Choosing the right foundation for your skin is super important so you want to consider what you are looking for in a foundation. A natural look? Full coverage? Dewy? Matte? Liquid? Powder? Cream? After you figure out what you want in a foundation, you want to look at the undertone of your skin. Are you a cool, neutral, or warm? To determine what skin tone you have you can look at your vein color on your inner wrist. If you have a bluish vein, you are more likely a cool tone. If you have a greenish vein, you are most likely a warm tone. And if you have can't tell or if it looks like a mixture of the two, you probably have a neutral tone. With most foundations, the cooler toned foundations are on the pinker side while the warmer toned foundations are on the yellower side. Neutral foundations land in the middle of the spectrum. After you determine the tone of your skin, you want to figure out the depth. This means matching how light or dark your skin is compared to the foundation you are looking to buy. If you are an experienced foundation consumer, you may be able to look at a foundation and be able to guess what depth and color you are. If you are not, you should always have someone color match your foundation to your skin (if you have this option.) However, if you are shopping at the drugstore, you don't always have this option. In that case, you will want to hold up the foundation container to your chest and try to pick the color or depth that looks the closest to your skin. You do not want to match the foundation to your face especially if you tan or self-tan. The reason you do not want to match foundation to your face is because we tend to wash or exfloiate our faces more than the rest of our bodies so the face tends to be lighter. If you matched the foundation to your face only, you may end up having a lighter face than the rest of your body which can make you look a little sickly. I highly suggest doing research on the foundation you are considering buying, so to help you with your search, I am going to list and tell you about my favorite foundations for different skin types and preferences.
One of my favorite sheer foundations is the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. This is a moisturizer with foundation added to it to create a light coverage to make your skin look extra healthy. I love that this tinted moisturizer has an SPF of 20 because I don't have to add another step to my morning routine by applying a seperate sunscreen. This has a sheer coverage that can be built up to medium coverage if desired. This foundation is great for someone who is looking for a natural dewy look to their skin. If you have even the slightest amount of oil to your skin, I suggest that you set the foundation with a powder to prevent it from moving around throughout the day.
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer: $44.00
You can buy this from: Macy's, Nordstrom
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/laura-mercier-tinted-moisturizer-broad-spectrum-spf-20-sunscreen-1.7-oz?ID=328985&CategoryID=30077#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D7%26slotId%3D2%26kws%3Dlaura%20mercier%20tinted%20moisturizer%26searchType%3Dac%26ackws%3Dlaura+mercier+
The next sheer foundation that I love is MAC Cosmetics Face and Body. Face and Body is a a water-based liquid foundation that has a sheer but buildable coverage. Before applying this foundation, you want to shake the bottle since the base of it is water. This means that the pigment and the liquid in the foundation bottle can seperate. This is a great foundation for building up coverage because you can continue to add layer upon layer and it will never become too heavy on the face. You can apply this with your hands or a brush for desired coverage. If you are a makeup artist or do any kind of photography, Face and Body should definitely be in your kit because you can not only use it on the face but also can be used on the body for a nautral yet flawless finish. This foundation does set by itself after a few mintues but for a long lasting effect or if you are on the more oily side, you can always set it with a powder.
MAC Face and Body: $27.00
You can buy this from: MAC Cosmetics, Macy's, Nordstrom
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/mac-studio-face-body-foundation?ID=731659&CategoryID=30077#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D4%26slotId%3D1%26kws%3Dmac%20face%20and%20body
The next foundation is a beautiful medium coverage foundation called Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation with SPF 15. Again, it is great that this foundation has an SPF already in the formula to cut out a step that you would have to take in your morning routine. Skin Foundation is one of the most beautiful foundations that provides a decent coverage while allowing your skin to look like skin. This foundation has a natural matte finish in my opinion. It does not look dewy but it also is not too matte. It literally looks your skin but better. This is by far one of my favorite foundations for everyday use as well as for events because it pictures so well. Skin Foundation also has last a good amount of hours without having to touch up or creating an separation.
Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation: $50.00
You can buy this from: Macy's, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/bobbi-brown-skin-foundation-spf-15-1-oz?ID=393197&CategoryID=30077#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D5%26slotId%3D4%26kws%3Dbobbi%20brown%20skin%20foundation
The next medium coverage foundation that I constantly use is the L'Oreal True Match Lumi foundation. This is a dewy medium coverage foundation that is great for people who want their skin to look dewy and glowing. I would not recommend this foundation for someone who is super oily, but if you are normal or combination this would look very nice, and could be set with a powder to increase the longevity. This foundation is on the medium to fuller coverage depending on how much product you use. Since this foundation is on the dewy side, it can break up when the face becomes
oily throughout the day. My favorite way to wear the True Match Lumi is to mix it with a pump or two of the MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Concealer and blend it in with a Beauty Blender. This ensures that the foundation will last all day and create a beautiful finish to the skin.
L'Oreal True Match Lumi: $12.99
You can buy this from: Walmart, Walgreens, Target, Ulta
http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod4480167&skuId=2246798&CPMID=CSBING&CAWELAID=330000200000021389
A great drugstore natural matte foundation is NYX HD Foundation. This foundation has a natural matte finish which means that it is a natural looking foundation with a slighty more matte look to it. This is a great foundation for talking pictures because covers imperfections while still appearing to look natural and fresh. NYX HD Foundation is long lasting and stays looking good after a couple hours. When I wear this foundation, I barely even need to touch up and I have never experience it seperating or becoming blotchy on the face. I would reccommend this foundation for people who are looking for a drugstore priced foundation that creates a flawless semi-matte finish.
NYX HD Foundation: $17.99
You can buy this from: Ulta, Target (Note: They have changed the packaging to a black container.)
http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod12011169
A beautiful full coverage foundation that has long wearing properties is the Chanel Perfection Lumiere. This is one of my all time favorite foundations hands down! Yes, it is on the more pricey side, but it is worth it! The Perfection Lumiere gives you a full coverage without looking heavy. It literally creates a flawless canvas to your makeup look. This foundation is slightly matte without appearing to be powdery or heavy looking. It is one of the longest lasting foundations that I have ever tried, and I have never had a problem with it seperating or creasing. I have normal to dry skin so I don't even have to set this foundation with a powder. The only people that would have to set this foundation with a powder is someone who is super oily. If you have acne prone skin, the Perfection Lumiere would be a great choice because the coverage is so good and it does not sit on the skin so it will not emphasize any texture on the face which I know can be a concern of people with any kind of texture.
Chanel Perfection Lumiere: $58.00
You can buy this from: Macy's, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/chanel-perfection-lumiere-long-wear-flawless-fluid-sunscreen-makeup-broad-spectrum-spf-10?ID=606372&CategoryID=62588#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D25%26ruleId%3D%26slotId%3D%26kws%3Dchanel%20perfection%20lumiere
Another foundation that I would recommend that is on the matte end of the spectrum is L'Oreal True Match. This is the original formula of the L'Oreal True Match. This is a heavier coverage foundation that is good for people who have oily skin. You can definitely get away with wearing this foundation if you have normal to dry skin, I would just suggest adding a moisturizer or hydrating primer to it to make it look less matte on drier skin. I have found that this foundation can tend to crease and seperate throughout the day so using a primer is a good idea to help avoid this problem. Touching up this foundation during the day is going to help it from seperating as well. I would suggest this foundation to a person who has oily skin that is looking for something that is going to mattify them.
L'Oreal True Match: $9.99
You can buy this from: Walmart, Walgreens, Target, Ulta
http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=fs1017872#reviews
If you do not like liquid foundations, a great cream foundation is the MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Cream Foundation with SPF 20. Again, this foundation is great because you already have the SPF inside it. I like to apply cream foundation with a flat foundation brush or a beauty sponge. I feel that this method is the best way to apply an even and good coverage application. This foundation's name speaks for itself! It is very long wearing! The Pro Longwear Foudation is a great choice if you plan on having a long day and don't have much time to touch up throughout the day. It is a natural matte
finish that provides a good amount of coverage without using too much product. I would recommend this foundation for a person who is looking for a foundation that is going to be on the low maintenence side and is going to look good all day long.
MAC Pro Longwear Cream: $33.00
You can buy this at: MAC Cosmetics, Macy's, Nordstrom
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/mac-pro-longwear-spf-20-compact-foundation?ID=1419348&CategoryID=30077#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D2%26slotId%3D1%26kws%3Dmac%20pro%20longwear%20cream%20foundation
If neither a liquid nor a cream foundation is what you are looking for, you can always go for a powder founation. You can also use a powder foundation to set your liquid or cream foundation to add more coverage. A powder foundation that I love is the Kat Von Dee Lock It Tattoo Powder Foundation. This powder foundation is a full coverage powder that does not have a heavy apperance. The texture is almost a creamy powder if that makes sense. This is a pressed powder so it is easy to throw in your bag and take with you for touch ups. I would reccommend this foundation for people who are looking for something that is going to give a good coverage but is low maintenance.
Kat Von Dee Lock It Tattoo Powder Foundation: $35.00
You can buy this at: Sephora
http://www.sephora.com/lock-it-powder-foundation-P380835?skuId=1710938
Another great powder foundation is the Bare Minerals Original Foundation with SPF 15. I think it is really great that they added a SPF to this powder foundation because powder foundations can tend to stick to a sunscreen and become patchy. However, this does not happen since the SPF is built into the
foundation. The Bare Minerals Original Powder Foundation is a loose powder so if you are looking for convinence or something that you can take with you, I would suggest going with a different powder. However, if you are looking for a powder that is extremely natural looking while giving you coverage, this is the foundation for you. The great thing about this powder foundation is that it does not look powdery at all on the skin. It is very natural and creates a beautiful looking texture to the skin.
Bare Minerals Original Loose Powder Foundation: $28.50
You can find this at: Ulta, Sephora
http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=VP11362
All photos by Becky Schutten.
No comments:
Post a Comment