90's Pop bands and current 'bass' boasting song de jour puns aside, a flawless base really can make the difference between someone saying "gosh you have gorgeous skin!" and "what makeup do you wear". We weren't all born with it, but that doesn't mean you can't fake it till ya make it when it comes to smooth even skin tone. Here are my top 5 tips for being the ace of your own base...
2. Let your foundation settle before powdering. When you powder immediately you run into the dreaded cake face territory. Move on to your brows/eyes then come back and set your foundation - you'll get the chance to blend out any uneven patches and will use less powder as it won't be soaked up my foundation that is still settling.
3. Match your foundation to your neck to avoid the tell tale, two toned look. I always swatch my foundation downwards along the jaw line towards my neck to make sure it blends. Swatching foundation on the back of your hand to colour match isn't accurate (think of how often you wash your hands and use hand sanitizer a day) and this way you will do less blending your foundation down your neck, and therefore less likely to have nasty makeup-to-collar-transfer syndrome.
4. Bronze up a foundation that matches, rather than picking a darker foundation shade. Darker than your skintone foundation rarely works - you may think you look tanned, but rarely do we tan one solid shade when it comes to our faces. Pick a shade that is accurate to your skin tone, and then use bronzing products to bring some colour in - it will look the way the sun would naturally kiss the face with colour (think along the tops of cheeks, forehead and nose)
5. Figure out your skin type. Are you dry, dehydrated, both? Oily skin, or just combo? Normal skin? (you lucky thing you!) Pick a foundation with a texture and finish that fits your skins needs. Your girlfriend might swear by Estee Lauder Double Wear, but your dehydrated skin might look like the Sahara wearing it. My skin is normal-dry and dehydrated, so I prefer bases like Mac Face and Body, Illamasqua Skin Base and Diorskin Star Foundation.
Hope you found these tips and tricks helpful!
What foundation do you find looks best on your skin? What skin type are you? Share your favourite foundation tips in the comments below!
xo Jaime