Tips for a Flawless Base

A good base is a thing I struggled with in the past. It took a lot of trial and error to work out that pilling on the foundation won’t make my pimples and dry patches disappear into nothingness. So I’ve assembled a few tips that I’ve taught myself over the years to try to prevent the awful adolescent makeup years.

1. Prepare your base: Like I mentioned above, I used to think that the thicker the layer of foundation, the more my blemishes would disappear. Oh how wrong I was. Making sure that your skin is hydrated miraculously improves foundation application. Those dry patches on your face are just going to make you look like an unfortunate sunburn victim if you slather on the foundation before they’re gone. Also, let the moisturiser sink into your skin, otherwise it tends to slide straight off your face in about an hour. If you’re prone to oily skin, use a primer like the Hourglass Veil Primer to keep your face on. It’ll save you hours of worrying.

2. Pick the right foundation shade: When I was younger, I tended to think I was darker than I really was. Hence my foundation tended to be a little bit too dark. Maybe a bit more than just a little bit. Walking around with a face four times darker than the rest of your body is seriously unflattering. Make sure to try the foundation out. It’s better to go too light than too dark and be sure to pay attention to undertones when you buy a foundation. And make sure to blend down your neck to avoid the infamous foundation line at your jawline.

3. Tools are important: Back in the day, foundation used to be painted on with a paintbrush (you know what I’m talking about). It’s not a cute look. Those flat foundation brushes (paintbrushes) tend to make the foundation sit on your skin rather then blending into it. Stick with buffing brushes like the Real Techniques Buffing Brush to get good coverage without your foundation looking like face paint. If you’re after something a little more natural, go with a beauty blender or something similar. I have a friend who used her beauty blender dry (she knows who she is). Don’t do that, it’s terrible for your foundation application and your sponge. Make sure your sponge is nice and damp before going onto your face. And there’s nothing wrong with your good ol’ fingers, even if they do feel a little grotty afterwards.

4. Concealer is not a miracle spot/eyebag eraser: I’m sure we all tried to put 84 layers of concealer on that one little blemish, which just made everything a whole lot worse. It’s perfectly okay to have a couple of spots showing through. Natural skin looks a whole lot better than layers and layers of face gunk. And if your concealer is budging throughout the day, try using a highlighting concealer like the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat rather than another layer of that full coverage stuff you tried earlier in the day.

5. Dear God, no more cake please: Cake is wonderful, but cakey makeup is never flattering. Overpowdering is a giant no-no. Don’t pile on the powder foundation. Stick with something light like the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder which will take away any sort of shininess throughout the day without layering up and looking heavy and dry. If you're feeling a little cakey and it's too late to take it all off, try spritzing the face with a toner or a setting spray to add some much needed moisture back into your complexion. An added bonus of a setting spray is that it keeps your face on for even longer.