The picture perfect makeup starts with the perfect foundation. It is not always easy to find the perfect makeup foundation. The wide array of colors, textures, and applications is often more confusing than helpful. Knowing what to look for in a foundation, and choosing the right kind is essential if you want to achieve the perfect makeup.
Foundation is used to prepare our skin for the makeup. Just as an artist would not paint a picture on a stained canvas, our skin has to be prepared by evening out blemishes, dark spots, discolorations, and the occasional pimple. Picking the right foundation depends on a variety of factors like your skin tone, skin type, time of the year, and need for coverage.
Foundations can be categorized by the coverage they provide. Foundation with a sheer coverage usually doesn’t hide discolorations of the skin. This type is most transparent and offers the least amount in term of pigmentation. Sheer foundation is most often used to give the skin just a hint of color.
Light foundation offers a slightly better ability to cover an uneven skin tone, and it can even cover a light blotchiness of the skin. This kind of coverage works best for individuals with an almost perfect skin complexion.Most individuals benefit the most from the medium and full coverage foundations.
Medium coverage contains enough pigment to cover red marks left by pimples, discolorations, blotchiness, and even pimples as long as it is set with a tinted powder. This is the most popular kind of foundation because it provides enough coverage for most applications.Full coverage makeup foundation contains up to 35% of pigment and gives enough coverage to camouflage just about anything. The professional grade of this foundation can contain up to 50% of pigments. This type of makeup is often referred to as corrective makeup.
Choosing the right color can be a little tricky at times as our skin tone changes throughout the year. Even though we may not tan intentionally, the natural sun exposure will gradually change the color of the skin during the summer months.The first step is to determine the natural undertone of your skin. A beauty technician can be very helpful in this part of the process. Common natural undertones are pink, peach, yellow, and even brown. The makeup foundation should have the same undertone.
Many individuals make the mistake of trying to match the color of the foundation on the inside of their wrists. The best place to match colors is actually between the face and neck, because these are the two places the foundation has to match. Using the area of the jawbone allows you to match both areas the closest. It is also important to keep in mind that artificial light, as it is used in department stores, changes the way the color may appear. It is best to look at the possible matches in natural light before committing to a particular shade.
A makeup foundation is the basis for a flawless look. Finding the right shade of foundation can take a little bit of time and effort, but it is well worth your time. Reevaluating your color match several times throughout the year can ensure you will always have the right shade.