How to Apply Foundation
Today we would be discussing second series of basic foundation guide- how to apply foundation! You must be applying foundation almost everyday but are you applying it the right way? Well, if in doubt, this post will guide you on how to apply foundation correctly to achieve a flawless even tone look!

The best way to apply foundation is with a flat foundation brush, stippling buffing brush, a sponge or the good ol (famous) beauty blender! Fingers tend to waste a lot of product!Foundation-Bottle-1Step 1: Wash your face like you normally do with a good face wash meant for your skin type! Rinse your face with cold water as a last step or use ice cubes to close down your pores and to make your foundation last longer

Step 2: Tone! Use a good hydrating toner if you have dry skin and an oil-balancing toner if you’ve got oily skin, avoid using alcohol based toners as they strip skin off its natural moisture!

Step 3: Apply moisturizer as a next step to prep your skin for foundation application. Let the moisturizer sink in for 5 minutes!

Step 4: Prime your skin!! Use a good face primer after 5 minutes of applying your moisturizer! A primer will prep your skin for makeup, it smooths out skin and gives an even base for foundation application. A primer also hides open pores, mattifies the skin and gives a smooth base! Give primer a few minutes to set in before applying foundation!

Also Read:

Basic Foundation Guide: Types of Foundation

Step 5: Choose a right foundation according to your skin type and the one that matches your skin tone perfectly! Apply foundation in natural daylight where you can clearly see how much product you are applying! Take the foundation on the back of your hands, apply it in small dots all over your face, don’t forget to cover the neck area too and blend it well!

To test a foundation that matches your skin tone perfectly, apply a swipe of foundation on your jaw line in natural daylight, the right color will remain unnoticeable and will look like your second skin. If you are doing this at the store and planning to buy an expensive foundation, I’d suggest you to test it the way I said and wait for few hours or if you’re short of time, test it for half an hour atleast before investing in it, till that time you can do the rest of your shopping! If you are buying a drugstore foundation, test it the same way by swiping a layer on your jaw line and see how the color settles after 3-5 minutes in the day light, you can move out of the store for a minute and if it disappears or looks like the closest match to your skin then that’s your match! The new Bobbi Brown trick is to test the foundation on your forehead if testing on the jawline confuses you!

Step 6: Use any tool you prefer for applying foundation, you can even use your fingers but experts suggest using brushes as they soak up less product and gives more coverage! Take the foundation out on the back of your hands and take a small amount on your brush or fingers and start applying it from the centre of your face, start from the nose and then move outward to the cheeks, then on chin, on forehead and then on the jaw line. Always blend the foundation downwards in the direction of hair growth! Use a little amount first and then go on building up if you feel the need for more coverage.

It’s better to build up slowly with foundation than loading it all at once, you can build up the coverage gradually! With liquid and powder foundation, you can always go back in and add more but if you use too much in the beginning, you probably can’t go back in and change it without removing your base completely.

Step 7: Use a concealer with a concealer brush or your ring finger on blemishes and dark circles, that were not covered with foundation! Applying concealer after foundation keeps concealer looking crease free! Choose a concealer one shade lighter than your skin tone. For dark circles, look for a concealer that is highlighting and illuminating like the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer as it brightens up the eye area cancelling out dark circles as well as works as a highlighter!

Step 8: Finish off your makeup by dusting some translucent powder or loose powder that will keep your foundation in place and will keep your skin looking matte!