I wanted to give you guys a little more depth and understanding on how to choose everything from your primer to your powder, simply and easily. This won't be a very long post, but hopefully it will be informative. And make sure to go and check out the #ImperfectBeautyBasics video I just put up that corresponds to this post.
Choosing your primer can sometimes be frustrating, and many times people leave it out altogether, but I would highly recommend that you use a primer. Not only does it ensure that your moisturizer keeps moisturizing your skin all day, but it provides your skin with a clean and smooth surface for your foundation. Yes, even if you only use mineral make up or powder foundation, you can use primer, and it is, in fact, recommended. I never used primer for the longest time, and then I kept hearing about all these women in Cosmo, Elle, Vouge and on TV talking about using a primer under their foundation, so I decided to give it a try. I loved it! It makes my skin look and feel amazing and since using a primer, I haven't had as many breakouts. The only breakouts I get now are hormonal breakouts. It's been amazing for me. If you don't want to use a primer, that is perfectly okay, but I would definitely recommend it.
In order to choose your primer, you have to decide what needs to be "corrected" with your skin.
Here are some examples of what primers do, and which primer can do it for you, both drugstore and high end.
Dewy:
Drugstore: L'Oreal LumiMagic
High end: MAC Prep&Prime Skin (Original)
Satin:
Drugstore: NYC Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer
High end: Illamasqua Satin Primer
Matte:
Drugstore: Stay Matte Rimmel London
High End: BECCA Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector
Longwearing:
Drugstore: Revlon Photoready primer
High end: Benefit Stay Flawless 15 Hour Primer
Color correcting: (S/N: There are MANY different types of color correcting that can be done with primers, but I picked two that I have tried and liked and that are for all range color correcting)
Drugstore: Physician's Formula Correcting Primer
High end: Stila One Step Correct
Hydrating:
Drugstore: Hard Candy Sheer Envy primer
High End: Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer
Waterproof:
Drugstore: L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base
High End: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
SPF:
Drugstore: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Primer SPF 15
High End: Shiseido Refining Make up Primer SPF 21
Poreless:
Drugstore: Garnier's 5 Second Blur
High End: ProAirbrush FX face primer SPF 20
Phew! That was a lot. So the good news, is that foundations are much easier to explain and sort out. There are, I would say, three different types of coverage: light, medium and full coverage. And there are three different types of products that cover: mineral make up, foundation, and BB cream.
Mineral make up has a very light, build-able coverage. It feels very light on the skin, and many times is very healthy for your skin as well because many of the ingredients are natural or naturally derived.
BB cream is a very light to medium coverage that normally has a moisturizer, primer, foundation, sometimes color correcting, and even anti aging benefits. Some even have SPF in them! BB cream is a great option for college kids, for everyday wear, summertime, moms, and teachers. It is very fast to apply and looks very natural on the skin. And because it has so many ingredients, it covers so many steps, so you can even skip concealing, priming and moisturizer and go straight to the brows, blush and mascara. You don't even need to set the BB cream with a powder if you don't want to.
Foundation itself comes in the three different coverage levels. The best way to find out what type of coverage a product is is to do your research! I have made this mistake many many times, I watch a commercial for a new product, see that Olivia Wilde or Emma Stone or Kate Hudson or P!NK has flawless skin, and think, oh wow, that looks amazing. I go and buy it, and it doesn't work for me. I don't have naturally perfect and flawless skin. So the Revlon Nearly Naked, didn't sit well on my skin, and I don't have normal skin, so the Covergirl Clean line doesn't look nice on my skin after an hour. This happens all the time. So now, I do my research. I look at other blogs, the actual website, and even YouTube videos for inspiration and information.
Things to look for when researching your product:
Look for if it says what skin type it is geared for; dry, normal, oily, or acne prone skin. Some foundations will be geared towards dry to normal or normal to oily skin. These foundations are great for seasonal transitions. if you have normal skin, then getting a foundation that is for normal to oily is great for the summer because then you know it won't melt off your face once you get a little sweaty, and vice verse, a foundation that is for normal to dry skin is perfect with people who have normal skin and become dry in the winter.
Honestly, I have a few foundations that I use. I have a few because my skin changes through the year. I have "normal" skin during the winter and very oily skin the rest of the year. So I have some foundations for winter and some for the rest of the year.
In order to match your foundation to your body, you need to swatch it. there are a few different ways you can swatch foundation. if you are looking to invest in a foundation, then head over to a Sephora. They will use the Pantone Color IQ on you. It takes a picture of your cheek, your neck, and your chest in total darkness, allowing the device to reveal your TRUE shade, unfettered by light. They will then help you find a foundation at the Sephora, or they can tell you what undertones you have and you can go to a drugstore and find your shade.
There are three different types of undertones. Yellow or warm, cool, or pink and neutral or mauve. These are very important to knowing what foundation shade you need. If you have pink undertones to your skin, and you put a yellow undertoned foundation on top, you will look yellow, not natural. You can make yourself look sick or even a little jaundice. Not a pretty look.
If you don't want to go to a Sephora, I would recommend going to a drugstore a physically swatching the product. If you don't see a tester in your shade, you can ask a cosmetics rep to make a tester for you. The LAST thing you want to do is test out a swatch on yourself on a nontester. Many people have skin sensitivities that result in rashes, hives, or pimples. You don't want to have a scented perfume, or have any sort of bacteria on your hands and then put it into the foundation because the next person to buy that foundation might have a skin sensitivity, and now you've contaminate the whole bottle of foundation. I recommend going to a drugstore because they always have testers out. A store like Target or Walmart might not be willing to make a tester for you because you are taking away a bottle that they can sell. I actually have had a Walmart employee yell at me before for opening a bottle of foundation to smell it. It was embarrassing and frustrating, especially because I hadn't ripped off any packaging or contaminated the bottle. She told me I either had to buy the product or leave the store because I had technically just stolen the product because I opened it with the intent of not buying it. I didn't leave the store, but I have been weary of buying at Walmart ever since.
So, now that we know how to swatch responsibly, where to swatch. Make sure you have a proper mirror with you so you don't have to rely on the warped mirrors that are sometimes on the displays, and swatch on your cheek (with no make up on), down onto your neck and then onto your collar bone. you don't have to use a lot of product. And you aren't doing a full face of make up either. Just 1 inch swatches. By the time it is on your body, it should blend in perfectly. if it doesn't match your face, that is okay. You want it to match your body. A lot of people use moisturizer or some product on their face and not on the rest of their body so their faces are always a couple shades lighter than their body. It's normal.
That is how you find your perfect match.
Now for concealer. This is a relatively simple one. Once again, you have to know what you want from your concealer. Do you want to highlight under your eyes? Do you have dark circles to cover? Blemishes? These are key questions to ask when you talk about a concealer.
This is what you need to know about concealer:
If you have dark blue marks, circles or bags to cover, use an apricot, salmon, or orange toned concealer.
If you have purple marks, bags, or circles, use a yellow toned concealer.
If you have red marks or blemishes, or veins, use a green toned concealer. You have to make sure it is a blend-able concealer, otherwise it will show trough your foundation.
If you are using a concealer that is colored, make sure you conceal first so that your foundation will cover the color completely.
I think that is everything you need to know about the basics of making your face look flawless. There are so many options, and you might have to play around a bit, but if you know what you want and you know what kind of look and lifestyle you have, you will be able to waste less money and start looking your best faster.
If you want me to break down the concealers and foundations like I did for the primers, let me know.
I hope this helped. If you want to contact me, make sure you visit my links on my sidebar and make sure to go read the disclaimer so that you are informed about my blog.
Have a great day, make sure you come like, follow, and subscribe to all my social media sites.
Warm wishes.
