Foundation 101

While spending some time with family a couple weeks ago my cousin asked me about foundation. She said she doesn't like to wear foundation but every now and then will use concealer to cover up scars, blemishes, dark circles, freckles, etc. We just got to talking about foundation and its importance so I thought I would do a post about it!

Alot of times we think foundation just feels cakey and cloggy and yuck! But it doesn't have to be that way! There are 3 different types of coverage. Sheer coverage, medium coverage and full coverage. There are also different types of foundation; powder foundation, cream foundation, and liquid foundation. 

So, lets talk about WHY we would even wear foundation in the first place. To me, the whole reason to wear foundation is to even out your skin tone and add some radiance to your complexion. A lot of women have red parts in their skin, around their nose, around the corners of their mouths, maybe even on the cheeks and forehead. So the skin then appears blotchy. Foundation will help even that out!  Another thing is the correct  foundation can make blemishes look less noticeable and it can make you look younger. Now just because I am saying that these are the reasons for foundation does not necessarily mean you are going to go cake on a thick layer of goop. Foundation is there to enhance and compliment your appearance, not change it. Do we understand the difference? =)

So what kind of foundation and coverage does your skin need then?

Sheer Coverage: If you are blessed with a clear and smooth complexion go for the sheer coverage! It will feel very light and give you subtle coverage. Sheer coverage foundations come in liquid, powder compact or a tinted moisturizer. 

Liquid is the greatest foundation to get for all skin types, you can either get an oil-free formula for oily skin or a moisturizing formula for dry skin.  

This is NARS Sheer Glow Foundation $42 at Sephora good for Dry skin 

or you can find the NARS Sheer Matte Foundation for Oily skin at Sephora as well. 

or 

Laura Mercier's Moisturizing Foundation $42 at Sepora

This foundation can be a very light coverage but is build able to create a more fuller coverage, so great!

Powder Compact is a dual finish powder foundation that gives you a quick sheer coverage. Just apply with a brush and your set to go! Super easy and great for touch ups on the go. What's great about powder foundation is you can also use a wet sponge to apply for more coverage if you ever needed to.

This is the Laura Mercier Foundation Powder $40 at Sephora

Then there is a Tinted Moisturizer, which is by far the sheerest of all sheer foundations. What it is is actually what it sounds like, a moisturizer with a little color added to make a tint. This is perfect to use during the summertime when your at the beach or lake and you don't want to wear much makeup. It definitely evens out the skin but at the same time provides very light coverage. Plus, a lot of moisturizer's have sunscreen in them so this is great in protecting your skin from the sun!

This is Urban Decay's Urban Defense Tinted Moisturizer SPF20 $30 at Sephora

or

The Smashbox Sheer Focus Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 $30 at sephora

Medium and Full Coverage: Medium to full coverage have thicker consistencies. You're going to want to use this type of foundation for concealing breakouts, scars, and even for just wanting a longer lasting fuller coverage. Types of medium and full coverage foundation are creme, stick, creme-to-powder and mineral powder. 

Cream-to-powder is so quick and simple, it has two in one! It goes on creamy and dries with a powdery finish. This type of foundation is great for oily skin because the powder part of it helps cut down on the shine. I also love that this foundation has buildable coverage, starting at medium and can build to full.

This is Clinique's City Base Compact Foundation $24 at Sephora

Mineral Powder is a loose powder that sticks to the skin, creating a medium to full coverage. This foundation is also great for oily skin because the mineral's help soak up the oil and feels really light.

Bare Minerals Foundation $26 at sephora

Cream is a foundation that is very smooth and creamy. It can be great for dry skin, however, you want to make sure you don't do too heavy of an application otherwise it will make your face look "cakey". I love to use a sponge for cream foundations and instead of a swiping motion I do more of a stippling motion. Also, the great thing about cream foundation is you can mix in a little bit of regular moisturizer to the cream to create a more sheer coverage. Cream really can be used as all three coverage's!Another thing that is great is you can always use the cream foundation as a concealer. It's so versatile!

This is Cover FX Total Coverage Cream Foundation $42 at Sephora

Stick  foundation basically is very similar to cream foundation, its more of a cream foundation and concealer in one. This is probably the best type of foundation for someone who wants the fullest coverage there is. It is ideal for normal to dry skin and someone who needs the coverage. On someone with clear skin it might look too heavy and cakey. 

This is Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick $41 at Sephora

These are all just examples and I am sure there are a ton of other brands that work just as well! These are just a few that I really like. If you are wondering what color of foundation to get check out my other blog post here about how to find the correct color of foundation! 

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!!

Have a great day =)

Leah

PART 1 Flawless Picture Perfect: Face

If your getting your picture taken, whether for your wedding day or for a family photo shoot, this post is just for you!

I'm going to teach you how to create that picture perfect flawless face you want!

For your face, the lighting in the studio or if it is natural light is going to pick up every little thing on your face (of course alot of photographers are going to use photoshop as well, but I wouldn't rely on that) so you want to use a full coverage foundation and/or one with a matte finish so that you don't have any shiny spots, and use concealer and finish it with powder. If you are taking pictures in a studio you can wear more make up than you would for an outside shoot. You want to make sure to warm up your skin with warmer cheek colors rather than cool, because this will make the skin look more fresh. So even if you don't normally wear blush you want to at least wear a little color so that you can have some life in that beautiful face! Be sure to highlight and contour the appropriate areas so that you can add more dimension to your face (we will focus more on that in alittle bit).  

1. PRIME: Start by putting moisturizer on your face, start the base out smooth and soft. Go here to see what cleansers and moisturizers I use. Then you can use a foundation primer. I really like the Smashbox photo finish foundation primer. 

2. CONCEAL: use concealer to cover up any spots or dark circles or anything you want covered. You want to use a concealer closest to your skin color to cover any blemishes or any redness around your nose, mouth and eyelids. If the blemishes are really red you can use the green as well. If you have any blue or purple showing through anywhere on your face you can use the orange or yellow color to cancel those out. Then use the lighter highlighter color to go under your eyes, under your brow bone and down your nose and chin. 

you can get the Graftobian corrector palette $23 here

or Victoria's Secret Camouflage concealer palette $14 here

or if don't want all those colors of concealers...

Laura Mercier for $28 

use the darker color to cover up any redness and the light color to highlight under the brow bone, down your nose, under your eyes and a little on your chin. 

or

Revlons Photo Ready Concealer for about $8 at local drugstore

3. FOUNDATION: Then apply foundation all over face. Some really good brands for full coverage/matte finishes are... 

cover FX cream foundation $42

Revlon Colorstay about $12-$13 at your local drugstore.


4. SET: After the concealer and foundation you want to finish and lock everything in with powder. If you tend to have more oily skin this is a must! Powder on area's like your forehead, nose, and chin (your T-zone).

NARS Loose Powder $35
This seems pricey but this comes with a lot of product and will last you for ever

or

Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder $23

5. CONTOUR: You want to use a matte brown/tan color, any kind of matte brownish blush/bronzer will work (usually one or two shades darker than your skin color)  to contour and make your face look more sculpted. You don't want this to be too much of a dramatic difference so blend really well.  You want to apply this on the sides of your cheeks along your hairline and up to your temples. Your goal is to make your face appear more oval shaped.

Sienna by La Femme Blush about $3-4

Soft Beige by La Femme Blush

Blunt Blush by MAC $19.50


6. BLUSH: You want to use a matte finish blush. Stay away from shine when getting your pictures taken.

7. HIGHLIGHT: We already did a little bit of highlighting with the lighter color concealer. But to add a more fresh look to your cheekbones you want to add these two products..

MAC's cream color base in Pearl or Shell $16.50

Add this first, this will make the cheekbones look dewy. You could also add just a little bit onto your cupids bow, right above your lips.

Then add a shimmery powder to set it.

. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle $28


or

Iridescent Loose powder in either Silver Dusk or Golden Bronze  $23

If you don't want to spend that much $$, really anything that is light and shimmery will work! You don't always have to spend alot of money to get the right highlighting look.

And that's the end of our flawless face journey!!!
I hope this will help with achieving an even and fresh looking picture perfect face!!
yay!!!
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Leah

Next Flawless Picture Perfect Post: Eyes, Lips and Brows
Coming soon! click here for part 2!