This will be a lengthy post, but please hang on in there! Buying a foundation can be a stressful event, which one to buy? there are sooooo many out there.
How many foundations have you bought and discarded as what looked "pale" under the artificial lights of Boots is actually a dayglo orange nightmare once applied at home?
Yip! been there. So I currently have tried over 30 different foundations so that, basically, you don't have to *no need to thank me*
Sample, Sample, Sample!
What you have to remember when shopping for a foundation is that all high end cosmetics counters provide samples! DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK! If your counter lady seems snooty and intimidating then, move on, their loss, find another. Start to carry around your own tiny empty pots (primark sell a wee kit for £1 that includes a little pot) A lot of the time the reason the counter can't sample is that their little pots are out of stock (they are only sent so many), so carry your own! I know the girls who work on most of the local beauty counters and they are a lovely lot, some more so than others, pm me for personal recommendations! (no bias lol) When I worked on counter I would gladly give out a sample providing the person was happy for me to follow up with them in a few days. Not for me to blackmail them into a sale but basically to build a beauty relationship with the person, did they need skincare advice? can I suggest any other products?. No hidden agenda, it's a sales environment after all.
So how do you choose the right foundation for you? ask yourself a few simple questions
1. Whats my skin type? dry, oily or somewhere in the middle (combination)
2. What kind of finish & coverage do I want?
3. Whats my budget?
4. What shade do I need?.
So lets tackle those:-
Skin Type & Finish
Is your skin oily, dry or somewhere in the middle, a wee bit of both? Always choose the finish of a foundation to counteract with your skin type...you following? so, for example, if you are oily choose a matte finish foundation as a dewy, or glowy foundation will literally fall off your skin. If dry look for something thats going to hydrate and illuminate, so in this instance you want dewy, glowy finishes. If you are combination you can generally use either, but will have to resort to primers or powders to sort out the problem areas.
Coverage
Do you want bomb proof coverage or a light coverage or somewhere in the middle coverage? Remember any problems such as high colouring will be disguised by foundation but we can add extra coverage with clever concealing.
Light coverage - look for a tinted moisturiser, BB (beauty balm) or CC (colour corrector) cream, BB/CC are basically glorified tinted moisturisers, no more, no less. Or take a regular foundation and mix it with a spot of your chosen moisturiser, job done!
Medium/Full Coverage - I am going to bundle these together as any medium coverage foundation can easily become a full coverage just by adding an additional layer where its needed most.
Lots of people who are looking for a full coverage foundation SWEAR by Estee Lauder Double Wear. This, for some, is their holy grail foundation but for me its just too much for my mature skin to handle. If you have any enlarged pores or lines and wrinkles it will settle and accentuate these and make you look older and if you have any dry areas it will cling and enhance these. So its fabulous for those of you blessed with young, poreless skin. But its not for me.
Budget
I always buy more expensive foundations and then use cheaper mascaras. I've never found a mascara I like better than my drugstore one, but thats another blog post. I have tried a few drugstore foundations and have always been disappointed and its always impossible to have a colour match, there's only one I would recommend (Revlon Colourstay), so my advice is save in other places and splash out on a premium foundation.
Colour Matching
Have one of the counter girls do this for you, but be aware what ever colour looks right to them under artificial light will probably be a shade darker when you go outside so please wear it a few hours and check if the colour changes at all with wear (on some skin types the shade may darken, this is called oxidisation, happens to me, but not to everyone) you will be given a small sample to take away with you to try at home, check the shade in natural light and if its too dark tell them this and let them put it right.
Application
Fingers, brush or beauty blender? I always use a brush, a buffer (a stubby brush with a flat top or domed top) is the easiest brush to work with. The traditional foundation brush can leave lines in foundation and a beauty blender is good for surface blotting/dabbing but soaks up too much product for it to be an efficient application method. I recommend the Real Techniques buffing brush which comes in their core face collection set and won't break the bank. Also, NEVER take your foundation right up and under the eye area especially if you have any lines & wrinkles as the formula is just too heavy and it will find its way into any little crinkles and settle. You should use a light reflecting concealer under your eyes, but more on that later!SPF
This may be important to some of you but its not to me. Be aware the higher the SPF the more titanium dioxide the foundation will contain and therefore there will be "flashback" in flash photography, think "Casper the friendly ghost" face.
My Favourites
Here are some of the best foundations I've used, my skin type is combination, I have high colouring on my cheeks, oily T zone, enlarged pores on my chin and even though i drink 2-3 litres of water a day, dehydration in areas (aye my skin is basically a nightmare) and I'm over 40 *cough* so whats right for me at my age would need to be adjusted depending on your time of life!
*Clarins Extra Firming Foundation
*Dior Flawless Foundation
*Estee Lauder Double Wear BB Glow Cream, lighter coverage, great for "good skin days"
Here are the ones I've tried:-
Estee Lauder
Double Wear, Double Wear Light, Futurist, Perfectionist, BB Glow Cream, Maximum Cover
Clinique
Even Better, Stay Matte, Repairwear Laser Focus both old & new formula, CC Cream, continuous coverage
Laura Mercier
Silk Creme foundation
Giorgio Armani
Luminous silk foundation
Nars
Sheer glow
Dior
Nudeskin, Forever, Star
MAC
Pro longwear, studio sculpt, studio fix
YSL
Touche éclat, fusion ink, the one with the brush attached, and their one for mature skin whose name escapes me
Benefit
Oxygen wow
Urban Decay
Naked skin
Clarins
Extra Firming, Extra comfort, true radiance, super restorative, everlasting
Lancome
Teint Miracle, Teint Idole 24
Chanel
Perfection lumière, vitalumiere
Bobbi Brown
foundation stick, moisture rich, long wear even finish
Drugstore
rimmel wake me up, revlon colour stay
If anyone has any questions on any of these give me a shout, I will do some reviews of new foundation releases, I have the Dior Star & YSL Fusion Ink to review soon :)
I also need to work out how to attach pictures! Please let me know if this has helped or if there is any other foundation topics you would like covered.
