Back to Basics Makeup: Foundation

Welcome to my new Back to Basics Makeup series! I get a lot of questions from friends and family about the basics of how to apply makeup so I thought I'd make it into a little series. These posts will be going up every Wednesday and if there's anything specific you'd like me to cover, please let me know. I'll be going through everything in order, foundation then concealer, bronzer etc.

Today's post is going to be all about foundation. Now, this series is more about technique than specific product recommendations, but if you'd like to know what products I love, have a look around the blog. I might do a summary post after the series has finished with my final tips and favourite products. 

Choosing a Foundation:

There are lots of things that factor into choosing the right foundation for you. Skin type is probably the most important. If you have dry skin, you may want something that has a bit of radiance whereas oilier skins may prefer a more matte finish. Either way, if you want your foundation to look good, you need to get the shade right. 

If you are opting for a high end foundation, choosing the right shade for you will be relatively easy. If you pop to your local counter, they'll be happy to match you to a shade. If you are shopping in the drugstore, the best way to find your shade is to choose three colours that you think might match. Apply a little of each onto the jawline in strips, blending onto the neck. Go outside into daylight and look closely in a mirror. The shade that blends into your skin tone the best is the right shade for you. I'm not going to lie, it may take a few tries before you find the right shade of foundation at the drugstore.

When choosing your shade, keep in mind what undertone your skin is. There are lots of undertones but foundations tend to sit between three; warm, cool or neutral. To check what undertone you are, look at the veins in your wrist. 

Green veins usually suggest a warm undertone- your skin may have a gold or yellow tinge to it. 
Blue veins usually suggest a cool undertone- your skin may have a red, pink or even blue tinge to it. 
Neutral undertones sit somewhere in the middle of warm and cool. 

If you are unsure about your undertone, head to any high end counter and I'm sure they'd be happy to help. 


How to Apply Foundation:

Now you've got the right shade, it's time to apply it at home. The easiest way to apply foundation is to firstly, pump a little onto the back of your hand. Dot a small amount of the foundation onto your face. See picture below for reference. 

Once you've done that, it's time to blend. You can use a brush or fingers, but I prefer a brush because it's less messy and you have more control. If you want to read more about choosing the right foundation brush, I have a blog post here. I always suggest blending where you want the most coverage first. For me, that's my chin and cheeks. Blend in circular motions until everything is looking seamless. 

You can then decide whether you want to go in with another layer. I think it's important to remember that foundation is meant to even everything out. It's not meant to conceal everything, that's what a concealer is for. It's always best to go in with small amounts of foundation at a time, blend and then add more if necessary. This will help avoid looking caked with foundation. 

Remember to take a little bit of foundation down the neck and on and behind the ears. This helps everything blend together so there are no harsh lines. You shouldn't be able to tell where the foundation starts or ends. 

I think that's everything for foundation. If you have any questions, please ask away in the comments. If you have anything to add, please let me know. The beauty of makeup is that it washes off and there is no right or wrong way to do things. 

Thanks for reading,
Avani
xoxo