Hey everyone! If you wear makeup, then you’ll know that foundation is the base/canvas for your other products to go on top of! Foundation evens out skin tone, covers imperfections, and most importantly, makes girls such as me feel more confident. As we all know, women have different skin issues and skin types. There are also many questions to ask before you invest in a good foundation. Do I have oily skin? Do I need a primer? Should my foundation have SPF? How do I make my base last all day? etc. This post will hopefully answer some of the main questions most girls have when buying or using foundation to create their flawless and perfect canvas. Let’s get started!
First of all, there are 4 basic skin types:
-Dry
-Normal
-Combination
-Oily
Dry Skin
Girls with dry skin tend to have tight, dehydrated skin with some rough patches and flakiness. Dry skin owners need to start off with a really good oil-based moisturizer to create a barrier to retain moisture. After the moisturizer, putting on a moisturizing primer can smooth out any roughness or flakiness so that the foundation goes on smoothly. Some good foundations for dry skin are:
Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick
Bobbi’s rich formula has medium buildable coverage and works great for touch ups on the go.
MAC Face & Body Foundation
One of MAC’s top sellers, Face & Body can be found in the kits of makeup artists such as Lisa Eldridge and Mary Greenwell. The moisturizing elements in the foundation makes the light coverage feel like you’re wearing nothing.
Yves Saint Laurent Touch Eclat Foundation
YSL’s original light-reflective pen turned foundation has sparked quite a love among beauty bloggers and makeup artists. This foundation is free of opaque powders, giving users a dewy and healthy glow.
Normal/Combination Skin
Girls with Normal/Combination skin are very lucky. Although Combination owners can tend to get shiny in their T-zone, they typically don’t have much to worry about. As I said before, a good oil-based moisturizer followed by a thin primer help foundation to go on smoothly. Here are some good foundations for girls with Normal/Combination skin:
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup
A neither dewy nor matte foundation, Neutrogena Healthy Skin keeps away blemishes and looks like nothing on the skin. It has a light coverage, so that users can appear as though they aren’t wearing makeup at all.
NARS Sheer Glow
The holy grail of my foundation collection, NARS Sheer glow is anything but sheer. It’s flawless and dewy finish is perfect for Normal and Combination skins. It doesn’t make you look shiny, it just looks as if you’re glowing from within.
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
A favorite of Lisa Eldridge, Bourjois Healthy Mix is available primarily to those in Europe. Healthy Mix adds a glow to your skin, while lasting up to 16 hours. It’s fruit ingredients add important skincare necessities to your skin as you wear it.
Oily Skin
Having oily skin, I struggle with acne and blotchiness on my skin quite often. When I look for foundations, I look for those with medium buildable coverage and velvety finishes. I try not to buy foundations that are too matte, as they can look cakey on the skin. I use a lightweight water-based moisturizer to tone down any oiliness on my skin, and I follow up with a radiance infused primer. These are some good picks for girls with oily skin:
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
Lightweight and velvety, Vitalumiere Aqua looks like nothing on the skin. It comes in a handy plastic container which is very helpful for those of us girls who travel a lot. It has a light-medium coverage and covers hyperpigmentation very well.
Revlon Colorstay Foundation
One of Revlon’s best sellers, this is a medium-full coverage foundation. It is quite matte, but it still looks natural and lovely. I’ve found that the best way to apply Colorstay is to use a damp brush or a damp makeup sponge, as the liquid tends to dry quickly. It lasts all day without budging, which is good for girls whose makeup tends to slip and slide on their oily skin.
Bare Minerals Mineral Foundation
Extremely popular and well known, Bare Minerals Mineral foundation is quite velvety and easy to blend. Being a mineral foundation, it works the best on oily skins, to tone down any oily or slippery patches. It also lasts quite long and doesn’t budge.