How To Find The Right Foundation For You

Finding the right foundation for your skin seems to be a never ending struggle, but who doesnt want flawless skin? How do we even achieve that?

First step, get off of youtube, stop scrolling through Instagram and taking advice from beauty influencers pushing products to make a quick buck.

Second step, really think about what do you want your skin to look like. forget about what you think it should look like based off of trends and what you see in your surroundings. Do you truly like a full face of makeup? If you love full coverage… go for it! Maybe you just a have a few acne scars or some skin discoloration you’d like to even out. Or maybe some days you just feel a little dull and like a little coverage to give the skin a little bit more life… whatever your goal is just run with it, but it will require a few trials and you’ll make a few errors in the process but you’ll never what you do or don’t like if you don’t experiment.

Step three, know your skin type. Dry skin? Oily skin? Combination? Or maybe you’re one of those really lucky people with a “normal” skin type and don’t even really need foundation but you just like the way it look. If you are that person… I hate you. (jk I’m just envious but good for you sister girl)

For the most part foundation comes in three different finishes: dewey, satin, and matte. They also come in three different levels of coverage: light, medium, and full, let’s break all of these down.

Whats a dewey finish? This type of foundation will give your skin a “wet” look. Most suitable for those dryer skin since this will add hydration to the skin. In my experience i’ve also found most foundations with a dewey finish tend to give less coverage. Its hard to find make up that will really moisturize the skin and give full coverage since the heavier it tends to go on the more likely it is to separate throughout the day due to the wet effect.

Satin.. my fav! This one is more likely to mimic the way your own skin naturally look (in a perfect world.) It doesnt fall too flat on the skin leaving it to look dry, nor will it over hydrate your face. If you’re not too sure of your skin type I recommend starting with a satin. As a freelance artist this is also my preferred finish during photoshoots or for brides. A matte foundation can run the risk of picking up on dry patches of the skin showing texture that may not normally appear on your skin without makeup. As a dewey foundation can leave the skin feeling too shiny or it may separate picking up on fine lines and once again enhacing texture. Ive also found satin foundations are easier to build and i’m all about layering makeup where its needed in order to create your desired complexion.

Now lets get into matte.. For awhile this seemed to be the most popular of all foundations. Makeup has a come long way over the last few decades, but the matte finish is the OG in this game. Very 90’s usually heavy in coverage, and just pretty easy to apply. My oily skin folks will probably prefer this one the most, and a lot of matte foundations tend to have some oil controlling components in their formulas.

Breaking down the types of coverage you can get is little easier because they seem to be a little more self explanatory, but lets discuss always.

Light coverage, think tinted moisturizers. These formulas won’t cover up and darker spots or even freckles. You will find a light coverage foundations feels lightweight when wearing it and just evens out your skin while still looking very natural.

A foundation that gives you medium coverage is usually going to be marketed as a “buildable” formula. Meaning the first layer you apply will give a noticeably smoother look but is easy to minipulate by adding on more to the areas where you feel like your face needs a little more love to achieve whatever look it is you are going for.

Then there is full coverage. If you’re new to the makeup game I definitely recommend playing around with it a for a few days to figure out exactly how much of this product you want to wear on a regular basis. Those of us with scarring, large areas of discoloration (i.e. sun spots), or people just looking to get that “filtered” look on the skin will want to try this out. This will leave very little skin showing through so start with small amounts and build as you go since its very easy to get carried away with this one.

As I mentioned before my personal favorite finish is a satin finish that medium to buildable coverage. This works best for me because I have very dry skin in the morning but get extremely oily throughout the day, so I touch up with an oily controlling powder. My skin is also very acne prone. On a Monday I might be very happy with way my skin looks so I apply just enough to even me out, but by Friday I may have a break out and need a whole lot of coverage so i’m layering that shit on all morning!

The idea of beauty has changed so much over the last few years and I feel as though a lot of us feel pressure to look like all those girls we see on the internet. While talking to clients i’ve found a lot of women are applying their makeup based on what they think they should look like, rather than doing what’s not only comfortable for them but also what falls in line with their own personal style. If you love a Kardashian full face of makeup then go on with your bad self! If you prefer to have your freckles out for the world to see and like more of a bare effect, then own that too! Find out what works for you and go for it.. you’ll feel the most beautiful when you’re feeling the most comfortable.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.