cute. However, if your face and body match, still make sure it matches your neck as well as your face. I also recommend going to a store like MAC or Sephora where there are open samples, or associates that can help color match you. Going to a drug store is not good when looking for a foundation because you cannot open the product until you buy it. Yes, this means you might need to spend a little more money, but it is worth it. If you are going to spend a shiny penny on any makeup product, it should be your foundation. Why, you ask?

• It is made with better quality ingredients, making it last longer on your face.
• Since it will last more on your face, you can use less of it.
• Drug store brands tend to waste quickly, because you will have to use more of it to get the staying power and the coverage you want. 

Think about it, you will waste more money buying a drug store foundation every two months because it ran out, than if you spent $40 on a quality foundation once a year. Sometimes it might last you more depending on if you wear it everyday.

Before you even think about touching your skin with foundation, you will cleanse and moisturize your face. In my skincare post I talk about the importance of skin care. I also did a full skin care routine, but for everyday just do the cleanser and moisturizer. And don't you dare tell me you don't have time to wash your face, girl! If you have time to read this post you have time to be cleansed and moisturized. 

Now let us move on to application, shall we? The foundation I will be using is a liquid. Liquid foundations have gotten a real bad reputation. People say they're oily and clog your pores. However, foundations have come a looooonnnggg way. Most are actually very gentle and water based. I also like the way liquid looks better than a powder. Powders are good for setting your makeup, but not as your only coverage source. To me they just sit on top of skin, and have zero to none staying power. Of course there are exceptions, but with liquid you will always be safe. 

After your moisturizer you can apply a little sunscreen for sun protection. This is good to do especially in the summer time, but it is optional. Next, use a face primer. These hold on to your foundation and keep it from rubbing off. This you can do with your fingers, just like when you apply moisturizer. 

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Then, take your stippling brush....

and your foundation...

Kat Von D Lock-it Tattoo Foundation (amazing coverage)

... and just do one pump onto the back of you hand. The foundation I used is a tad thick, so to soften it a little I just put a little moisturizer into it, and mixed them together. 

Then all I do is tap my stippling brush into the foundation and dab some all over my face. Like so:

No makeup. Not cute.

Now that each surface of the face has some foundation on it, I just start buffing it into my skin in small circular motions until it is all blended. I do it like this instead of doing one side first so that I don't do one side heavier than the other. And voila!! Much better, no?

See how the stippling brush just took away all my imperfections. And I turned to the side for you guys so that you can see how it matches my neck. 

Now, it is time for some concealer. This is optional if you really don't need it. I just use it because I have a bit of discoloration under my eyes, my nose, and my eyelids. If I am going to put on eye shadow I don't put concealer on the lip though. It makes my shadow crease. 

 Benefit Boiing Concealer 

And like I said in my brush post, you can choose to use a concealer brush or just your finger to blend out the color.  

 Gotta get the nose, girl! Cover up that redness.

Lastly it is time to set the foundation with a powder. As I am sure you know, I like to use a translucent one. These don't add color, so it won't be too heavy or cakey looking. Sometimes I do use a color one, if I am going to a party or being photographed, but other than that no. I just use my fluffy powder brush...

...to get the powder all over my face. I also make sure to pay special attention to the T-zone (forehead, nose, eyelids, and cheeks) as these get the most oily. 

Stila Hydration Finishing Powder

One more point I want to make is that you don't need to get both the primer and the setting powder. Their role is to make your makeup invincible, but I know that times is hard, right? So at the very least get a setting powder or a setting spray (coming up in a later post) to put on after the foundation is done. It will still do the job. I never had a primer until recently and my makeup lasted all day with this powder. I just use a primer now because, well why not? Ha ha. 

Keep in mind, this is the way I do my makeup and the way I learned. Feel free to adjust it to your own taste :)

I hope that this is helpful and will continue to be. It better be, girl, 'cause there are more coming your way! Stay-tuned for tomorrow. Highlighting and contouring coming right up :) If you're like What is that? Just wait and see...

What is your main foundation concern?

Did you always use liquids or powder before reading this post?

What kind of foundation do you prefer?

You know how I look forward to your answers :)

Peace out!

Nicole xo.