Everything I’ve Learnt About Foundations

Never mistakenly wear the wrong shade again

Hello lovelies! I hope you had a fabulous holiday! I did have a lovely time with my family not just at Christmas but throughout the year.

Which brings me to today’s post. Today am sharing about my experience using foundations throughout last year. I have learned a lot and I’m still learning. It’s a fun journey but here’s what I have learned so far!

To me, foundation is a cosmetic base you can use to create an even skin tone, or a flawless finish. It helps you cover up the “secrets” you want to hide. But when it comes to picking out the right foundation, it can get a little tricky. One thing I have learned from makeup artists is that you have to match your foundation to your skin’s undertone and not the surface.

A lot of the times people match the foundation to the skin’s surface and end up looking a bit off. There are basically three undertones which are warm ( yellows, red-oranges, and reds), cool undertones (blues, blue-greens or blue-reds) and neutral undertones (these have an equal amount of warm and cool tones). <I wrote an article on undertones on this very blog>.

Personally, am warm toned so I find warmer foundations better to use. At times people also choose basing on a popular rule “Test 4 shades of foundation on your skin and the one that disappears into your skin is the match”.

I do like that rule but sometimes go in for a shade darker than the one that disappears into the skin because at the end of the day, your concealer will return the warmth and you’ll still be in range. A popular makeup artist Hindash (@hindash) at times just matches it to the neck!

When it comes to the blending, never forget to bring your foundation down to the neck area to avoid having a “face mask”. Its also important remember that you can manipulate the texture of your foundation but you can’t manipulate its color so if you pick out a wrong color, you’re done!

It seems that younger people wear more full coverage foundation compared to older people which is understandable but sometimes a little goes a long way. When it comes to mature skin, liquid foundation works best because it creates a smoother finish without settling into your wrinkles or fine lines.

If you’re 40+, less foundation is more , sometimes leaving out the freckles or “skin secrets” makes you appear younger. However, I’d advise you go very thin with foundation under the eye area because that’s where the eyes sag ,wrinkles are and believe me you wouldn’t want to “cake it up” around there.

Another trick I love that helps me pick out my preferred choice is by applying a small amount of foundation on the back of my fist (that’s held tightly), blending it out there and releasing the fist after. This will help you see what the foundation will look like on your skin, how it will settle in your fine lines, whether its dry, too dry, shimmery, dewy, light or whatever it is. You have to also bear in mind your skin type.

I like to believe that when you know your skin, beauty routines become a bit easier. If you have dry skin, a hydrating foundation will do you wonders, oily skin go for a mattifying foundation, combination skin still opt for a mattifier. When it comes to sensitive skin, be careful and instead try out fragrance free tender foundations especially from the Clinique range. For acne prone skin, Clinique foundations are a great choice too. You can also choose your foundation basing on your preferred coverage levels whether full,medium, light or sheer coverage!

Then there are tinted moisturizers which are really good for thin skin because they don’t sit heavy on the surface and they are moisturizing! Tinted moisturizers to me just like their name are a “moisturizers with a little tint to them” . Some include La Mer The SPF18 Fluid Tint, Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital Teinte, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer and the M.A.C Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15. It’s also crucial to wear foundation with an SPF just to protect from the sun’s rays!