In the world of beauty, everything seems so colorful and perfect to the finish, and sometimes almost too perfect – however, and arguably so, that’s what beauty is all about.
Whether the mission is in combining colors, finding a matching pair of shoes, bags and accessories or that perfect outfit for a special occasion, it can be an admixture of emotions trying to step out in your best and cause a few admirers to stare your way.
For this, and many more, is the reason why the beauty industry generates over $100 billion in revenue worldwide. Skincare is equally projected to generate up to $177 billion by 2025, while beauty companies spent an estimated $7.7 billion on advertising in 2022.
The impressive figures in the beauty industry for one thing exposes the ‘desperation’ and extent to which people are willing to go in order to get the perfect look. Although it can be a little overwhelming at times, especially when everything seems to be falling apart, one aspect of the feature cannot break apart and that is your foundation.
The face of a human, more than just exposing defined features such as jawlines, dentition, distinct eyes and acts as conduit for conveying emotions, also is an advertising board which either attracts or repels people from you.
Without sounding skindeep, although some men want the natural look and glow of a woman, others reckon that a little ‘upgrade’ and aesthetics to accentuate the features more does not hurt at all.
Fishing Out The Right Undertones
The beginning or groundwork for every good venture always begins with a solid foundation. Just as a weak foundation for a building will only need a breeze to topple it down, so does lighting or a sweltering moment reveals the cracks on the face of a poorly laid foundation– the kind that makes one think of the ghost of the past.
To avoid a fashion faux pas and embarrassment to last a lifetime, women knowing their under- tones is a great way to start.
While there are no official rules in the world of makeup, it’s safe to say that a good base is the key to making a lady’s whole look work. As such, an improper foundation application can lead to an uneven and cakey result, and the wrong shade match can totally throw off the final look.
To help ensure a seamless finish, start by finding the right foundation formula for you. Identifying one’s skin undertone basically is about acclimatizing yourself with the tone beneath the surface of your skin that harmonizes with whatever makeup you apply over it.
Once you get it right, your foundation, concealer and powder sync up like magic, and look just like skin. To recognize and familiarize yourself with your skin undertone, Maybelline believes there are four ways to identify that which includes vein test. For this, you need to turn over your fore- arm and look at your veins. If they have a green tinge to them, they likely run warm. If they have a bluish tinge to them, your tones probably run cool.
For the jewelry test, you must answer the question of whether you are more into gold jewelry and all its yellowy warmth, or you are a cool, crisp silver kind of person. If the answer is gold, you most likely have warm undertones. If it is silver, your skin is inclined to have cool undertones.
The white Cloth Test, on the other hand, requires you to put a white cloth next to your bare face and observe what cast your skin takes on. Skin with warm undertones will appear yellowish, while skin with cool undertones will seem blueish or pinkish.
Prep Skin For Application
Because of the sensitive nature of the skin on the face, when it comes to makeup, a good base is essential and it must be thought of before one even thinks about applying foundation.
To get your face makeup-ready, you must first start with a super clean face. With this, you must ensure to rinse away all traces of cleansers.
Afterwards, pat dry, leaving the face a little damp to help the moisturizer to work better – which is the second phase.
In moisturizing the face, the creaminess of moisturizer can cause the make-up to thin out if it hasn’t had enough time to soak into the skin. This, also marks the difference between a woman’s foundation looking flawless or blotchy, and it can affect its staying power throughout the day.
Essentially, it’s always best to wait for a minute to allow the moisturizer to absorb into the skin, but when in a hurry, you can blot your face with a tissue after moisturizing.
Meanwhile, the new trend adopted by make-up artists now is to always “prime” the skin before applying foundation.
This is because face primers cleverly fill in every crease and crevice; smooth out the skin’s surface; even out skin tone; help to disguise blemishes by helping your concealer and makeup blend more evenly; make your foundation stick around longer; and reduce shine.
Concealer is next and should only go on imperfections – think spot cover instead of all-over coverage. To disguise under-eye darkness, choose a concealer one or two tones lighter than your foundation. For spots and blemishes, choose a concealer the same color as your foundation.
Just like choosing your moisturizer, you need to pick the best foundation that works with your skin type, won’t cause irritation and will hold. If you have quite dry skin, opt for a hydrating foundation with nourishing ingredients such as the Shiseido Synchro Skin Self Refreshing Foundation. If you have acne-prone or oily skin, choose an oil-free foundation that won’t clog the pores like the Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup.
Don’t Settle For Less
It seems that the search for the best foundation is a never-ending task. There are the anticipated seasonal changes that may have you switching formulas to suit your skin type or tone; then, there’s the everlasting full-coverage versus lightweight tint dilemma. How does one choose wisely?
Luckily, many of the best foundations out there have been formulated to not only deliver immaculate coverage, but also to prioritize our skin’s health. Just consider the emergence of skincare-makeup hybrids that do just this through pigmented blushes and tinted moisturizers. And so, several pro makeup artists were spoke with and a revisit of beauty bags to curate this edit of tested and reviewed foundations. From Chanel, Nars, Dior, and more, women are spoilt for options in choosing the right foundation.
Nonetheless, there are a few things to consider to get the best foundation. One of the first steps in choosing a foundation is deciding what part of your body to match it to. Makeup by L’oreal reckons that the probability of one’s face and body not being the same color are quite high. It posits that this is due to sun- screen, lifestyle and tone.
“People often think they should match their foundation to their face or neck, which, in my opinion, causes a ‘floating head’ effect, where the body and face look like two different entities.
Matching to the left side of the jawline is a great place to test. When in doubt, your best bet is to match your body so that your skin tone will look cohesive, especially if your face is noticeably a different shade from the rest of your skin.”
Skin Type Determines Foundation Hype
One thing women must remember is that in the application of foundation, one tone certainly doesn’t fit all. As such, another important component to consider is one’s skin type, which will help you determine the type of formula and finish one should look out for.
Importantly, for women with dry skin, L’oreal suggests steering clear of powder formulas because they can dry patches and texture. Instead, they should try a hydrating liquid formula like the hyaluronic-acid-infused YSL Beauty All Hours Foundation.
Also, for the ladies with oily skin, one thing is that they should be wary of foundations with a dewy finish, because oily skin can make the foundation finish appear shinier.
Ladies with a combination of both dry and oily face must opt for liquid or powder-based foundation which is ideal for combination skin.
On the other hand, water based liquid foundation is perfect for mature skin, and also women who fall under this category must avoid powder and stick foundation as they will highlight their fine lines and wrinkles.
Now, before you go drenching your face with foundation, those with sensitive skin, understand that it is necessary to conduct a patch test by applying a small amount of foundation to an in- conspicuous area. Heeding to this precaution helps identify any potential irritation or allergies be- fore applying the product to your face.
Doing this is like a safety check to ensure the foundation won’t cause discomfort or adverse re- actions, promoting a comfortable and enjoyable makeup experience.
Foundation is essentially like a canvas on which you can apply other makeup products smoothly. For this reason, there is the need to do a thorough job to ensure a perfect and flawless-looking makeup that will for sure turn heads staring admiringly your way!