Foundation | Makeup Part 2 | Back to Basics

Next up on the Makeup Back to Basics series is foundation. Foundation is a used to give you a "blank" canvas to work on.

When I was younger all I liked to do was fun makeup looks on the eyes, but now that I have experience with makeup, I really enjoy the skin part of makeup a little more. Being able to enhance the appearance of my skin with makeup is what it is all about. Playing with makeup should be fun. Don't take it too seriously, it washes right off.

I will be talking about how to apply foundation and what kind of foundations are out there to use.

There are a few different products for foundation. They all are meant to do the same thing, evening out the skint tone. These are the foundations that are out there for us, the customer, to use and enjoy. Choosing one of these formulas is going to depend on your skin type, your preference, and the amount of time you are willing to put into the process.

Liquid Foundation
Liquid foundation is the most common foundation product that is used. It is in liquid form and you can use a brush, a sponge, or your fingers to apply this makeup. The great thing about liquid foundation is the ability to mix two or more of them together to get the perfect shade.
This makeup you can get at the drugstore for less than $15 or you can get a high end foundation that could cost you over $100 sometimes. The key to this is trying out different brands and finishes until you find one that fits you the best.


Speaking of finishes, liquid foundation comes in a range of finishes that you also need to be aware of. There is the matte finish, this is great for people with oily skin because it wont give you any more shine. A matte finish foundation would also be good for people that have larger pores because light won't reflect off the large pores making them more visible.

Another finish is dewy or luminous. This finish is perfect for people with dry skin. This will make your skin look dewy and healthy.

You might also find the foundations that are long-wearing. This means that they are designed to stay on the skin far longer that a regular foundation. These are usually matte, and they set up on the skin quickly after applying it. These foundations are great to use for special events.
Depending on your skin type and your preference that is going to determine what foundation you need to pick. For example I have combination skin, (this means I get oily in my T-zone, but the rest of my face stays normal) but I still like to use a foundation that has a luminous finish because I always set my foundation with a face powder-I switch between a loose setting powder and a light powder foundation. So even though I have an oily T-zone, since I powder my face I can get away with using a foundation with a dewy finish.

Powder Foundation
Powder foundation comes in the form of a powder, it can come in a compact as a pressed powder or it can also coma as a loose powder in a pot. This type of foundation doesn't really have different finishes on the skin because they are powders, it's just going to look matte.
This foundation is great to use when you want to apply the foundation and be done quickly. You don't have to be too careful when applying a powder foundation.

Powder foundation usually gives a medium to full coverage, because you can also apply more layers for additional coverage.
You can apply a powder foundation with a powder puff, a large brush or a makeup sponge.
The only thing that is different with a powder foundation, if this is the only base product you will apply (meaning you're not using it to set a liquid foundation) then you have to go in with primer and concealer before you apply the powder foundation. One of the biggest rules in makeup is that you don't put cream products on top of powder products. What would happen is that the cream product will basically remove the powder product and then you will have a patch of skin with no makeup on it. So try to avoid mixing powders and cream products.

Cream Foundation
Cream foundations are basically a mix between a liquid and a powder. It's much thicker than a liquid foundation, but it is still wet and creamy. This is another great option for people that want a slightly heavier coverage. This foundation can be applied using a brush, your fingers, or even a makeup sponge.
There are also cream foundations that have a cream to powder finish formula. With a product like that you don't have to set the base because it sets itself.


Foundation Coverage
There are some foundations that are made to go on the skin very sheer, and only give a light wash of color. Foundations like this will say things like lightweight or sheer. This can also include BB creams and CC creams. This is perfect for people that don't need a lot of coverage, but still want to use a foundation. This foundation works amazingly in the summer months when you don't want heavy makeup on the skin.

There are also foundations that are medium coverage. These foundations will give you a bit more coverage than a sheer formula, but it wont be extreme. Most of the time you could even apply more layers of a medium coverage foundation to achieve more coverage or even full coverage. These layers will still feel light on the skin because the foundation isn't thick to begin with. I love wearing medium coverage foundation on a day to day basis to go to work or to be out and about.

The last type of coverage is full coverage. These sort of foundations tend to be really thick and very pigmented. Usually with one layer of a full coverage foundation you should get an almost perfect skin finish. This can sometimes be used to heavily and make the skin look cakey. Full coverage is great for special events, or photo-shoots, or if you will be in front of the camera.

Thanks for checking out this post!

Check out my previous post here:

Primer | Makeup Part 1 | Back To Basics

All photos are from Google.com 

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation Review

My review on the Hello Flawless Foundation

Hey guys,

So I was recently at my local Sephora, and I picked up a new foundation. It is the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation.

This foundation is on the pricey side, it was $36. It has 1 fluid ounce.

This foundation claims to be "an oil-free brightening liquid foundation" it also claims to have a light to medium coverage, and it's supposed to be luminous and healthy looking.

I wanted to give this a try as an everyday type of foundation for me. I work in an office for 8 hours a day, so I want something that evens my skin tone without giving me cake face, that's not cute. 

The first thing I'll say about this foundation is that I got the wrong color, which makes me sad. I even had the girl working at Sephora color match me. But its still too dark, so when I wear the foundation I have an orange face and a pale neck, which is also not cute.

My next issue with this foundation is that it made me super oily in my T-zone after about 4 hours of wearing it. And I did set it with a powder when I applied it. That was very disappointing because this claims to be an oil free foundation. 

I have a dry to combination skin type, and when I wear other foundations I get a little bit of oil down the center of my face after about 5-6 hours of  wear. Even then it isn't a lot of oil and I just use a blotting sheet to get rid of the shine.

With this foundation I had to blot my face twice and when I did the foundation seemed to come off my face.

I like to wear foundation that has a medium amount of coverage because I have discoloration and darker acne marks on my face. This foundation was just a bit too light for my liking. Although I didn't add a second layer of the foundation. 

I don't really like to layer on the foundation because that is a sure way to get a cake face, which we have established as not cute.

Another thing I noticed that I didn't like at all about this foundation was that it did not last the entire day. I even used a primer before applying the foundation. I noticed about lunch time I had little to no foundation left on the lower parts of my face. By the night I didn't have much foundation left at all. 

For now I give this foundation a 2 out of 5. I didn't like that it made me oily, I didn't like the color, I didn't like the lack of staying power and I didn't like the amount of coverage that it gave me. 

Also note that this is just my experience with this foundation. I would say if you have dry skin you might like this product, also if you don't have a lot to cover this might be right up your alley. This foundation would work great on people that have good skin.

I will try it again when I get a little darker in the summer months and I'll do another review on the foundation to see if I changed my mind about it or if it still doesn't work for me. 

Let me know if you have tried this foundation out and if you like or dislike it.

Monthly Favorites: October 2013

My Favorite beauty products for the month of October

Today I will be talking about my favorite things for the month of October. I didn't do a favorites post for September because there was nothing new that I had tried and I didn't want to write about the same things again. But this past month I changed up a few things and I wanted to share with you what I was loving for the month of October. 

I'm going to start off with my favorite lip combination. I have been using the L'Oreal Color Riche lipstick in the color #174 "Rose Taffeta." This color is so pretty, it's one of those "my lip color but better" colors. It is the perfect pink shade, and no matter what eye look I have this matches perfectly. The formula of the lipstick is smooth and moisturizing. It is my favorite everyday color. 

I pair the lipstick with the Revlon Color Burst lipgloss in the color #002 "Crystal Lilac." This gloss has has almost the same pink shade as the L'Oreal lipstick but what makes it interesting is the purple sheen that it has. The purple sheen is very subtle, you can't see it on the lips but it gives an extra little touch. I really love these two lip products together. The gloss is pigmented enough that I even use it on its own sometimes. 

My favorite foundation combination for this past month has been the L'Oreal True Match foundation in the shade "Natural Buff N3" and the MAC Studio Fix Fluid in the shade NC35.

I am in between shades right now as we move into fall and winter, so I have been using these two foundations together to make the perfect color for my skin right now. I love the True Match foundation, with one layer of the foundation I can get a light to medium coverage and it still looks very natural and not caked on. 

I usually use more of the True Match foundation and a much smaller amount of the MAC foundation. But together these two foundations give me great coverage and looks amazing on the skin. 

To blend the foundation into my skin I have been using the Beauty Blender sponge that I got from Sephora. I love the way that this sponge makes my foundation look. It makes blending the two foundations so easy. When I use the beauty blender I get an airbrushed finish. I just love it! 

I have been using this next product pretty much everyday for the month of October, and it is the MAC Paint Pot in the color "Soft Ochre." This is the perfect base for eyeshadows. It covers the discoloration on my eyelids just like a concealer would, but it doesn't crease throughout the day, and it makes the eyeshadows that I put on top of it look amazing! 

Another MAC product I have been using everyday is an eyeshadow, it is called Wedge. This is the perfect crease color. I usually apply this color into my natural crease with a big fluffy blending brush before applying any other color. By doing that it makes it so easy for me to go back and blend the darker colors from my lid and also the lighter color that I put under my brow. It is absolutely the perfect color to blend with. 

My last favorite for the month of October is the Essie nail polishes, yes, all of them. I love the formula of these nail polishes, they go on super smooth and dry pretty quickly. I love that I can build up the color and it doesn't get all goopy and gross. The color selection is amazing, there is a color for whatever mood you are in. I am very happy with all the color that I own, and I can't wait to keep adding to the collection.

That is it for my October Favorites. I hope you all enjoyed this post and that you are having a great start to this holiday season!

:)

Makeup Forever HD Foundation Review

I have recently rediscovered the Makeup Forever HD Foundation.

I used this foundation religiously all last summer, and it was my absolute favorite foundation EVER! I stopped using it last winter because I got paler and the color didn't match me anymore.
So I was going through my makeup collection and I decided to see if it would match my skin tone now that I have some color again. And it matches!!

This foundation is so easy to apply. I use my Sigma F80 flat top kabuki brush. Using this brush makes the foundation look smooth and even, and it doesn't let the foundation get caked up.
The consistency is a little runny. I like the consistency because it is easy to blend. Also this foundation doesn't set up quickly so I have enough time to blend it in, and it looks amazinggggg.
I really love the finish that this foundation has on my skin. It's not matte at all, it leaves a sort of dewey glow to the skin. It is really nice for the summer. I use a little of the Rimmel Stay Matte face powder, so its not too shiny.
I would say that the foundation is about a medium coverage, but it is buildable so it can be a full coverage if that's what you need. I dont like using too much foundation in the summer, so i just use a little concealer for my problem areas. That usually does the trick and it looks really good.

This foundation is absolutely my favorite of all time. Im going to be buying it in a lighter shade for the winter, I dont want to stop using it again.

My face without makeup

My face with the Makeup Forever HD foundation 

With all my makeup finished :)