The foundation is one wonder of makeup. It is one of those products that has developed over the years, and that the cosmetic brands continue to invest in. From the wide spectrum of tones that a line presents, the brand adds several lines depending on the desired coverage or the type of finish. Besides, the brands bet on the double or triple functionality of their products, in several we find the function of sun protection factor (SPF) and in others the function of hydration. Its direct benefits are immense. For instance, in case we have extremely oily skin, it’s difficult to hold on to makeup, choosing a foundation that mattifies the skin or prevents oiliness from increasing, is a workable solution. So that it is unnecessary to resort to products duplication, if we correctly choose the foundation, it may be possible to avoid the overlap of multiple products that compete for the same purpose.
…all I need is a great foundation to make my day
Now, to get exactly the result we want, it is necessary to know how to choose from among so many offers, (for sustainable and superb ones find here) the ones that best suit each one of us. From the type of skin, its condition, passing through its shade range, are aspects to consider, and also the most appropriate formulas and the way we apply them. All of this is important to consider when choosing a foundation.
The result, or the success of our choice, varies depending on the combination of these elements, depending on the foundation we choose and which we believe to be the best, the better the result will be.
Understanding how these aspects interconnects with the choice of a makeup foundation is what we will discover next.
Let us see, not all of us have the same skin type, right? Some of us will have more oily skin, others will have normal to combination skin others will have dry or sensitive skin. For each case, it is important to understand which makeup foundation is best suited. Starting with sensitive skin, because it requires special attention, is preferable to choose hypoallergenic foundations or specially designed for sensitive skin. We usually find these characteristics described on the packaging itself. If in doubt and if possible, ask the person providing the advice about the product’s properties. Another solution for sensitive skin is powdered foundation, as it causes less pore-clogging and because they do not contain ingredients that are more conducive to skin irritation. The coverage may be lower, depending on the brands chosen.
If we have normal to combination skin, everything is simpler, and making mistakes will be difficult, the ability of this type of skin to adapt to a product is usually greater. Depending on the purpose to apply the foundation, besides making the skin smooth and uniform, the choice can go for a full coverage foundation, medium, light, or translucent coverage. All are suitable for normal skins, so you can choose mainly to get other desired benefits besides those expected from applying a foundation. Other features such as “anti-ageing” foundations agents, or sun protective factors, maybe two of those desired benefits.
For those having dry skin, choosing the makeup foundation may not be a simple task, dry skin can easily dry out even more and become dehydrated. This is one of the most frequent complaints for those who like to wear a foundation daily. For these situations, prefer foundations that also moisturize the skin. Today there is quite a diversity in the market, and it is easy to find a foundation that moisture the skin and provides good coverage. For dry skin always prefer creamy and light foundations. Some makeup brands have specifically designed makeup foundations for dry skin, in this case, the choice is easier, especially if the brand is reliable and of recognized notoriety.
For people with oily skin, the makeup foundations to choose are those that in their formula is free of oil, privileging the foundations that mattify the skin and allow long-lasting makeup. One advantage of the foundations especially designed for oily skins is that they help to keep the makeup intact, and without mixing it with the other products that, meanwhile, we put on top like the blush or the highlighter. But we do not intend a foundation that clogs the pores or is too thick. Fortunately, some foundations allow you to control oiliness while offering good and long-lasting coverage. You only need some attention to not get mistaken.
But what shade should I buy? Do I know exactly, what my makeup foundation shade is for each brand? We will find a quick way to know how to acknowledge your foundation shade. Regarding the brands, each one can have its shades range, so it’s better to avoid being linked to a specific brand shade. At least for two reasons. One is because the shade we are looking for can vary according to the season of the year. Another reason is that brands use different principles to classify their shades range.
A brand can classify its shades according to what is your intention, the brand illustrates it by showing the result with the application of its product. Other brands go for the skin colour of whoever is applying the product. Better this way, we just need to know our skin shade. The problem is that there is no protocol between brands for their shade’s classification, besides, there are brands that identify their shades by numbers, other brands by names and other brands by image. So, it is much better when we can recognize our exact shade, regardless of the brand we are buying. Especially at this moment, when online purchases are very frequent, it is important to know exactly what we want, so that when it arrives, we don´t get an unpleasant surprise.
We will get into the steps you need to take to choose the right shade for each skin colour.
First, let us go through the steps assuming that the goal is to achieve a foundation shade equivalent to the colour of our skin. My decision always goes here, I prefer to use a shade that allows a more natural result, and if wanting to “warm-up” the colour a little more I can use a product that produces this effect through the rest of the makeup products. So, looking at the shades brand’s palette, choose three shades closer to your skin colour. As using the foundation on the face, I advise against the trick considering the colour of the wrist or other part of the body. Our reference must be the face’s colour and we usually get mistaken because of this reference.
Some of us have a slight variation in the face skin’s colour from the rest of the body, so if you choose a shade slightly above or below, will be possible to see where the baseline begins and ends. Unless we disguise it, which is a simple task but is one more to consider. So, starting from these three chosen shades, place a small portion on the forehead, cheekbones, and jawline. Repeating the three tones, it is possible to check which one is the most like your natural skin colour. Imagining that you want a shade above or colder, you can also measure in the same way, since you can experience the result on your skin at this same moment.
But now imagining that it is not possible to experiment, as with online shopping, if we do not know then how can we choose the right foundation shade? First, try, if possible, to buy from a brand that classifies their foundation pallet, describing the shades range and to cover all skin phototypes, from pale white skin, or Type I to black skin or Type VI. There are makeup brands that shows what type of skin it suits and even what finish it provides or what coverage achieves with each of its foundation lines. If you find a brand with this information, it will simplify the task.
Start by cancel the foundation shades that are not part of your phototype (below a description of the phototypes) then again of the shades in which your phototype fits, select three and at that moment compare with a little of your existing foundation, like, just place and blur a bit of your foundation on a white sheet of paper, then bring the shade of the foundation pallet, closer to your paper and compare. Although it is riskier to buy online, it is possible to do so by minimizing the risk. Another help is to choose makeup brands with a wide range of shades (32 shades eg) and allowing to match more specific shades.
Knowing how to choose the makeup foundation coverage that best suits us, should not be a hard task. As most people know the coverage that foundations allow relates to its opacity. Namely, the opacity is mainly the amount of pigment present in the foundation’s formula. There is no ideal coverage, but the coverage that best serves our makeup purposes.
We can distinguish coverage in several levels of opacity, the light or ultralight, the medium and the full coverage. To better understand it, the lighter foundation contains the least amount of pigment while the full coverage contains the largest amount of pigment. It is important to understand the coverage concept so that when we prefer one for the other it has a reason for being. Imagine that for a person with blemishes or even scars on the face and intend to disguise them, they will probably go for a full coverage foundation, whereas people without blemishes or having young skin may prefer a lighter or medium coverage foundation. There is no rule, but using the ideal coverage is allowing to achieve the desired effect.
We can also prefer one foundation because we get a specific finish, and this can vary depending on its formulation. And which can have a unique form of presentation. Thus, one foundation finish, according to most makeup brands, unfolds in a natural, luminous, and matte finish. There may be more lines such as, radiant ones, satin ones, among others that appear in each collection, but the ones that we classically find, of the makeup brands, are the three mentioned above. Setting my example, I rarely choose matte foundations, because it is a finish that does not comfort me and because my skin does not have any oiliness, the tendency is to have some lack of light, and if I wear a matte foundation, it will intensify even more that effect. The natural, radiant, and luminous foundations are the ones I prefer for my skin and for the result I want with the rest of the makeup that I will add. Having sensitive and dry skin, I appreciate a skin that appears luminous and more natural, with a light to medium coverage, and I add layers of products, to get the effect that suits me best. Mature skins also benefit from more radiant foundations because they lose some luminosity with ageing and this way can achieve this effect using one with these characteristics.
Even though we have already covered many aspects to consider when we are choosing our makeup foundation, there are still two issues that are worth addressing. One is the makeup foundations presentation. And the other is how best to apply our foundation. They can have a liquid, powder, stick or cream presentation. Another alternative is the application foundation with spray, the “airbrush”, but as they are difficult to apply, we leave them out now. Creamy foundations may or may not be compact, compact ones sold in boxes and applies with a beauty blender that normally comes with it, and non-compact ones in jars, pallets, which are applied with brushes and beauty blenders. Liquid foundations are sold mainly in bottles dispensers and tubes. The best way to apply is by brush, because beauty blenders will absorb too much product, so the best is avoiding them. The foundations that are presented in powder, in a loose form, are sold in sift compacts. These powder foundations are applied essentially by wide brushes (Kabuki type) or by non-absorbent blenders. The stick foundations are creamier allowing a simpler application, but they need a beauty blender to spread and blend more evenly.
I hope this reading was helpful. From now on, buying the perfect foundation will be much easier.
#buyonlyifnecessary, if necessary, then good.
Coming soon a good deal of wonderful news!
Yours,
Vera
Fitzpatrick Scale Skin Phototype:
Type I – pale white skin
Type II – fair skin
Tipo III – darker white skin
Tipo IV – light brown skin
Tipo V – brown skin
Tipo VI – dark brown or black skin