Foundation - for what?

username123

Hi all,

Im nearly 40. I dont wear foundation, Ive never worn foundation, Im not really sure what foundation is for!!!

Am I truly alone in this? I was talking to a female friend about make up and she was totally shocked that I didnt wear it, she said that even if she isnt wearing make up - she always wears foundation.

I usually dont wear make up at all unless Im going out, but I would wear quite elaborate eye make up (compared to my friends) in going out mode.
When I do apply makeup I use eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara and lipstick. Thats it - my make up bag contains those 4 items and nothing else!

I dont go through a lot of make up - I once went to a chemist with a lipstick I had looking for the same shade and it had been discontinued around 10 years previously

Anyway - back to foundation - I really dont know what its for? Do most girls/women wear foundation all the time - am I weird?

Morag

I don't wear it all the time but when I am wearing makeup I do.
Firstly it provides a base to put the rest of your make up on, so that it's a protective layer on which you put the rest. It also evens out the colour tones of your face and give a more even look all over. A good foundation will be close to your natural skin tone and can help hide any blemishes.

rainbow kirby

Moved from tLL to Beauty.

username123

Sharrow wrote: »

Firstly it provides a base to put the rest of your make up on, so that it's a protective layer on which you put the rest.

What do you mean by the rest of your make up? Id only be wearing eye make up and lipstick - do you put foundation around your eyes and then put eye liner/ eye shadow over it? Or do you leave it off that area?

Dudess

It's to even out skin tone, smooth out blemishes etc. I don't wear it much either, but when I do, it leaves a nice finish.

it evens out skin tone and smooths everything out. but i dont always wear it - sometimes i would just wear eye makeup etc as well. if you have good skin you dont really need it but maybe you should try giving it a go

username123

bluewolf wrote: »

....but maybe you should try giving it a go

Yeah thats what Im thinking, how do you choose one to try, do you use liquid or powder or those kind of solid but not dry ones?

kandr10

Definitely not everyone wears foundation. I use it as others said to cover up redness in my cheeks, but god I'd never have time for it every morning or that. Maybe a sheer coverage liquid foundation would be good to start with if you want to try it out. Or even a tinted moisturiser.

Twee.

I wear it to even out skintone, cover up spots/blemishes, and if I'm in a really warm club/bar, my face doesn't get all red! It also just generally brightens up my whole complexion.

As Sharrow said, it's a good base. I would be putting blusher, highlighter and translucent powder over my foundation. If I put blush on my bare skin, it wouldn't show up as well.

If you want to try a foundation, you could go with a tint or mineral powder which are much lighter than a full foundation.

username123

@twee - whats highlighter?

miss no stars

username123 wrote: »

I dont go through a lot of make up - I once went to a chemist with a lipstick I had looking for the same shade and it had been discontinued around 10 years previously

Anyway - back to foundation - I really dont know what its for? Do most girls/women wear foundation all the time - am I weird?

You definately aren't weird on that one. Personally I wear it as I find that aside from evening out my complexion, it is a better base for the rest of my makeup to cling to. I find my makeup just stays on for longer when I have foundation on.

Regarding the lipstick tho, cosmetics tend to have best before dates, usually as the provide a nice growing environment for bacteria. If you want to squeeze a bit longer out of a product and haven't used it in ages, wipe any exposed surfaces down with a clean tissue first and if they get to smelling a bit strange, ditch them. Don't want to come across as preachy about it tho, I personally think it's impossible to use some of the stuff within the expirey date, like my blusher I've had for a couple of years but it's perfectly fine, none of the hard little lumps that are a sign of your skin oils all over it.

glitterbug86

Foundation is something you basically put all over the skin on your face to make it look better. It should match your own skin colour and enhance the look of it by covering any redness or uneveness. You can also choose a formula to further enhance your skin (eg. someone with oily skin may choose a mattifying foundation, someone with dry skin may choose a dewy foundation, someone with an uneven skintone may choose a full coverage foundation and someone with mature skin may choose a foundation with light reflecting particles). These are generalisations, just pointing out some of the benefits of different foundations.

Foundation gives you a nice even canvas on which to apply the rest of your makeup. While yes, other products will sit better on top of foundation (eg blush which I know you don't wear) it will also make the rest of your makeup look better next to it as the whole thing just looks more flawless. Im not sure what you mean by "elaborate eye makeup" but I'm assuming it's fairly strong where I would definately say you need foundation. For more natural looks some people skip the foundation but I personally never would. If I didn't have much time to spare then I would either just wear foundation (and powder) or not wear makeup at all. If I were to apply eye makeup without foundation, even if it was applied really well, I think I would still look grubby. I know some people have beautiful skin and can get away with wearing makeup with no foundation but I think only very few people are this lucky. The vast majority of us will benefit from a foundation of some kind.

I have never heard that "it's a protective layer on which you put the rest" but yes you do put in on your eyes before your eye makeup. It shouldn't be too heavy, just enough to even the colour/hide veins and your eyeshadow will stick to it better than it would to dry skin.

Foundation comes in different forms eg. liquid, mineral powder, cream etc. I would say liquid foundation is def the most popular. You can apply it with your fingers, a sponge or with a brush. I like brushes the best but they can be expensive and I would use my fingers over a sponge (even though sponges are popular, they soak up a lot of product and do not give a particularly good finish). Next you apply a powder of your choice to set it. Then you apply your eye makeup (eyeshadow, liner, mascara etc) and lipstick.

It's very important to first of all find the right colour for you (not too dark or too light and not too pink or too yellow) and then the right coverage and formula. I am not too familiar with slightly more mature skins but I would skip anything too heavy as you don't want it to settle into fine lines.

Foundation can look awful if you choose one thats completely the wrong colour for you (think orange faces, white neck) but if you try to pick one close to your natural colour then you won't go too far wrong. It can take a while to get the perfect colour and it's no harm if you experiment and get it a little wrong until you find the right one. If you want to go for something more high end then ask for a sample so you can try it out first and make sure it's the right one for you. Tinted moisturisers may be another option.

There's loads of videos on youtube on how to apply foundation if you're still struggling on that. It's good just to actually see someone doing it rather than trying to explain it to you.

Here's a foundation video from Tanya Burr/pixi2woo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ9CZvXcCsI

username123

glitterbug - thanks a million for that brilliant informative post!!! I will watch that video on youtube.

Just to address a few bits - by elaborate eye make up I mean quite heavy on the eyeliner/mascara and very dark eye shadow - I go for a kind of gothic look sometimes, other times Id use eyeliner/mascara only and no eye shadow.

Mostly people seem surprised that Im not wearing foundation - as in they think I am wearing it and Im not. I never thought Id brilliant skin, although people have said Ive nice skin - obviously its getting older now!! But Ive never suffered from blemishes on the face, uneven colour or anything - to be perfectly honest I never gave my skin a moments thought til the past couple of years as Ive noticed it beginning to age.

I think Ive always been quite put off by the orange face, white neck look you describe, and also seeing so many people with dirty orange collars covered in foundation.

I have used powder in the past - to prevent my face being shiny - but that would have been more often when I was younger and I used quite a pale/translucent powder as the tanned look wasnt really in then lol!!

I like the idea of the light reflecting particles - is there any brands youd recommend - my skin can be sensitive so Id avoid anything perfumed.

username123

glitterbug - I watched that video - its a pity she doesnt do a split screen at the end - it looks great!!!!

I dont have that kind of blotchyness to begin with like she did but Id still like to try the flawless finish look!!

Saaron

Maybe look into BB Creams.

They're supposedly better for you skin and offer light coverage too.

I prefer not to wear foundation as it's not great for your skin really but occasionally is fine. If you feel you don't need very much coverage then a tinted moisturiser and some powder foundation (if you want) would be great.

I often find wearing a nice sun-cream with powder foundation and blush over it looks really nice. I'm pale so it works well for me.

glitterbug86

Glad that helped

I would say you must have very nice skin if people are so surprised you don't wear foundation. Especially when you sometimes wear heavy/gothic eye makeup - that can been pretty harsh so you must have good skin if you're carrying it off and people don't even notice you're not wearing foundation. I do still think foundation could make it look even better though - especially since you said you'd like to try the flawless finish look.

Since you don't have blemishes or uneven colouring then you should probably go for a light to medium coverage foundation (with your nice skin you could choose a very light coverage foundation but if you want the flawless look then I think you should try something with a little more coverage).

The orange faces you see might turn you off foundation a bit but those people have the colour really really wrong so once your a bit more careful about the shade you choose, you won't turn out like that. The foundation on your face should match your neck so you shouldn't really need to bring it down there. Some foundations are worse than others for transferring which is prob why you see people with it on their collars.

What's your skin itself like? Is it oily/dry etc? You mentioned that you used powder in the past to prevent your face being shiny so maybe you have slightly oily skin? If so a light reflecting foundation may not be the best on you as it can make you look more shiny. Also, powder on bare skin is unlikely to do much for you as it has nothing to stick to. Powder over foundation sets the foundation. Translucent powder would be fine for you as it just sets the foundation without adding colour. It's fuss free as you don't need to choose a colour and you don't need any extra coverage from it. Sorry I can't really recommend a light reflecting foundation as I don't use one myself (I need full coverage and don't have any lines just yet). For a cheaper one you could consider Revlon Photoready which is supposed to be good. Rimmel do one but its very shimmery. I'm not sure of any other lower end ones. For a higher end one I think Lancome, Estee Lauder etc all do something of this nature but I'm sure which is best and as I said I don't use these myself so wouldn't like to recommend one in particular. Maybe someone else knows of a better one.

Also, what's your skin colour like? Are you pale/dark etc? Depending on this you may be more limited in foundations as if you're a typical irish fair skinned person, many of the cheaper brands don't offer shades light enough. Revlon and bourjois are some of the better low end brands and offer a good selection of shades. For higher end foundation I think estee lauder are great. Many also like Chanel, Bobbi Brown and Mac.

Glad you liked the video, you should check out more of her vids as she's really good. As is "pixiwoo". She actually usually does split screens at the end of her videos!

I have also heard good things about BB creams but the problem (for me at least) is the extremely limited shade range which is def not light enough for me.

Twee.

username123 wrote: »

@twee - whats highlighter?

Highlighter is a shimmering liquid or powder used to accentuate parts of the face. For example, on top of your cheek bones to make your face look more angular, above top lip to make lips look fuller. It's also great under eyebrows fr definition!

You can use highlighter with bronzer and blush to contour face, basically paining on angles where there already aren't any!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l56_RPHUegQ

username123

glitterbug86 wrote: »

What's your skin itself like? Is it oily/dry etc? You mentioned that you used powder in the past to prevent your face being shiny so maybe you have slightly oily skin?

My skin can be a bit oily on the nose, but the rest of my face is neither oily OR dry - its just the same as the skin on my hand or anywhere else - starting to get a bit wrinklier alright - but not really specifically dry or oily.
If I wore powder in the past it was always to matt away the shiny face you sometimes have after a shower/bath - mostly the nose.

glitterbug86 wrote: »

Glad that helped
Also, what's your skin colour like? Are you pale/dark etc? Depending on this you may be more limited in foundations as if you're a typical irish fair skinned person

Im pale with pink tones, I dont tan at all, but I can be a bit freckly if Ive been in the sun - I have always avoided sun on the face though so usually Im not freckly at all.

I do have darker circles under the eyes, this is really what got me thinking Id like to try foundation and maybe concealer.

@twee - thanks for that vid!!

charlietheminxx

glitterbug86 wrote: »

Also, what's your skin colour like? Are you pale/dark etc? Depending on this you may be more limited in foundations as if you're a typical irish fair skinned person, many of the cheaper brands don't offer shades light enough. Revlon and bourjois are some of the better low end brands and offer a good selection of shades. For higher end foundation I think estee lauder are great. Many also like Chanel, Bobbi Brown and Mac.

Glitterbug that's all really good advice! Especially the bit about pale skin, however I have to disagree with you on the Estee Lauder, their lightest shade looks WAYYYY too dark on me. The best ones to start with are probably the cheaper ones, Revlon and Bourjois are really good and have a good shade range, as does Maybelline.

Username 123, I would try one of those and watch a few more tutorials to learn about application You mentioned you wanted to try concealer as well, make sure you get a nice light-reflecting one that isn't too heavy, because any of the thicker ones can just settle into your skin, especially if you have even a hint of crows feet etc.

glitterbug86

Username123: If you're looking for a lower end/less expensive foundation then maybe you could try Bourjois Healthy Mix. It gets great reviews and has a good range of shades that run lighter than many lower end brands so hopefully you'd find a good match for your skin. For higher end foundation maybe consider Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. The higher end foundations can be expensive (eg. Estee Lauder Double Wear is €34) so it depends what you want to spend. If you do want a higher end one then definitely ask for a sample and try it out at home first to make sure you like the colour and finish so you don't end up wasting your money. The ladies on the cosmetic counters will be able to help you to pick a shade (most will be pretty good at this). If choosing your own shade then since you have pink tones you'll want to pick a cool toned/slightly pink based (non yellowy) foundation. I have not used the above foundations myself because as said I go for fuller coverage foundation and am very pale but these are just ones I often hear good things about. Both are rated 4.1/5 on makeupalley which is an excellent score. Maybe someone with more similar skin to your could recommend something else?

If you have dark circles then your foundation may not be enough to cover them (don't choose a heavy foundation that covers them as it will be unnecessarily heavy for the rest of your face). For concealer you could try Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer which also gets great reviews and has lighter shades. Most people apply concealer after foundation but it's personal preference. It makes sense to apply it after foundation as if you apply it first, when you then go to apply your foundation you might unintenionally wipe off some of the concealer. Also, you might end up applying it to areas that you didn't need to as the foundation might have been enough. Some concealers just seem to sit better if applied before foundation though so as I said it's personal preference the order you do it in.

Charliethemixx: Which estee lauder foundation did you use that you found the lightest shade to be too dark? I use double wear in 1c1 Shell which is their lighest shade in that foundation. I thought most of their foundations had a similarly good shade range but maybe I was wrong on that. With the DW they actually have 3 shades that they call their lightest shade as each one is supposed to be light, just different tones (1c1 Shell (cool toned), 1n1 Ecru (neutral toned), 1w1 Bone (warm toned)). In reality though the 1c1 is actually lighter than the 1n1 and 1w1. I actually used to use Revlon Colourstay before I switched to DW and I found DW lighter. I used the lightest shade in colourstay in the dry/normal skin formula. It's a nice foundation but I personally much prefer DW. I always wondered if the oily/combo formula was much different and better as that seems to be the one most people go for. I think the lighest shade in that might be a little different to the lightest shade in the normal/dry formula so perhaps that one is lighter than DW. The temptalia foundation matrix lists them both as NW10-NW15 so they should be pretty close in shade.

DW 1c1 used to be a perfect match for my very pale skin and I found it to be one of the lightest foundations out there but lack of sun over the past year has made me manage to get even paler so now the only foundation I have that's light enough for me is Nars Sheer Glow in Siberia. I don't like it at all and suspect it sits better on oily skin and its too yellow for me anyways so instead I now mix Barry M white foundation (actual white!) in with my DW. I'm freakishly pale now though (I would guess NW5) so even though it's now too dark for me, I would still consider DW to be pale enough for the average "pale" person. But like you said, Revlon and Bourjois offer shades light enough for most pale people. Colourstay is more coverage than I would recommend for her and photoready doesn't seem to go as light but maybe it would be light enough (temptalia foundation matrix say's lightest shade is equivalent to nw15) and I'm not familiar with any other Revlon foundations.

username123

Hi,
Just thought Id give a quick update.

I tried out a few concealers on the back of my hand in the local chemist and found one (its just a rimmel one) that was a perfect skin tone for me, so I bought it, tried it under the eyes and also used some L'Oreal minerals translucent powder, and I was delighted with the result!! I looked totally even toned once my dark circles were diminished and the concealer blended in really well once Id added the powder over - so I looked all 'not wearing anything'

I feel ready to try tinted moisturior next - thanks for all the help!!

desolate sun

Hey OP

If I had great skin, I would hardly ever wear foundation. But my skin is uneven so I wear mineral foundation:http://www.bareescentuals.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-BareEscentuals-Site/default/Home-Show?brandId=BM

It literally takes one minute to apply this foundation. The result is brilliant and it is so light on your skin.

But seriously do you actually need foundation? A friend of mine has beautiful skin and only wears make-up when she's going out. She looks way better without it. I think most people need it to help them out a bit, but if you have amazing skin, then I would think twice about it. Just my two cents.

glitterbug86

That's great, glad you're so pleased with the concealer

username123

Back for another update.

I bought some Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-in-One BB Cream.
I dont know what BB stands for but was assured by the lady I spoke to in Boots that it was like a tinted moisturisor but with sun protection etc...
Edit - it stands for Blemish Balms.

So I was going into my old job (not seen anyone there for 3 months) and I used the Garnier stuff, and the concealer Id gotten the week before and a little eyeliner and when I went in - 7 different people seperately said 'wow you look loads younger'!!!! So I was like 'lol, its cos Ive no stress anymore' - but really I knew it was the cosmetics!!!

Thanks again all - Im really thrilled that with the good advice I got here and just a small amount of effort that there is a really noticable difference in how I look when I wear the new products!

Im a convert!!

glitterbug86

Wow that's brilliant, you couldn't ask for a better reaction than that!

anniehoo

username123 wrote: »

I bought some Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-in-One BB Cream.

Excellent! I gave a bad review on it but in fairness im a daily foundation wearer so i probably shouldnt be comparing the 2 at all.

username123

anniehoo wrote: »

Excellent! I gave a bad review on it but in fairness im a daily foundation wearer so i probably shouldnt be comparing the 2 at all.

Really? What did you not like about it?

My only criticism is that is stays a little 'wet' on the face for a while, but it does go more matt after a while. I used translucent powder over though and it was fine.

anniehoo

username123 wrote: »

Really? What did you not like about it.

Its far too shiny...almost greasy looking on me and very sheer. Ill wear it under my foundation now just for the spf. Its probably because im so used to foundation at this stage that this just feels too "naked" for me

username123

anniehoo wrote: »

Its far too shiny...almost greasy looking on me and very sheer. Ill wear it under my foundation now just for the spf. Its probably because im so used to foundation at this stage that this just feels too "naked" for me

I agree re the shiny and greasy feeling, but it was grand after a bit of powder on top. Apparently its supposed to give a 'dewy' complexion (unless dewy = wet, I just dont know!!)

JessMUA

People wear it to get flawless skin. However, if you have acne,acne scars,blemishes and any other flaws I dont recommend foundation. I recommend a good skincare regimen. Makeup should be the final step! after a great skincare regimen.
about foundation colors:you cant clearly say yellow tone for yellow tones and pink is for pink undertones. There are MANY exceptions. People dont pick it out that way. There are even people who get into arguments at makeup counters because they are a cool and someone insisted they were a warm. Some people are yellow toned which is light but with alot of splotches of pink. Ive seen many clients who are light/yellow but certain foundations made them look like "jaundice/yellow" they complained.The right combo of pink and yellow made them soo bright and radiant. Its all on personal preference,thats all.Our skin is very diverse. One of the world's biggest makeupartist said everyone in the world can at least use 2 foundations, many people can wear 3 or more. It depends on what you are trying to bring out the most. On some days some people prefer to look more rosier so they use a pink undertone. Some people want that more rosier undertone because it looks fresher/young. We all know that NC is gold and NW is pink in MAC. NC is lighter than NW, NW is more reddish/pink. An NC40 and NW40. There are people who see both yellow and splotches of pink on them like I said. A yellow person will not look "ashy" when wearing pink undertones, they will look PINKY. Usually we humans are not one tone! we are not all yellow! there are fair skinned yellow people with pink undertones. Its actually preferred to use a combo of tellow/olive and red/pink undertones. You have to experiment. If you are yellow and use only yellow foundation than you will appear more flat( which is great if thats what you like) but addingpink makes you look rosier and many people love that.
Alot of times darker toned women like African American/carribean women have to mix more than one foundation ,everyone on earth is different
After years of being a makeup artist. The rule stands true. There are no rules to makeup, only rules of thumb. Nothing called "too anything".I disagree with telling anyone how to wear their foundation/blush/powder/eyeliner/eyeshadow. Makeup is subjective. Everyone has their own makeup style. Many light people tend to go light/lighter or mix it with a luminzer to make themselves brighter/radiant/porcelin like. A great example of this would be dita von teese, who even stays out the sun to maintain her light skintone and wears light foundation. Others prefer to be dark/darker and darken in the sun or use bronzer all over their skintone. Different people have different preferences. If I spelled "Horse" "Howrse" than there is no "ifs" "and" or "buts" because grammar isnt subjective. What is wrong is wrong!However. Makeup is subjective. I hate nude lips. Does that mean its right to say "dont wear nude lips" ? No.
I might not like it but someone else might. There is no rule to makeup. Thats the beauty of being a makeup artist. There are soo many different styles.
I hate bronzer. But maybe there is someone who loves that deep bronzed look. I cant go to them and say "dont go soo deep in the bronzer" and say its "constructive". There are soo many different styles.who is anyone to tell someone theyre wearing a too light or too dark foundation, because there is no such thing. Nicole and Sam from pixiwoo(huge makeupartists in Britain) sometimes wear paler or darker foundation and it looks gorgeous! as long as people blend it to the neck its fine....some people prefer to look bright and radiant.

stinkle

username123 wrote: »

Back for another update.

I bought some Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-in-One BB Cream.
I dont know what BB stands for but was assured by the lady I spoke to in Boots that it was like a tinted moisturisor but with sun protection etc...
Edit - it stands for Blemish Balms.

So I was going into my old job (not seen anyone there for 3 months) and I used the Garnier stuff, and the concealer Id gotten the week before and a little eyeliner and when I went in - 7 different people seperately said 'wow you look loads younger'!!!! So I was like 'lol, its cos Ive no stress anymore' - but really I knew it was the cosmetics!!!

Thanks again all - Im really thrilled that with the good advice I got here and just a small amount of effort that there is a really noticable difference in how I look when I wear the new products!

Im a convert!!

I bought this yesterday based on reading the thread and I couldnt agree more! Like yourself OP i don't wear a lot of makeup but my skin is in bits at the moment and I thought I'd treat myself to something new that I could use everyday. Got loads of compliments in work this morning!

I agree with the poster that says it stays a bit "wet", and I was concerned about my oily T zone being shiny for the day, but it went matte after a while, and I didn't use powder. I actually liked the fact it was a bit wet going on as I felt I could blend more easily and it didnt feel like it was sitting on my skin, or looked like a mask like some other products I've tried. A makeup sponge might help if it goes on too wet?

EDIT - I just remembered a couple of products I thought were ok, Lush do a foundation-type thing that you can also mix with moisturiser so can make it as light or as heavy as you like. I got it as my skin broke out with horrible red blemishes and I thought it was an allergy so I figured Lush stuff might be gentler on my skin. If I use it neat then it kinda sinks into the dry bits of skin and make it noticeable, I'm sure that can be remedied if I work out the best mix of moisturiser/foundation to use, but I haven't had time and it seems like a bit much effort for day-to-day wear. I also found Benefit's Some Kinda Gorgeous Light to be ok, it's a foundation in a little compact that you apply with a sponge. But again I had that dry skin prob. It was good for my T-zone though!