Must Have Foundations
This has been the most requested post by all my gal pals and clients desperate to seek out the perfect foundation. We have all suffered the frustrating dilemma of getting a new foundation home and after using it for the first time realizing that although it promised to make your skin look fabulous actually it just isn’t right for you and whoosh thats money straight down the drain and into the draw it goes never to be used again. It is a total minefield out there and I am sure there are a handful of amazing foundations I haven’t yet discovered but these are my recommendations for varying skin types. Unfortunately not all of the foundations mentioned come with a vast range of shades. Do have your foundation colour matched on counter, ideally they should try three shades on the jaw line and together you can choose the shade that blends the most seamlessly into the neck. It is so important that you see the shade they recommend and agree it is right for you as not all assistants on counter are professionally trained also personal preference can vary greatly and I find a lot of clients prefer a shade maybe a touch warmer or cooler than there actual skin tone. In my opinion if you are between shades opt for the warmer shade, added warmth is always more flattering than a foundation that is too pale and you can always warm things up with bronzer down the neck to match up. Have them apply the foundation in the agreed shade all over the face, if you cannot bring yourself to remove everything on counter then ask for a small sample to take away and try. I recommend wearing the foundation for a couple of hours, catch yourself in different lights to check you like the shade and to give it time to wear into the skin to get a real idea for the finish and longevity. This can be tricky with high street brand foundations, usually they have testers available so I suggest trying three shades yourself on the jaw line, a full face application might attract a few funny looks so if you are not brave enough to do that make sure you purchase when its on promotion or good old 3 for 2 to soften the blow if it doesn’t make the cut. Here are my top picks depending on desired finish or skin type:
Firstly lets begin with very light coverage foundations or bases for those of you who are lucky enough to have very little to conceal or simply just require a product very quick and effortless to apply. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer is a real cult product, brilliant for those who want something that can be quickly applied with fingers and it actually provides more coverage than I have experienced with any other tinted moisturizer. It is perfect as an everyday product for natural beauties or a gym-bag or holiday essential for usual fuller coverage girls. The Dior BB Cream is a newly found favorite of mine, I am a BB and CC (DD?...oh this is getting silly now!) cynic and really do think the whole thing is a big marketing ploy to make tinted moisturizers more exciting again so I really didn’t want to like this product but as you will learn I love Dior foundations and i’d heard really good things about it and I was actually very pleasantly surprised. It has a lovely creamy texture, is perfect applied with fingers and gives just the right amount of glow to the skin. I keep mine in my gym bag and use it on days when I want to be make up free without completely scaring everyone.
Foundations with a luminous finish are my absolute favorite which given my skins oily nature is pretty impractical of me really but I think a glowy finish gives the illusion of healthy, youthful skin. I love the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation and will continue to re-buy this foundation forever more. This foundation is a medium coverage and applies like a dream with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush which I actually discovered as a duplicate for a Shu Uemura foundation brush I loved but was £40 a pop so was pretty quids in on that. The only small hiccup with the Armani foundation is it’s longevity, probably because my skin is more oily/combination I do find by mid afternoon it’s existance on my skin is vastly disapearing and so touch ups are necessary but I let this go because it is quite honestly the bees knees otherwise. A close second is the Dior Nude Skin Foundation which is similar in it’s radiant finish, it has slightly more coverage and is longer wearing. I use this foundation a lot in my kit for bridal work and have had lots of happy clients cry out “I need this foundation!”.
For those of you that prefer a more matte finish I suggest the Dior Forever Skin Foundation, this foundation has a semi-matte silky finish and gives the skin a really velvety look. It is brilliant for nights out or special occasions as it is extremely long wearing, also another favorite I use in my kit and one I have relied on personally for a good few years. A recent discovery in the semi-matte category is more of a budget find and is the Loreal True Match Foundation, again this is a product I heard so much hype about and needed to check out myself. It is great, it cost about £10 and was on promotion when I picked it up in Boots. It is medium to full coverage and actually I would say one pump is enough, the first time I used it I found it looked a bit cakey and so less is definitely more with this one. Despite the name I couldn’t find my ‘true match’ and ended up buying two shades ‘Vanilla’ and ‘Ivory’ which I find half a pump of each gives me the perfect shade but that might just be me being perculiar. This is a brilliant budget foundation buy.
It is important to take into consideration when choosing your foundation if your skin is dry or very oily. I tend to find that those with a oily complexion prefer a more matte finish and those with a dryer skin desperately want to make there skin appear more luminous however there are foundations out there that address the problem while you are wearing it. For those with a dryer complexion, or mature skins the Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Foundation is wonderful. It contains lots of luscious skin care properties such an Argan Oil and Glycerin. It gives amazing full coverage and the tiniest bit of this foundation goes such a long way, it works really well when applied with a sponge. I recommend the Beauty Blender Sponge which has a fantastic shape that is perfect to access all areas of the face. Another great option is the Bobbi Brown Foundation Sticks, these contain lots of fatty acids which will nourish the skin. They have a lovely creamy texture which blends beautifully. I actually recommend these to anyone for a touch up product, they are really portable and so perfect to be kept in your handbag. I keep mine at the ready when I am wearing my Armani Luminous Silk foundation to touch up mid afternoon.
For very oily skin and I am talking really oily very blemish prone skin you can get foundations that are of course oil free but also have beneficial spot treating ingredients. The Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation contains Salicylic Acid which is found in so many blemish fighting skin care products, it helps to deep cleanse the pore and reduce inflammation. I prefer the light version over the original Double Wear Foundation as it is just that bit more natural, when applied incorrectly Double Wear Foundation can look cakey and cause the skin to look quite flat and dull. Another option is the No.7 Beautifully Matte which also contains Salicylic Acid and is also Hyper Allergenic and so good for someone with super sensitive or very red sore skin. I stress that these are for very oily skin as I found them to be a little drying when used on my combination/oily skin.
I hope that helps! The most important points to remember when choosing a new foundation is establishing your skin type or the finish you desire and getting the colour right. I think every foundation works better when layered with a primer and so check out my previous post on Primers.
I am on holiday next week and so there will be no post, follow me on Instagram: bryonydalton01 and I will keep you updated with my holiday beauty picks and me just generally galavanting about.
B x