The right foundation will even out your skin tone and give you the appearance of flawless skin.
Follow these steps:
Find your perfect match
- Best done in a department store where you can get a makeup artist to match your shade.
- Ask for samples and try them at home and in different lights.
- Test it on your jawline - the right shade will sink right in and you won¹t be able to see the foundation on your skin.
- If your body is darker than your face don’t be tempted to buy a darker shade, you can boost the colour later with bronzer.
If in doubt, buy the two closest shades to your complexion and mix them. Your skin changes colour throughout the year so you¹ll have options.
- Avoid buying any foundation with a pink undertone, it never looks natural. Golden undertones are better.
- The most popular is a dewy liquid as women find it easiest to apply and it looks most natural. If you like more coverage try a cream. I like Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation – it’s pricey but worth the investment, people always comment on my skin when I wear it. MAC Face and Body is another awesome product – it’s quite a light coverage but lovely and luminous – you won’t find a makeup artist without this in their kit. For a budget-friendly option Revlon Colorstay is great.
It's all in the preparation
- Just like with painting a wall or icing a cake, you want the surface to be as smooth as possible.
- Cleanse to remove any oil or old makeup and if you have time use a facial scrub, it will give you a natural glow that will show through your foundation.
- Apply sunscreen, a light moisturiser (not a night cream which will leave a greasy residue) or a primer (like Napoleon Perdis Autopilot) but never all at once - give it a few minutes to sink in and you’re perfectly primed.
Lay the foundations
- Apply a small amount, starting from the nose and blending out from the middle of the face. You don’t need to cover the whole face, just the red, blotchy areas.
- Makeup artist like to use brushes, I like fingers. They warm the product up and you can really massage it into the skin. The Beauty Blender sponge is a clever little tool that helps blend and can give a photo-shopped finish.
- Beware the tide mark! Always check the sides of your face and under your chin, making sure you blend foundation into the temples and hairline.
- Dot a creamy highlighting concealer under the eyes (Try YSL Touche Eclat or Laura Mercier Secret Concealer) and a more chalky, powdery concealer for any spots. A small concealer brush or cotton tip is handy to stop bacteria from your fingers getting into the blemish. Powder over the top of the spot to keep the concealer in place. (Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit has a powder in the bottom which is handy)
- Apply a luminising cream to cheat radiance - I like Nars The Multiple in Copacabana or Maldives. Dab it onto cheekbones and brow bones and blend.
- If you want it to stay all day, use a little translucent powder – just over your T-zone or it will look too matte. Dust it on with a big round circular brush. You can add powder bronzer after you powder to warm your skin up.
- Mineral makeup is great for super sensitive, acneic skins and after cosmetic treatments, but it can be fiddly. You need a kabuki brush, which is a thick, stumpy brush with tightly packed bristles. Tap out some of the product into the lid and swirl the brush in the powder. Blow excess off and blend into skin in circular motions. Youngblood and Inika make good ones.
Liquid mineral foundations are easier but hard to find - I love Dermaquest Breathable Coverage SPF 30 - as it’s my foundation and sunscreen in one.
1. Just like with painting a wall or icing a cake, you want the surface to be as smooth as possible, so use a scrub before you apply any base to give you a natural glow that will show through your foundation.
2. Apply it in small dots, starting from the nose and blending out from the middle of the face. You don’t need to cover the whole face, just the red, blotchy areas.
3. Makeup artist like to use brushes, I like fingers. They warm the product up and you can really massage it into the skin. The Beauty Blender sponge is a clever little tool that helps blend and can give a photo-shopped finish.
4. Always conceal after foundation - use a creamy highlighting concealer under the eyes (Try YSL Touche Eclat or Laura Mercier Secret Concealer) and a more chalky, powdery concealer for any spots (Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit has a powder in the bottom which is handy). A small concealer brush or cotton tip is handy to stop bacteria from your fingers getting into the blemish.
5. Apply a luminising cream to cheat radiance – I like Nars The Multiple in Copacabana or Maldives. Dab it onto cheekbones and brow bones and blend. It gives you that ‘I-just-had-a-facial’ glow, no salon appointment necessary!
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