What do you want your foundation to do for you?
Foundations have different kinds of coverage depending on how much powder it contains. It is there for vital to choose the correct type according to your needs and skin type.
LIQUID FOUNDATION
- May contain a lot or a little powder. It is easy to use with you fingers, a sponge or a foundation brush
Mac Studio fix fluid NC45..
COMPACT CREAM FOUNDATION
Often contains a lot of powder and will therefore give much coverage. Best used with a moist sponge.
Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Sponge-On Cream Makeup
POWDER FOUNDATION
- C
ontains more powder than liquids. Will give a quick and even coverage, but may also clog pores. Thorough facial cleansing after use is highly necessary. 
Shu uemura Powder Foundation
TINTED DAY CREAM
Moisture cream with added tint. This thin and light cream will not cover much, but evens out skin tones.
Loreal Age Perfect Pro Calcium Radiance Perfector Sheer tint Moisturizer (what a name!!)
WHAT SKIN TYPE ARE YOU?
The perfect foundation must also go well with your skin type. The most common skin types are oily, dry and combination skin.
OILY SKIN
Facial treatment
First of all, do not try to dry out an oily skin! This will fool it into believing that it is actually dry and therefore producing more oil. An oily skin needs a good moisturizer that does not contain any grease or oil ingredient. Use an exfoliater 1-2 times per week to get rid of dead skin cells. An oily skin has trouble doing this on its own and the dead skin cells will therefore get pulled back into the pores and clog them up more.
Foundation choices
Use a product that contains a fair amount of powder so that it will matte down shiny skin and also allow for the foundation colour to stay on longer. If you do not wish for a lot of coverage, try using a Tinted Moisturizer and finish up with a translucent powder to get that shine away. If you’re really having problem with getting your foundation to stay put, try a matting primer underneath.
DRY SKIN
Facial treatment
A dry skin obviously needs a lot of moisture in forms of creams, but if your skin is flaking off you also need a fat ingredient to allow the skin to bind the moisture. Exfoliating a dry skin is a big help, but remember to use a product for dry or sensitive skin and maximum 1 time per week. By doing so the dead skin cells will be removed instead of stealing moisture from the healthy skin.
Foundation choices
Use products that doesn't contain a lot of powder. There are many liquid foundations that are made especially for dry skin, but I.D. Bare Minerals polwer (it's NOT a powder!) foundation works wonders on a dry skin- just remember to blend the polwer well in the lid to make it melt completely.
COMBINATION SKIN
Facial treatment
Remember to treat the different parts of your skin in an accurate way as a combination skin often will have dry cheeks and a more oily t-zone. If so, apply a slightly greasier moisturizer to the cheeks and use your normal moisturizer over the rest. In general the most important thing for a combination skin is that is gets a good cleansing and treatment routine.
Foundation choices
A combination skin will stand most of the different foundation types. If some parts of your skin are extra dry or oily, simply use the advices for these skin types to these areas.
WHAT SKIN TONE ARE YOU?
This is where the magic is! Who haven’t bought tons of foundations that have a perfect consistence and coverage, but will just not match the rest of your body? The trick is to find the undertone to your skin colour. Disregard freckles or sporadic shades of red that may be due to heat or other skin conditions. The undertone to your skin colour is the colour you want for you foundation, regardless if it dark or light.
The most common undertone is yellow, but there are also those rear red tones. This occurs often to the very pale (for instant red heads) or to those of a very dark colour (for instant some African skin) When you have found your correct undertone, you jusr need to find the correct shade of light or dark. A foundation cream is always best tried on between your jaw and your neck, and will nearly disappear when the colour fits perfect.
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HOW TO PRIME YOUR SKIN
Lancome 'La Base'
To make sure a foundation stay on evenly and for the entire day it's important to create a good base. A primer will enhance the skin and allow it to better accept the foundation.
The easiest way to prime your skin is to simply cleanse it and apply moisturizer. Let it dry inn for 10 minutes and follow with the foundation.
The best way is to exfoliate your skin 1-2 times per week, cleanse your skin and apply moisturiser followed by a foundation primer. This will even out the surface of your skin and let the foundation get closer and therefore stay on longer.
HOW TO APPLY
Mac foundation brush. 190 fra Mac
Foundation can be applied by the use of your fingers, a sponge or a foundation brush
Common facts of the tree:
Work evenly and quick with the product. Don’t let it dry in on one side of your face before you start with the other side.
Don’t let any foundation get caught in your hair line or eyebrows if you want to avoid orange streaks.
Don’t forget your neck! Use a thinner portion and let it fade towards your chest.
If you are using you FINGERS, remember to wash them free form dirt and oils. Apply small dots of foundation to your forehead, nose, chin and cheek and smear on like a moisturizer.
If you are using a SPUNGE apply the foundation with quick press and lift motions. Start along the jaw and work your way over the face.
A FOUNDATION BRUSH is an increasable aid that will save you both time and product. The brush almost works like a paint brush across the face. Remember to allow you final strokes to have a downwards direction to make facial hairs stay put.
Concealer
A concealer is similar to a foundation, but contains often more powder and is therefore more covering. It is not meant to be used all over the face, but only to parts with need of extra attention. Common places are under the eyes, around the nose, the chin and to acne areas. The colour of your concealer should be origin from your foundation and be about ½ tone lighter than it. Pat it gently and thin into your skin with your finger. If you smear the concealer to much, it will just move back and forth over your skin. Remember to even out the edges so that is blends with the foundation.
Compact Concealer:
Contains more powder and gives the most coverage
Liquid Concealer:
Contains less powder, but will still give a good coverage. Great for dry skin.
Lancome
Highlighter Pen: A highlighter pen is meant to lighten without giving a lot of coverage. It creates an illuminating effect on the face that is any starlets best friend. Try it over your cheek bone, the middle of your forehead, down your nose bone and right above your upper lip. Tips! Blend a highlighter pen with you concealer to make the concealer lighter!
YSL Touch Eclait
POWDER
You should always follow up a foundation with a powder of some sort. The powder does give a matting effect, but the foremost reason to use it is to seal in the foundation and make it last all day. Powders come in both loose and compact forms.
- Coloured powder gives a little more coverage and visibility.
- Translucent powder is colourless and thin and will therefore appear more natural.
Mac Blot Powder loose is a translucent loose powder
Chanel Mat Lumier is a compact and tinted powder
WHY DO I FEEL PALE WITH THE CORRECT FOUNDATION COLOUR?
Many do feel a bit pale when they find the perfect foundation colour. This is because the foundation neutralizes any colour interruptions you previously were used to seeing, such as red cheeks. In stead of switching to a darker foundation, remember that this is just a first step in a make up process and as soon as little miss blush comes along with the rest of the make-up bag gang, there will be plenty of colour to go around!.
• Tips:
1. The skin colour changes between summer and winter. Invest in two foundations that are suited to your undertone, but one shade lighter and one shade darker. Mix them together to always have the perfect foundation for you!
2. Apply some foundation into your moisturizer to create you own Tinted moisturizer. It won’t cover a lot, but give your face a more even colour and glow.
3. Never test a foundation on your hand. The skin type and colour is not the same as your face!
