So what is a foundation anyway? A foundation covers the whole face and parts of the neck to provide various forms of coverage to create a beautiful complexion. Foundations come in cream, liquid, airbrush, mineral and powder formulations. They can range in price from under ten dollars to well over $100. As a former cosmetician who has worked in department and drug stores I have seen amazing results from all sorts of foundations, making the price tag a non issue for whether a foundation is good or not.
One issue that does matter is time. You need to put aside some time to get your colour matched properly. No lunch break stop and go is going to be enough time to make sure you get what you want. All you’re going to do is frustrate yourself and anyone trying to help you. If you rush the process you could miss a valuable question to ask, or beauty tip. The worst thing is you could walk away with something that is not right for you. Roughly forty minutes should suffice.
Another thing you should consider is where you want to buy your foundation. What kind of service are you looking for? What range of product choice do you want? Do you want something natural or not? No matter where you shop you have to consider that to get the best match you need to be able to test the foundation. And P.S “testing” an un-opened product is called Product Tampering and is illegal in most places.
If you choose to shop in a store that has a cosmetician on staff, but don’t need or want the help, tell them nicely that you got it covered. Most cosmeticians will bugger off and leave you to your fun. If you do need help make sure you’re communicating what you’re looking for. The information you supply will help the cosmetician to narrow down the list of products to try, thus making the process more efficient. To be honest a good cosmetician should be asking you questions too. Here are some questions you should consider asking yourself, or someone at the shop:
What is your skin type?
What is your daily routine?
Do you want an SPF in your formulation?
What is your price range?
Are there any active ingredients in the product, if so what are they?
Is it non-comenigenic? (if that is important to your skin)
Is it oil free? (if that is important to your skin)
Is it fragrance free? (if that is important to your skin)
Is it paraben free? (if that is important to you)
And try asking what foundations seem to be popular, the ones that people keep coming back for.
Obviously colour is paramount in finding the right product for you. And nothing is more important in this task then trying the colour out on your skin and that does not include your wrist, hand or anywhere else I’ve seen people try. The face is where you’re intending it to go, so that is where it should be tested. If its possible go to the store clean faced with no make-up. If that is not an option get the cosmetician to clean your face with some cleansing solution. The best place to do a test is at the jaw line. Don’t do a grand sweep across the whole area, do little smears with all the foundation candidates and see which look the best. Also, give the foundations five minutes to develop. Skin has a natural acidity that can change the foundation, giving it time to adapt will help to see what your buying. In addition mineral foundations always go on a shade darker and need that time to adjust to your skin.
Application is next on the list of things to consider when buying a foundation. What is most comfortable for you? Are you a brush person, a sponge person, or a finger person? Application is a personal preference and no one way is better. If you can achieve a seamless look with your fingers then that is the best application for you. You should be able to blend and make sure you are not walking out of your house with a gap, or mask effect. However if the colour is matched and the formulation is right for you then you should not have to work very hard to get it all blended. If you are then you’re probably using the wrong foundation.
In the end you should enjoy foundation or any make-up product. It should never feel like a chore. But most importantly you should not be wearing it all the time. Let yourself and your skin have a break, a day off.
