How to find the perfect foundation
Choosing the right foundation can be a pretty daunting task! Here are a few tips to help you.
Important questions
First of all, there are five major questions you have to ask yourself before going shopping. If you find the answers first, choosing will be quicker and easier and you won’t risk making an expensive mistake or being disappointed because the product doesn’t do what you want it to. I’ve often met people who complain about their foundation but in reality, the product is simply not adapted to their skin type or their needs. Check out this list, it’ll make your life a lot easier!
1) What level of coverage are you looking for?
Do you want a light, transparent coverage that reveals your skin and your freckles? Or do you prefer a heavier foundation that covers port wine stains, birth marks or other imperfections?
There are three different types of foundation coverage: light, average and total. If you want a natural look, chose a light coverage. Total coverage is more visible but on the other hand, will cover your imperfections. Average coverage is between the two.
2) What’s the colour of your complexion: rosy, neutral or golden?
To find out what category you fall in, ask a beauty consultant. If you can judge for yourself, it’s a question of determining whether your skin has pink or yellow undertones or somewhere between the two. It’s very important to know this, because the wrong foundation will leave a dividing line and will not look natural. Many brands classify their products in this way so it’s a lot easier to choose.
3) What’s your skin type: oily, combination, normal or dry?
By determining your skin type, you’ll have a foundation that suits you better. For example, an oily or combination skin needs a matte, oil-free foundation, while a dry skin needs a luminous, moisturizing foundation. Read packaging and labels to find out about the effects and the final result of the product you wish to buy.
4) Have you considered the age factor: wrinkles, droopy skin and so on?
Foundations now possess more and more anti-aging products. Some offer anti-wrinkle, lifting, tensing, reconstituting or redensifying effects. Choose one that matches your needs and can give your moisturizer a helping hand.
5) How long do you want it to last?
If you’re an active person whose days are rather long, then long-wearing foundations are for you. If, on the other hand, you only wear foundation for an evening or happy hour, you don’t need a long-wearing product. Long-lasting products are less moisturizing so it all depends on your skin type and your lifestyle.
Try it out
Here are the 4 golden rules for trying out your foundation.
1) Only buy a foundation that you’ve had the chance to try out. Sometimes, it’s better to spend a small sum to try out a sample rather than buying 2 bottles because the first one wasn’t the right color. It’s impossible to buy a foundation just by looking at the color in the bottle. That’s the advantage of high- end brands that always offer samples.
2) The only place to try your foundation is on the jaw line and nowhere else. Your hands, wrists and forearms are not the same color as your face so it’s not worth trying out the color on these areas. What’s more, if you choose to try out the color on your nose or your cheek, sometimes imperfections like broken veins can confuse you. You wouldn’t want to buy an ultra-pink foundation that goes with your red areas when you have a yellow-tinged complexion! The jaw line is the perfect place because it’s between the neck and the rest of the face. If the color doesn’t leave a line, it’s perfect.
3) Choose the same color as your skin and never lighter or darker. You want it to look natural, not mask-like. You can always accentuate the color later with a bronzer, light-diffusing powder or blush. There shouldn’t be any dividing line.
The only exception: two-tone black skin. Sometimes I have black-skinned clients who have a paler complexion in the center of the face (nose, cheeks and forehead) and a darker contour, including the neck. They wonder which color to choose because if they choose the color of the contour of the face, it’ll be too dark for the center. In their case, they should choose the center color (the lighter one) and blend the product outwards to the neck. The aim is to fade out the color towards the outer edge. You should never stop foundation at the jaw line without blending it downwards. But be careful not to go too low and get marks on your clothes.
4) On the day you go shopping for your foundation, don’t wear any face makeup (no bronzer, self-tanner or blush) because that could affect your choice. For example, if you’re wearing bronzer that day, the foundation you buy could be too dark.
Buying a new foundation is not an easy task. It’s as difficult as buying a new pair of jeans or even a bra. You must take your time, know your skin, be ready to try on several different kinds and bear in mind all the important criteria. Good luck!