It’s All About Foundation!

I tend to watch television to see what kinds of colors women are wearing and to get a glimpse of the latest makeover styles in Hollywood. I figured that with all the professional makeup artists out there (and the fact that HD t.v. shows more of the facial imperfections than the regular channels) everyone’s makeup should look pretty good. But unfortunately, I’ve seen some terrible makeovers… and most of the mistakes have had to do with the wrong color foundation.

In lieu of this, I’ve decided to dedicate a couple of posts this week about how to choose the right foundation for you. But before I get to that, let’s start with the basics on the benefits of foundation and which kind (liquid, powder, etc.) might work for your skin type.

Foundation helps to provide an extra protective layer against certain environmental toxins can cause to your skin.  It’s like a shield. Rather than attach to your skin, the toxins typically do not go beyond the barrier formed by the foundation. When you wash off your foundation the toxins will also be removed from your face.  Foundation also helps you to create a unified tone on your face as well and it serves as a base for all the colors that you wish to put on your face (e.g. eye color, lip color, cheek, etc.)

Before considering what color foundation you need, it’s important to know what your skin type is because certain foundations have benefits for certain types of skin:

A full-coverage foundation is best for normal to dry skin.  This type of foundation is an oil-free, water and silicone- base liquid foundation which provides natural-looking, long lasting, even coverage and hydrates your skin for up to six hours.

Medium-coverage foundation is best for normal to oily skin.  This is an oil-free, water and silicone-base liquid foundation that controls excess oil for at least eight hours. It also provides natural-looking, even coverage.

A cream foundation is great for those with dry skin. This is a rich and creamy foundation that helps to seal in moisture and protects the skin from dehydrating conditions. Typically it glides on effortlessly for maximum, long-lasting coverage and provides a smooth, even coverage.

The next set of foundations is for all skin types:

Cream-to-powder foundation is a lightweight, oil-free formula.  It’s a two-in-one product that glides on like a cream and then dried to a soft, powdery, matte finish.  It can be used as makeup or a touch-up. It can also be used as a light concealer if you choose a shade that is lighter than your foundation color.  This product blends easily to even out your skin tone and is water-resistant.

Mineral powder foundation is a weightless skin-perfecting powder that provides the coverage of a foundation with the comfort of a silky powder.  It can instantly conceal minor skin imperfections and skin discolorations, such as freckles and minor blemishes.  Mineral powder foundation evens out your skin tone and has a long-wearing transfer-resistant formula.