Beauty 101: Your Foundation And Concealer Concerns, Answered
LatestYesterday, as part of our ongoing Beauty 101 series, you asked for foundation and concealer advice from your fellow commenters, and, as expected, they delivered:
Hundreds of comments and tons of emails came pouring in, offering tips on everything from finding the right color for your skin tone to getting concealer to stay put all day. While I appreciate every response, due to space constraints, I can’t list all of them here, so if you don’t find the answer you’re looking for in the highlighted tips below, be sure to check out the original foundation query thread, which currently has several hundred super helpful responses from your fellow commenters.
And now, the tips!
Consider Using Primer To Help Make Your Base Last Longer
From Lauren, via email:
You put it on after moisturizing and put your foundation over it. When you first put it on it makes you skin look a little oily and feels super silky. It makes yours foundation go on evenly, and keeps it there for a long time. Basically anything that foundation does, it does better and for longer when you put a primer on first (and it keeps your skin super moisturized).
For applying foundation, one of the best tips is to let your moisturiser soak in well first. Try and leave it ten minutes at least before you start doing your face. This means the foundation is far less likely to slide off during the day. You also don’t need to apply moisturiser everywhere on your face if you don’t need to during the day, especially on your T-zone. As long as you’re using a night cream, you shouldn’t be dry.
Primer is amazing. If your skin is dry it adds an extra layer of moisture to stop your skin sucking up the moisture in your foundation leaving you dry and patchy. If your skin is oily, it’ll help stop foundation just sliding off as it cushions the skin and absorbs oil.
On Skin Tone Issues:
From commenter Madeofawesome:
To choose the right foundation for your skin tone, you need to apply it directly on your face. Some people say to apply it to the side of your hand to see, but your hands are rarely the same color as your face. The easiest way to do this is to go to a makeup counter in the mall. Just tell the ladies you need help finding your skin tone in foundation. People seem to always be scared of makeup-counter ladies, but if you tell them upfront what you’re looking for, they’re usually nice and helpful.
1. How do I pick the right foundation for my skin tone?
-Pick three shades that you think are the closest to your skin color.
-Using a brush, color a swatch along your jawline.
-Wait for a couple of minutes for the foundation to dry. The color will change slightly once the foundation is dry.
-Choose the one that matches best with your skin. When in doubt, choose the lighter color. (Your face is usually lighter than the rest of your body so it’s less noticeable if you go a tiny bit lighter rather than darker.)
On Applying Liquid Foundation:
From Nikki, via email:
There are several ways to apply liquid foundation; fingers, sponge or brush. I almost never use a sponge as it is easy to wipe most of your foundation off again with it, defeating the purpose. If you do use a sponge, don’t apply foundation directly to it. This soaks up a lot of product and uses it up 3 times faster. It also means you start too heavy and end up very light which can look blotchy. Dip the sponge into the foundation which you have put on the back of your hand and stipple or lightly press the sponge to your face to get even coverage. Either wash and dry your sponge at least every other day or use disposable wedges. Build up of product means uneven coverage and bacteria, so keep them clean!
No matter whether you are using fingers, brush or sponge, I find it is best to start applying at the side of the nose and work outwards so that you get even coverage and end up with very little product left as you reach the jawline, making it less likely to end up with an unblended tide mark along there that screams foundation. If you are using a brush, use it flat for larger areas and the tip for nooks and crannies around the nose and jaw etc. Try to avoid getting foundation in your eyebrows or wipe them over with a Q-tip to clean them off.
If you are using your fingers to apply liquid foundation, use the first two fingers and use a press and roll motion with them, rather than just smearing the product around. It’s as easy as it sounds and allows you to blend easily while building up coverage if needed. If the product looks visible around areas that tend to have more noticeable hair like tthe upper lip or between the brows, take your ring finger (which has the lightest pressure) and buff the product lightly in a circular motion to blend without lifting it all off again.
Once your liquid foundation is finished, apply your concealer over the top otherwise you usually wipe the concealer back off as you apply the foundation. Applying concealer second also means you can see what coverage your foundation has and you are less likely to over apply concealer and give a cakey look on spots or lines.