Makeup doesn’t have royalty, but I’m pretty sure that if it did, we’d all be calling foundation Queen Elizabeth. It makes you feel and look fancy AF, but only when you know how to apply it properly.
So how about some tips and tricks that makeup artists use on a daily basis?
A match made in Heaven
No matter how expensive or high end your foundation is, if it doesn’t perfectly match your skin tone, it’s gonna look bad on you. Whenever you go shopping for foundation, be prepared to spend some extra time looking for the perfect shade, but keep in mind that certain tricks will help you find it faster than you’d expect.
Let’s say that you found one that you think would be a pretty good match. What you gotta do now is apply the lightest touch of foundation just like this:
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I’m talking about the second shade from the left, which is just perfect for the girl in the pic. That’s the exact spot where you should apply foundation when you test it out. If you can’t see a difference when you squint at a mirror, then congratulations, you’ve found your ideal shade.
If this sounds too complicated, you can always go to Sephora and ask one of the ladies there to help you out. As you probably know, they’ve got a lil’ camera that identifies your exact skin tone and a program that will reveal your ideal matches for foundation, concealer and lipstick. Pretty awesome, right?
No makeup without prepping your skin, gurl
Just because it’s called foundation, it doesn’t mean it should be the first product that you apply to your face. After you’ve properly cleansed your skin and applied your moisturizer, you should wait for about five minutes – gotta let your skin to absorb all the good stuff, right? – until you start applying a face primer. Don’t skip this part, because primer will improve the appearance of your pores, give you a Photoshop-like end result and make your foundation last all day long.
Applying foundation. The way you do it does matter
If you’re using BB cream or sheer coverage foundation, just apply the product all over your face and neck with your fingers. This will even out your skin tone and make your face look more matte, but if you’re after that gorgeous airbrushed finish that everyone seems to be raving about at the moment, then you’ve gotta put some more work into it. A good quality foundation blush will do the trick just fine, but my personal advice would be to use a Beauty Blender, ’cause this bad boy is much more effective than anything else on the market. Just dot the foundation on your face and pat, pat, pat until it’s all blended out and you look like a goddess.
Let’s get down to concealing
If you’ve been applying concealer before foundation all along, well, you’ve been missing out big time. Use a concealer in a lighter shade after you’ve applied your foundation, and you’re gonna get a much more impressive end result. The central area of your face will look brighter and extremely model-like, and we humans are programmed to like this. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that you can use the Beauty Blender for concealer too.
Random thought: Who would’ve thought that a sponge would become one of the greatest makeup tools ever?
The Great British Bake Off
Okay, don’t use this as an excuse to go eat some cake instead of doing your makeup – wait until you finish your look first. Lame jokes aside, baking is by far and away the best makeup trend around at the moment, and honestly, we should all be grateful for it. Drag queens have been doing it for years, but hey, bold techniques always take a bit longer to catch on among those like you and I.
But let’s talk about the actual process of baking now. After you’ve applied your concealer, dab a real’ fluffy brush into translucent powder and apply it – abundantly, I’d like to say – over the areas you’ve just concealed. After you’ve done this, you have to wait between five and ten minutes. With a little help from the natural temperature of your body, the “baking” will happen all by itself. After that, you’re supposed to dust off the excess and just blend things out until you’re happy with the result. If you’re still wondering what the whole point of this is, well, baking will prevent your makeup from creasing and therefore ensure that your foundation stays flawless the entire day.
You may want to watch this tutorial to actually see how things work:
Slay.
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What’s the point of having exquisite foundation if you don’t wear it like a boss? Go crazy with your eye makeup or try out a bold lip color, and go ahead and post that selfie that you’re so self-conscious about. You’re bound to look totally amazing!
