Selecting the right foundation
Monday, November 9th, 2009
Ever saw a chick and wonder, what the hell was she thinking? “… Did she see herself before she left the house?…”
It’s a whole lot easier to judge than to choose the right foundation; especially one that stands up to flashing lights.
If you choose to wear foundation, choosing the right foundation is key to achieving a natural look, otherwise you are better off wearing none at all. The type of foundation you choose will depend on many factors, including:
- Skin type and condition and
- Skin undertone
Therefore it stands to reason that not only do you need to select a foundation in the right colour, but you also need to find one in the right formulation for your skin.
Colour
Foundations should match your skin color/ tone exactly. If you are going to spend the money anyway, buy the right colour. With the plethora of shades available today there is no excuse to wear foundation in the wrong colour.
To find the right colour, apply foundation to a cleansed area of your jawline and not on your neck, wrist or on the back of your hand; It is not common for the colour of your face and that of your hands to be the same, wrists or otherwise.
Blend foundation into jawline, view in natural light or incandescent light (not fluorescent light) and ensure that it blends perfectly.
You should be second guessing as to where the makeup was applied. If you find yourself rubbing vigorously to blend the makeup in after various tries, keep it moving and try another.
There are different skin undertones, primarily yellow, pink and olive. It is important to get a foundation that matches the undertone of your skin to achieve the most natural look. Generally, medium to darker skin tones usually carry a yellow undertone. Many lighter caucasian skin tones carry a pink undertone and Mediterranean skin usually carries an olive skin tone. If you are of mixed descent, no worries, you may have to spend a little more time at the makeup counter.
If you have difficulty finding your colour in an inexpensive brand, it is worth it to spend the extra bucks to find a foundation that is right for you. It is very common to find foundations with a pink or cool undertone. Foundations with yellow or warm undertone are not as abundant.
Formulation
Foundations can come in all different types and forms, including compact powders, mineral powders, dual cream/ powder blends, tinted moisturizers, liquid formulations as well as cream formulations.
Powdered formulations work well for Combination/ oily skin types and cream formulations work well for normal to dry skin types. Liquid formulations can work for either oily or dry skin types as there are both oil-free and oil-based liquid formations (respectively). See skin types here.
In some cases, especially where there may be pigmentation issues on the skin – certain areas like around the mouth or the chin area may be a shade or two darker than the forehead for example, it may be necessary to use two different shades of foundation and blend them where they meet. If applying one tone (usually the darker tone over the areas with lighter skin) does not seem unnatural it may not be necessary to do this.
Using a loose powder all over the face after application will help to tie both foundations together.
Let us all strive to build our makeup on the right foundation shall we.
.
Supernova
Related GC post
Q/A: Which type of foundation is for me?
Hi supernova,
So I have an issue, since using proactiv, have gained the advantages like smooth skin, less pimples bla bla bla.
However, when most people see me in person with my makeup foundation on, virtually natural, but in pictures… whoa, i am looking sooooooo shiny almost greasy looking, and more recently i’ve noticed the yellow (which you mentioned in this article) as a part of that shine, in my grad pics the other day. What can I do about this???
trying not to get called a “grease-monkey”.
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Oh, and on occaision have used the moisture reduction powder thingy….
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Hi Shellyboo,
“Grease-monkey” huh? Wow. That’s pretty mean! Don’t worry, you will have the last laugh as oil abundant skin is much less prone to wrinkles.
As you mentioned that you use proactive, I’m guessing that your skin is combination/oily/acneic. Proactive can work but it is very strong and can dehydrate skin and strip it of it’s natural oils. If the skin water content isn’t replenished, the skin will compensate by producing more oils as it cannot itself produce more water.
Assuming that you have the correct tone of foundation for your skin here are some things you can try.
- Ensure that the moisturizer that you use before applying your foundation is water based (Water as it’s first ingredient)
- If you aren’t already, consider using a water-based (oil free) liquid foundation rather than an oil-based liquid foundation. Also avoid cream to powder formulations, stick foundations or other creamy type foundations
- Use matte foundations rather than pearlized, light reflecting ones.
- “Set” foundation after application with loose powder and powder blush. For a more long lasting ‘set’ consider dabbing compact/ loose powder on face with a round cosmetic sponge, finishing with light strokes of a large powder brush to remove excess.
- Because you already have a healthy glow to the rest of your face, use matte colour cosmetics – eye shadows, cheek colour and lipsticks/ lip stains over extra glossy lip glosses.
- For ‘touch-ups’ during the day avoid applying more powder to face and opt for ‘blotting sheets’. It’s also referred to as cosmetic ‘rice’ paper. (Believe it or not the (clean) seat covers in bathroom stalls work equally as well, just cut into smaller pieces)
- If all of the above fails, consider applying foundation only to areas where you would like to even out skin tone (cheeks, chin and/or forehead perhaps?) and pulling the look together with loose/ compact powder. This will require proper blending and of course the correct tone of foundation.
Let me know if you have any success!
Supernova
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