Photo: Bobbi Brown / Facebook
Any makeup-loving girl out there will tell you the first step to nailing a makeup look is having a flawless finish for your foundation. However, the wrong products, techniques and tools can all ruin the end product.
Foundation that slips, is patchy and cakey? Not a good look. Here are six tried-and-tested hacks to ensure your foundation always looks flawless.
1. Prep your skin
Photo: Kiehl’s Singapore
The key to acing that base is prepping your skin the right way.
Regular exfoliation will ensure there are no dry patches for foundation to cling to, but the real trick to getting your foundation to look flawless is to always prep your skin with a moisturiser.
It’s easier to blend foundation onto hydrated skin for smooth, even coverage. Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic, uses the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer ($57) to prep her skin.
If it’s good enough for Kim K, it’s good enough for us.
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2. Choose the right foundation for your skin type.
Photo: Estee Lauder / Facebook
Matching your foundation to your skin type will go a long way in making your foundation look flawless.
You don’t want to wear matte foundation that will emphasise dry patches on dry, dehydrated skin, or a rich, moisturising foundation that will make oily skin look greasy.
Pick the right foundation and finish – dewy, matte, velvety – for your skin type and you’re on your way to creating the perfect canvas for your makeup.
3. Use a primer
Photo: Sephora
This may seem like an extra step, but given the heat and humidity, it’s worth the extra 10 seconds it takes to swipe on a primer. This will seal in all the benefits of your skincare while ensuring your foundation stays on and on and on.
Pick from hydrating, mattifying, pore-minimising and radiance-boosting primers according to your skin’s needs.
The Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer ($32) is a good option with its hydrating and smoothing properties that promise to make your foundation look flawless.
4. Use the right tools
Photo: Morphe Brushes / Facebook
Did you know different makeup brushes work best with different foundation formulas? Pick synthetic brushes when working with cream and liquid formulations and natural hair brushes when using powder foundations.
Different shapes will give different finishes: flat brushes allow you to build up coverage; domed and flat will give you full coverage, while using a duo-fibre brush will result in sheer to medium coverage.
5. Blend it the right way
Photo: 123rf
It doesn’t matter whether you’re using brushes, your fingers or a sponge – if you’re blending the wrong way, your foundation is going to look less than flawless.
Everyone has a bit of peach fuzz on their face – fine hair that is barely visible to the eye which makes foundation look less than perfect if you blend against the grain.
To get that smooth, air-brushed finish, ensure you’re blending downward – in the direction of the hair growth.
6. Powder only where needed
Photo: Laneige / Facebook
Lightly dust powder along the T-zone and jawline. Any more and you run the risk of making your foundation look cakey.
To ensure you’re using just the right amount of powder, dip your brush into the tub, dust off the excess and then proceed to powder your face.
This article was originally published in CLEO.
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