Beauty 101, Operation Foundation: "That Shit Just Slides Right Off"

Last week, our Beauty 101 series tackled the wacky world of eyeliner, and this week, by popular demand, we’re going to focus on the bases of the basics: foundation and concealer.

When I asked for topic suggestions earlier this morning, several commenters were quick to ask for a foundation and concealer run-through, covering everything from choosing the right shade for your skin tone to covering up under-eye circles and redness. A few examples:

Could you guys post about choosing foundation or concealer according to skin tone (warm, cool, neutral, olive)? It’d be great if foundation types were covered and what foundation would be best for skin types as well (oily, dry, normal, combination). I’ve got moderate acne, so I’d like something to gives moderate to full coverage. I’m sure it’d be really helpful to a lot of Jezzies if preparing your face for foundation application would be included as well (primer, moisturizing).

I second the skin tone make-up suggestions, especially for those of us on the extremes of the spectrum.

I know that the deepest “Cocoa”, “Ebony” and “Chocolate” shades in the drugstore don’t match me, and the department store makeup is just so…overwhelming. I’m also a neutral tone, and since most people are warm or cool, it makes it harder to find that perfect match. Never mind my poor, poor pocketbook quivers once I walk to that makeup counter.

So I guess I’m asking for not-so-expensive makeup for women of color, with a very large shade range?

Information on this would make me a happy girl.

I support the concealer topic! I can get it to look good for my skin tone, I can get it to conceal, but after a few hours it’ll become more of a highlighter for the natural wrinkles of that area. Also, sometimes the texture looks off…

Concealer and such. Especially how to keep it on. I am prone to overheating/getting a bit “dewy” on my face (esp on the subway) and that shit just slides right off.

Most of the concealer/foundation queries can be summed up in these five questions:

1. How do I pick the right foundation for my skin tone?

2. How do I cover under eye circles?

3. What can I do to conceal redness or blemishes?

4. How can I get foundation/concealer to last throughout the day?

5. How do I apply foundation/concealer so it looks natural?

Remember, this is a feature that is essentially asked and answered by you, so if you can help your fellow commenters by answering one, some, or all of these questions, please do so by posting your tips in the comments below, or email them to me by 9am tomorrow morning with “Foundation” in the subject line. (Due to the amount of responses and limited space, I might not be able to use everyone’s comment or email, but I appreciate all of them!) I’ll post a roundup of the results tomorrow afternoon.

Earlier Beauty 101: Your Eyeliner Woes, Solved
Beauty 101: “I Suck At Putting On Eyeliner”