Choosing the right foundation for your skin is one of the most important aspects of your makeup. I automatically think of the woman who’s foundation never matched her neck, and left a hideous line along the jaw! Nowadays there are so many more choices in colour, texture, and formulation. Despite this fact it can still be a daunting task to find one that works for you. The most popular formulations are liquid, cream, and powder. Liquids and creams can be silicone, water, emollient or gel based. Because of major advancements in technology and the multitudes of brands, both prestige and drugstore, there is bound to be more that one foundation that will suit your needs.

Here are a few tips to help narrow the process down:

1. When deciding on colour first look at the undertone of your skin is it warm, with pink or orange undertones? Cool, with gold or olive undertones or neutral, equal amounts of both cool and warm.

2. Look at the depth of colour. Are you light, medium, or dark?

3. Type of coverage. Sheer–minimal coverage skin shows through. Medium–flaws and imperfections are covered but skin looks natural. Full coverage–All flaws are completely covered natural skin does not show through.

4. What type of skin do you have? Normal, oily, dry or combination. This makes a difference as to what formulation you’ll choose. Dry skin would generally go for a hydrating foundation in liquid or cream. Whereas oily skin would probably avoid anything with a lot of moisturizing properties. A semi matte liquid or gel based formula would be more appropriate.

5. Always try colours on your face before committing. Or take samples home and test them out.

6. Try on the jawline to get a good colour match with your neck.

7. Most importantly decide how you want your skin to look. Besides flawless do you want a matte finish, glowy or somewhere in between.

It has been my experience that one thing you don’t cheap out on is foundation. I saw an ad for Maybelline’s new foundation, and as I ran through the drugstore the other day I noticed the displayer had real testers on it so you could try out the product. I couldn’t help but notice the insanely cheap price tag of $8.96! For that price it was worth a try.

What I liked:
The packaging. Sleek square glass bottle and black cap. Modern looking font that clearly shows the colour.

Oil free, wax free, dermatologist tested, and non comedogenic

Variety of shades. There are 18 available. I bought colour 320 which has a cool gold undertone, not pink as some darker shades tend to be. Having said that I probably should have gone one shade lighter, it’s too dark.

Blends very nicely and disappears into skin without streaking. I applied it with a round foundation brush and buffed it on.

It looks like skin. It has a very natural finish.

Feels lightweight on the skin

What I didn’t like:
I prefer something with more coverage. You can only build the coverage up a bit.

Overall If you are looking for a sheer coverage foundation, that looks and feels natural, I’d definitely give it try.

People often wonder, when it comes to foundation which is best. The fact is it depends on lots of variables. Such as how do you want your skin to look? How much coverage do you want? Which type of foundation do you like—liquid, powder, cream? What type of skin do you have? Because the answers to these questions can change with age, season, or occasion, there’s always more than one foundation that will work for you.
Here’s a quick breakdown on powder foundation and liquid:

Powder Foundation

Convenient because it’s two things in one and comes in a compact with a mirror

Generally full coverage

Option of applying with a sponge for maximum coverage, or a brush for less

Matte finish

Adheres to dry or textured skin which enhances the problem and is not flattering

Liquid Foundation

Comes in different forms: water based (hydrating) emollient based (heavier coverage) silicone based (smooth and easy to blend)

Variety of finishes: matte, semi matte, dewy

Manipulate finish by how much you apply—sheer it out or build coverage up

Apply with different brushes, sponge, or fingers

Customize colours by mixing to match your skin

It is virtually impossible to recreate some of the looks we have shown on our blog without the right tools. I love brushes and as a make-up artist I own hundreds, but for most people a starter set of five will do quite nicely. One thing I will say about brushes is that they are worth the investment. While you can often get away with spending less on a lipstick or eyeshadow a cheap brush will not perform, or last as long as one you spend more money on.

Brushes can be natural or synthetic or a blend of both. The important thing is the shape and texture, soft brushes pick up and apply less product and are good for blending. Stiff brush pick up and apply more product these are good for powder and cream products.

From left to right:

1. Powder or Blush-a medium size dome shaped brush made of goat hair is the perfect size to double for powder or blush.

2. Tapered Eyeshadow-a soft haired paint brush shape is ideal for blending eyeshadow through the crease of the eye. Or dusting eyeshadow all over the eye for a subtle blended look. It’s also very good for blending away hard lines so your eyeshadow looks more diffused.

3. Flat Shader-This type of brush is good for powder or cream products. Most companies carry a small or large version, choose according to the size of your eyes. It can be used on the eyes to create intensity because of the shape and density of the hairs. For example to achieve strong colour on the eyes you would pick up the colour on the flat side and press it against the eyelid.

4. Angled Brush-This brush is a definite must have. It can be used with powder, cream, or liquid products to define eyebrows or for eyeliner. Make sure you examine the angle on the brush before buying. The hairs should be tight together along the angle and not too wide.

5. Foundation Brush-This flat brush is for applying liquid or cream foundation. Because it is quite dense it will pick up alot of product, if you are heavy handed use with caution. You can achieve a very flawless finish with this type of brush, and unlike a sponge it will not soak up the foundation.

For tips on how to care for your brushes go to September 9th post on How Often Should I Wash My Brushes?