Beauty Day - Choosing the right foundation

The answer to this question is rather confusing isn’t it?   Well it doesn’t have to be.Here are a few things that you should know when choosing your perfect foundation.

Here is some useful information for you to read BEFORE you go and buy that new foundation you want. 

 

Know your skin type

Take some time and examine your skin type – is your skin oily?  Then look for something which is oil-free or mattifying on the bottle.  If you have dry skin look for something which says it is hydrating or moisture-rich.  If you have combination skin – it may be a little more hit and miss but cream to powder bases seem to work best.    A Mineral foundation will work good for everyone.

What coverage do you want?

Light? Medium?  If you have good skin overall, than you may consider a light coverage.  If you have alot of blemishes that you wish to cover a heavier foundation may suit you better.

For me – I may not have the best skin but I always feel that it is best to go for a light coverage this way it will look more natural and you will have a less made up look.

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Liquid? Cream? Mousse? What the hell!

Yes, there are so many different types of foundations out there.   It is confusing to know what is going to work best for you.  These are some basic rules that I have found.

Liquid foundation works best for most skin types.  Remember to look at whether you are looking for oily skin or dryer skin.

Cream to powder formulas doesn’t work in an Irish climate.   I feel them very heavy on my skin and prefer them when I am in the sun as they tend to last longer than liquid foundation.

Cream formula is very full and quite heavy in its coverage.

Mousse is very light and airy in its texture.   It is good for someone starting out with makeup and a first timer. But for my skin (mid 30’s) it doesn’t seem to work for me.

Airbrush is the new kid in town.   It is more used by professional makeup artists than for us all on every day wear.  For me, it is too heavy to wear at any stage unless maybe Tyra Banks needs for me American’s Next Top Model.

Powder/Mineral - this really is a light coverage and doesn’t last that long.  Maybe for a few hours this would work quite well but my experience is don’t buy it. 

Ask the beauty consultant

It is recommended that you go to the beauty counter with no make on.  For me that will never happen so the best advice is to look at the colour on your neck.  This is the nearest match to your face and will allow you to judge if a colour is suitable for you.  The colour which most fades in to you is the best as this will be the most natural. Remember you are only looking at walking away with a sample – I am reminding you of this as the light in most stores is very deceptive and you could end up choosing the wrong foundation

Day versus Night

I always found that going darker for foundation in the night is a much better option as the lights in pubs and clubs can be deceptive and lighter make up ( for me ) can make me look sickly.  So I tend to go for a darker make up when I am going out.  I stick with the same brand for the night, but look at a shade or two darker.  This works best for me.  But again, get yourself a sample to work this out.

Getting Samples

Where do you get them? At your beauty counter is the best place to get make up advice for anything.  Make sure you bring a small sample bottle with you.  If you have a medicine bottle this will work quite well for you.   Alternatively, you can go on to a brand company’s website and email them requesting a sample, or take a look at their facebook page – they may also be offering samples.  Beauty magazines sometimes offer samples – these are good to use also.  So don’t be a snob – use the samples and ask for them if they are not there or offered.

This is the foundation that I have found works best for my skin - Clarins.  It is alittle expensive but shop around between stores and websites and you will find it at the right price to suit you.

I hope that you have found this article helpful - what foundation are you using right now?  Leave a mesage for me in the comments section

S

What are my beauty staples?

I am a self confessed beauty addict.  I will buy and try anything new – but in these times of recession that part of my life has stopped! I can’t afford to buy something new just to try it.  But looking at my cabinet full of lotions and potions do you know what I have discovered – that the majority of items in my cabinet are not the expensive lotion promising to do wonders for me – but they are over the counter supermarket bought items.

 

These are my trusted brands and no matter how much I have spent in the past on beauty bits and pieces these ones remain my go to guys.  

Nivea Daily Essentials facial wash   - this will cost approximately 4 / 5 euro depending on where you buy it but it is important to keep your eyes open as this tends to be on special in supermarkets and other chemists. 

It has a gel like texture which makes taking off make up quite easy and it leaves your skin feeling soft and clean.  It is not so great at taking off eyeliner and mascara and sometimes I end up needing to go back over again separately specifically on my eyes – but hey that’s not the end of the world.  The product doesn’t dry out my skin and leaves it feeling refreshingly clean.    

Nivea Visage Light day Moisturiser.     Price wise – as above, this is cheap and cheerful and watch out for special offers !

Firstly with moisturisers especially when you are going to apply make up afterwards  - don’t put loads on your face.  This is a non greasy moisturiser so just a small little piece will be enough to gently cover your face.  You don’t want to need to leave hours before you put on your make up while it dries do you?

Gently applying your moisturiser in upwards strokes is supposed to be good for your skin as it is moving the blood for your heart up to your face – or something crazy like that.    But needless to say I do it anyway – even if it is alittle cray cray !   

Astral All overMoisturiser

Remember above I said that I use two moisturisers, well this is my second one and my night one.  Baring in mind cost – this is another one which is fantastically priced – for approximately 7 euro I have a moisturiser that does everywhere!

This one is greasy, which is why I only use it as night so as to allow my face time to absorb it in without having to put make up on over it.    You don’t need to take loads of it and blob it on your skin but alittle for your face.  I also use this on my body, at night I take time to moisturise my legs and elbows as these are my spots which tend to dry out more often than not.

Another thing to note with this, I bring this one moisturiser on holidays with me.  I find that it is easier to pack one does all rather than bring mountains of lotions and potions.  Plus I find that the sun can dry out my skin so this one really does cover all bases for me.

 Vaseline 

come on I am not really telling you guys anything that you don’t already know.  How fantastic is this product. 

From moisturising  lips, giving sheen to your eyesbrows and checks and even on my feet in the night time I cannot tell you enough how great this product is.  Again, cheap as chips.

In the night time – before you go to bed – not every night, maybe once a week for Sunday pampering, rub some Vaseline on to your feet and put on some cosy socks and let the Vaseline work in and make your skin feel soft and supple.  Miracle product that works on the same premise as the more expensive Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream.  Why bother with expensive when you can have the same product at a fraction of the cost.

So all these products come in at under ten euro each – why on earth would anyone need an expensive product when these guys do exactly what they say on the tin. 

What products do you use?  Recommend some in the comments section below.

S