Image: Showbit
Feeling envious over your favourite Korean celebrities’ flawless skin? Sure, most of them may have flawless skin (we all know skincare is their top priority, after all!) but we are all still human – we have breakouts occasionally and, yes, even dark eye-circles. What they do have apart from their fabulous skincare regime is another secret weapon: Makeup artists who help them achieve flawless-looking skin. No makeup artist? No problem. We have some tips and tricks for you to apply the most natural and flawless looking foundation. Scroll through for the foundation masterclass!
1. Prep your skin before ANYTHING
Since applying makeup has been described as painting, what’s more important than having a smooth, flawless canvas to work with? Get your skin ready by applying a toner and massaging some serum in. In circular motions, gently rub moisturiser and eye creams onto your face, giving a few minutes between each step for your skin to absorb all the products that have been applied. This step is always important because your skin will definitely freak out if you apply foundation without proper hydration.
2. Rethink priming method
A lot of us apply the same primer all over our face (because out favourite YouTube beauty gurus do so too), but Ariana Grande’s makeup artist, Daniel Chinchilla, recommends cocktailing formulas by using an oil-controlling primer on our T-zone and a silicone based primer for the rest of the canvas. “Most people who have oily skin really have some form of combination skin,” says Daniel. “And if you put a matte primer over a dry area, it will take away the moisture and make it look cakey.”
3. Concealer goes first
You’ll end up using way more product than you should if you start smearing foundation all over without concealing your dark eye circles or blemishes first. The more layers you build on your problematic areas, the more obvious it’ll look. Take care of them with a lightweight concealer, then examine how much foundation you need for a complete yet non-cakey coverage.
4. Blush first too
Applying blush before foundation will give your skin a natural flushed-from-within, rather than just merely sitting on top of your foundation. But remember to use a cream based product or cheek stain instead of powder blush under liquid foundation to avoid a disastrous foundation experience.
5. Sculpt a little
It’s not quite a full-faced contouring (just yet), but think of this step as one that will amplify your face structure. As much as you may hate it, do your best duck face, swipe the darker shade along the indentation and then blend it out. Dab some highlighter on the high points of your face like cheek bones, bridge of the nose, arc of the brows, cupid’s bow and chin for a subtle glow.
6. Control the foundation usage
If you can, get a foundation with a dropper instead of a pump, as one pump dispenses way more than your face might ever need. And because you’d feel bad wasting all that precious product, you may end up putting the extras all over your face – the messy beginnings to a caked-up face. Do it right by blending a few small drops starting from the center of your face, then move outwards, focusing on the areas you need with a damp beauty blender or foundation brush to look more natural.
7. Go dewy
Korean celebrities have dewy looking skin. To impersonate such skin, spray your makeup brush or beauty blender with some thermal water. It does the trick to increase the moisture level in your skin when you dab the makeup on. It’s also incredibly versatile, so you can spray it before and after your makeup as a soothing makeup setting spray and your skin will still look soft and lustrous.
8. Set everything in place
Final step! Set the areas that get greasy fast with a light application of translucent powder. You can also use a pressed powder for a more precise application and avoid messiness. And voila, your flawless second skin is done!
A version of this story was originally published in Favful.