Welcome back to post number three in my make-up for beginners series, In case you have missed any of them you can read post one and two by clicking the links. This week I am focusing on foundation.
The world of foundation can be a mind boggling place but I hope that you can pick up a few pointers throughout this post that will help you with the whole process. It's really not as complicated as it seems - that I can promise. This is going to be a long post so I would settle in,
Lets talk foundations!
1. Lighting, Lighting, Lighting
This first point is one that I really cannot stress enough. Applying your base can only be done correctly if you are doing it in good light. The only way to really see the result that you are getting is by being able to see it clearly. Natural day light is of course the best option but I understand that this isn't always achievable - when i'm getting up for work it's pitch black outside. In this instance I would suggest purchasing a make-up mirror with a ring light such as this one. If you can't afford this kind of purchase then a daylight bulb would also be a good way to achieve natural lighting. Ikea is a good place to pick these kinds of items up.
2. Colour Matching
How many times have you been walking along the street and someone's foundation colour catches your eye - and not for the right reasons. Getting the right shade for you is really important so that the skin you are showing to the world - usually face/neck/chest area - all matches and nothing looks out of place. If you are buying higher end make-up, the girls behind the counter are usually able to shade match you and there are lots of online websites which can tell you which colour you are across a variety of products from that one match - which can be very handy indeed.
If you are using a tester product in the store it's also good to know where exactly you should be applying this to get the closest match to your skin colour. The best place for this is the jawline or on the chest. The jawline is probably the best place as the colour here is truest to your natural undertone and will allow you to see what it will be like on your face.
If you happen to find a foundation that is too dark for your skin, all is not lost. Adding a drop of moisturiser to the product will lighten the colour, hopefully allow it to match your skin.
3. Get a Sample If Possible
Samples are a great way to get to know the foundation that you want to use. Not all foundations suit every persons skin. How disappointing would it be to spend your hard earned money on a product that you were excited to use and when you did you found that it just didn't work for your skin at all. Now I am aware that it's almost impossible to get samples of high street foundations but in this case I would definitely do some online research and read reviews before making a purchase.
4. Get To Know Your Undertone
Knowing the undertone of your skin is a very important piece of knowledge to have. It's very simply to find out, you simply have to look at the veins on the underside of your wrist. There are three different kinds and specific ways to tell which you are:
- Cool Undertone
- The veins on your wrist will be blue/purple in colour
- Neutral Undertone
- The veins on your wrist will be blue/green in colour
- Warm Undertone
- The veins on your wrist will be green/olive in colour
Once you know your undertone you can then apply this knowledge when picking the right foundation colour for you:
- Cool Undertone
- Foundation shades that will match a cool undertone tend to look more pink in the bottle than other foundations
- Neutral Undertone
- For those with neutral undertones you will want to look for shades somewhere in the middle
- Not too pink and not too yellow
- If you cannot find a shade to match you should stick to shades on the warmer side - shades with yellow tones cancel out any redness
- Warm Undertone
- Foundations that suit this undertone will look more yellow in the bottle
- You will want to look for shades that contain words such as honey or warm beige
5. What Coverage Do You Want?
Each foundation that you pick will have a different coverage on the skin and it's important that you know what this is going to be before you buy to ensure you get the most out of your product.
- Light Coverage
- Provides a more nautral look to the skin. Reduces the appearance of pores but the skin can still be seen through the foundation.
- Medium Coverage
- Provides a more polished look to the skin and aides in the covering of redness around areas such as the nose and any discolouration on the face.
- Full Coverage
- Foundation with a full coverage provides a flawless finish for the face. Only choose if you have adequate skills as face can look very heavy or mask-like if applied incorrectly.
6. What Types Of Foundation Are There?
This is a question that has quite a lot of answers but in essence there are quite a few types to choose from but I have tried to break it down as best I can to avoid confusion:
- Liquids
- Powders
- Creams
- Tinted Moisturisers
Obviously there is a lot of scope in all of these areas but it's all about finding what suits your skin best. Once you have found the right shade and coverage you can then match the type to your skin and what it needs. I am going to explain the difference between BB and CC creams however.
- BB Creams
- Beauty Balms
- They provide you with coverage and they also have added skin benefits
- They are lighter than traditional foundations but they are a lot heavier than moisturisers
- CC Creams
- Colour Correcting
- These are meant to address any redness or sallowness in the skin colour
- They will be much lighter than BB creams - tend to be used under foundation to correct colour
- They will have more of a whipped consistency compared to other products
7, Tools To Use
I am not going to to too indepth into this here as I will have separate posts especially for make-up application tools, but I will say that different tools provide you with a different end result.
- Wet Make-Up Sponge
- Wetting the sponge provides a sheer finish
- The sponge doesn't absorb as much product
- Makes it easier to even out the coverage
- Dry Make-Up Sponge
- Dry sponges provides a fuller coverage
- Can be used to apply cream blush/bronzer, concealers without removing foundation underneath
- Results are instant
- Sponge soaks up quite alot of product
- Buffing Brushes
- Blends the foundation into the skin in circular motions - hence buffing
- Flat Brushes
- Will provide a very heavy coverage on the skin
- Not good for buffing can leave streaks in the foundation
- Stippling Brushes
- Takes alot of effort to achieve the end result
- Can leave an air-brush finish
I will leave the applicator section for now as I want to have content fot my upcoming posts. I will say that I tend to lean to the sponge side of life and I use it both wet and dry, depending on my mood and really how lazy I am that day.
8. Things To Remember
As with any product there are always things to remember, if I forget anything important please leave it below in the comments but here are a few things I like to keep at the forefront of my mind:
- Always prep the skin - you cannot apply foundation to dirty, uneven surfaces
- Remember to look for more in the product - SPF etc
- If the foundation has SPF remember it will show up white in flash photography - not a good look
- Matte foundations will emphasise certain areas on the face, such as dry patches
- It's not all about price - some really good dupes out there, it's about research
- Set the foundation with translucent powder where you have problem areas or want to reduce shine
That brings me to the end of this very long post. I hope that you have been able to pick up a few tips and tricks. I review products regularly on my blog so want to stay away from listing specific products for you to buy - that can be done at a later stage.
If you think I have forgotten anything please leave it in the comments below.
What foundation tips do you have?
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