Okay guys!
So what is foundation?
Foundation is an overall facial, neck, ear, and sometimes upper chest application of a product that is usually one or two shades lighter than your normal skin color.
I believe that it needs to be one or two shades lighter to either brighten the face or when it oxidizes, it will not appear so dark, and would look more like your own normal skin color.
It is designed to even out and balance the skin tone and color especially when parts of your face are more pale or tan than your neck, other parts of the face, etc. For example, it's pretty common to have a more tan forhead than the rest of the face since the sun hits your forhead more directly than the rest of your face, so using a foundation would give a more even appearance. It is used to also minimize the appearance of large pores and wrinkles on the face or of scatter spots like freckles on the face.
Foundation can give more coverage on the face. Depending on how you want it, it can be a natural look or a flawless appearance.
Types of Foundation and What Types to Use?
There are liquid, cream, and powder forms of foundation. They can come with SPF or with high definition. Depending on the company, for liquid and cream foundations, they can have a thicker or thinner formula.
The type that you should use depends on the weather, event, and your skin type of course =)
If you have oily skin or are in a place that is humid, powder foundation works the best, it is less likely to melt off.
If you have dry or dry combination normal skin, it would probably be best to go with cream or liquid, depending on the brand of foundation. Many makeup brands have different consistencies with their liquid and cream foundation. Depending on your preference you can choose a thicker or thinner consistency. Liquid or cream foundations can help the dry skin stay more hydrated. If you use a powder and a powder brush on dry skin this will actually cause micro exfoliation, which will make your face look like it was attacked by a cheese grater XO, not kidding, it's going to become very flaky.
If you are looking for more coverage, thicker liquid or cream foundations work best.
If you are looking for a more natural look, a light layer of powder or thinner liquid or cream foundations probably work best, and a thin consistency liquid foundation will be more sheer than a thin consistency cream foundation, usually.
For everyday, SPF in foundation is probably recommended.
For events where there will be flash photography, SPF is not recommended, because it can cause the skin to look pale and ghostly. And if you want to you can go with foundations that are high def. or are specially made for flash photography so you won't look weird and will look even better!
All kinds of foundations are buildable (or are supposed to be), it is recommended to start off light and keep on going to the desired coverage.
Applying Foundation
Note: As I have said before, if you are younger than 30, I personally think you do not need foundation unless you really need it for special circumstances or events.
Foundations are usually applied with brushes, sponges, and also powderpuffs.
Generally, people do not use their hands, because the face is a larger area to cover, it would be harder to even out, and it would take a long time and your hands would get pretty messy.
Larger fluffy brushes are good for powder foundations and if you want more coverage you can use powderpuffs. Sponges and stippling brushes are good for liquid or cream foundations.
For a more natural look:
You can apply foundation first in places that need the most coverage and then spread and blend it out the rest of the product that doesn't need as much coverage.
Also for a more natural look (and to use less product) you can apply your liquid or cream based foundation with a stippling brush!
Another way is to dampen a sponge, squeeze out excess water, and dip the sponge into your liquid or cream foundation and gently and lightly pat the product onto your face. Do not rub or "paint" it on with a sponge, this will stretch your skin and cause streak marks. The damp sponge will evenly give a nice light even coat of foundation and give you a dewy more vibrant finish!
cl2425 does a good job of talking about the use this sponge technique in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRYc_2xIy18&feature=plcp&context=C4bcabc0VDvjVQa1PpcFMF9eOBJ0tpP72Y8HQDQYHn8kYFrqMaNuc=
cl2425 also demonstrates using a sponge in this way or a sponge application in these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPxNRKzuBW4&feature=plcp&context=C4d86ff7VDvjVQa1PpcFMF9eOBJ0tpP4CdHhF0vJLT6txyieFk1Ew=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVuZbI_feQc&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwGhiDjd9KU&feature=relmfu
gossmakeupartist gives a good tutorial for applying foundation with a sponge for skin with acne and acne scars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLQiaO89IFc&feature=plcp&context=C4ba60acVDvjVQa1PpcFP8MgcFwNpYIPZznwje7TQ3Ujz974eLKD0=
UPDATED gossmakeupartist also has recently posted a video on 10 different ways to apply foundation. This is great, b/c he also tells you which technique is best for different skin types! Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DCiS1UyZxE
If you are using a powderpuff to apply powder foundation becareful not to apply too much otherwise your face will look very cakey. If you happen to use too much, get a clean powder brush and gently knock off the excess foundation.
Of course all foundations will last much longer if you use a facial primer and finishing powder!
What color or tone should I chose for my foundation?
It is recommended that foundation should be one or two shades lighter than your natural skin tone. You can find your natural skin tone by looking at your neck or looking at the area where the neck and upper chest meet. For more information on finding your skin color/tone, please look at my Concealer post!
Where to apply foundation?
Okay, so this is where a lot of people make mistakes!
You should of course apply foundation to your face, but many people forget to apply foundation to their jawline, under their chin, their neck and blend into the ears. And when you are wearing a low cut top, blend the foundation from your neck to your upper chest area (or if necessary just use foundation on the upper chest area)!
It is very very strange to see just foundation on the face, because of the slightly lighter shade, it will stand out if it's not applied to these other areas. You probably know this, because whenever a celebrity makes this kind of makeup blunder, it's flashed acrossed the world in seconds.
So please! Don't forget to use foundation on these other areas near the face too!
Tricks and Tips!
Some tips for a more natural look I have written earlier under Applying Foundation.
Also, when using a brush to apply foundation, it can actually enlarge pores! In order to prevent this, you can gently buff the foundation into your skin using a buffing brush or any kind of fluffy brush that you can squeeze the bristles together with your fingers.
Gossmakeupartist has an excellent tutorial on buffing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmZm3vwrF8Q&feature=relmfu
However! If you have dry skin, please don't do this step, don't buff, it will cause micro exfoliation and you will look flaky, and it will be a mess X( Instead you can use a sponge, damp or not depending on your preference, like I described earlier under Applying Foundation.
Whew! Loong post! haha, I'm sorry if it was a train of information colliding on you but I tried to touch on everything possible.
I hope that this answered any questions you had on foundation or helped you in any way!
Take care and I will be back soon! X)
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