In our Beauty 101: How to Do Your Makeup or a Photo feature, Fashion Bomb reader Kris recently asked if I could do a post on how to apply foundation and powder sans awful streaking. Being the obliging beauty pusher that I am, here it goes.
1. First things first obey your thirst be sure your foundation matches in both color and undertone. No matter how flawless your application is, if your foundation doesn’t match your skin you’ve booked yourself a one-way ticket to Obvious Foundation City. Need help figuring out your shade? Check out Foundation 101. Also keep in mind that since we don’t all come in one single uniform shade all over, some of us might benefit from using two different foundation shades (usually a darker shade around the perimeter of the face and a lighter shade in the middle).
2. Make sure your face is properly cleansed, toned, and moisturized according to your skin type. Foundation looks best on a clean face. Also the right moisturizer can make or break your look: get one that’s too dry for your skin and you could look like the Crypt Keeper or get one that’s too oily and hello, Jermaine Jackson.
Those with obvious pores or who can’t seem to keep their foundation put would benefit from using a foundation primer. One I love is Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer for normal to dry skin and for oily skin nothing beats Iman Secret Under Cover Agent Oil Control Primer.
3. Now it’s time to apply your foundation. Techniques will vary depending on the formula you use.
Liquid Foundation: Dab a little bit on the back of your hand (you can always add more if you need it but it’s better to work your way up in coverage instead of trying to work down) and using either a foundation brush (I love MAC #190 and even multi-tasking MAC #187) or makeup wedge (you *could* get away with using your fingers, but it can get really messy and possibly streaky). Gently blend the foundation in a downward motion almost like you were painting a masterpiece (you are—your face!). Be sure to blend the foundation until it disappears making sure you don’t forget areas like around your hairline and by the ears. These are areas often forgotten about when it comes to foundation but leaving them out can lead to “foundation mask”.
Stick Foundation: Dot the stick only on areas where you need it. Then pull out your foundation brush or makeup wedge to gently blend it in until it disappears into your skin. Don’t forget your hairline and by the ears!
Cream Foundation: Scoop a little bit on the back of your hand and apply it in the same fashion you did with the stick. Again, your hairline and the area by your ears want some foundation, too.
Powder Foundation/Mineral Foundation/Pressed Powder/Loose Powder: I always like to give the face a few spritzes of makeup spray like MAC Fix+ and letting it dry before applying powder foundation. Things can tend to get cakey with powder foundation so the added moisture is welcomed. To prevent foundation overload, use a brush with loosely packed bristles to apply. Me and my MAC #187 brush are like this >< when it comes to applying powder–any power product, creme blush, foundation, bronzer, luminizer, I mean it really does it all and has your back against over-application.
Dust the brush into the powder foundation and apply it to the face in a sweeping motion. Don’t ignore your hairline or the area by your ears. Finish with a few more spritzes of Fix+ Spray.
For mineral foundation you can also use a brush like MAC #187, but you may also love using a kabuki brush–a short brush with densely packed bristles that you use to apply minerals to the face in a circular motion. After you dip your kabuki brush into your minerals, be sure to tap some of the excess of to both avoid product overload and from getting it all over your clothing.
Since powder foundation practically sets itself, you only need loose or pressed powder to set your liquid, cream, or stick foundation. I prefer loose powder to pressed powder simply because loose powder tends to contain less oils than pressed, but for portability you might prefer pressed. You can choose a shade slightly (keyword slightly)lighter than your skin (as foundation and powder mixes with the oils in your skin over time it begins to oxidize or become darker), a translucent or colorless shade, or some people like to use a color correcting shade to combat sallowness or redness.
What about concealer? Do you put it on before or after foundation? Normally you would use concealer after foundation. Your foundation might even eliminate the need for concealer. But if you have significant discoloration, you’ll want to use special concealers before foundation. We’ll go over those situations in a future post :)
Still have questions? Leave them in the comments or contact me.
~Danielle
