Foundation Overload

I am going to start this week off by going back to basics: Foundation. I have had many questions arise from my friends lately on how to find the proper foundatoin. I am going to giuve you my number one rule: TRY IT FIRST. Those that are constantly throwing away money on foundations (also known as base) at the places where you cant try them on, know exactly what I mean. There are many skilled foundation-putter-oners out there that can help you choose the right formula and shade just for you; let them help and dont be intimidated. Now for the fun stuff..... I always hear so much "I want a natural look" or "I dont want to look like I am wearing foundation". That translates into needing a sheer coverage makeup. I really like Double Wear Light from Estee Lauder for this look. It is super light and thin, but gives a great coverage and get this: Its 15 hour wear; sweatproof, waterproof and humidty resistant. Sherman himself couldnt take off this makeup. Its also HD certified, so it looks GREAT in pictures; I use it on all my brides. Now we get to those who want a flawless finish, but again dont want to look like they are wearing a ton of makeup. I LOVE the HD line from Sephora. It is super lightweight, provides a flawless finish with a bit more coverage and doesnt look like you are wearing anything. Its great for all skin types. For those with an oilier skin type that have problems keeping shine away and keeping makeup on, you should try yourself a primer. Primers work great whether you want to wear little makeup or want to look like Tammy Faye Baker. I prefer the prep + prime line from MAC. Its silicone based and basically fills in, expands and absorbs all extra oil from your face throughout the day to help keep your makeup intact. Smashbox also has a great priming line called PhotoFinish and have primers for multiple skin types.There is also a super fancy primer from Guerlain (available at Sephora) that has 24 carat gold flecks in it that provides some awesome radiance. Its expensive, but totally worth the look. Now, time for the ones who want to totally cover any and everything. Full-coverage makeup is designed to be exactly that. It is made for people who want to cover any unsightly blemishes, discolorations or scarring on the face. Full-coverage makeup comes in a wide variety of finsihes, from natural to powder to satin. For those who want a powdery finish (usually our oilier-skinned friends) I suggest a full-coverage makeup with a seperate powder to finish the look. I really like using Double Wear from Lauder (surprise surprise). Its a super long wear (15 hours) and allows a powder to be put on top of it with ease. For those who dont require powder, I love Teint Idole Ultra from Lancome. Its again another super long wear makeup and doesnt require a powder to have a finsihed, flawless look. For our drier skins, Absolue makeup (in the jar) from Lancome provides excellent hydration throughout the day and keeps your skin looking very dewy and youthful. Now, for the younger girls who have no problems with breakouts and still want to wear a very full face of makeup, I reccommend Studio Fix from MAC. Its comes in liquid form or powder form. A word of advice: DONT WEAR THEM TOGETHER. Just sayin is all. I also want to touch on tinted moisturizers: They are LAME. If you want a moisturizer, buy a moisturizer. Dont get anything mixed together, as it truly defeats the purpose when the moisturizer is trying to do its job while mixed with makeup pigment. I hope I covered all the basics on foundations. If not, you know how to comment. :) Stay tuned... the next topic is going to be BRUSHES. I cant wait. I have a text message, so I have to go.