Wearing foundation no longer means the dreaded caked-on effect. With the latest new formulas you can fool the world into thinking you have a naturally flawless complexion
THERE WAS once a time when make-up was like a mask, not because it was fashionable, but simply because the textures were so appalling that if you wanted or needed to wear make-up, you were definitely going to look like it was there. And if you only needed to smooth away a few minor imperfections, tough. If you didn’t apply foundation all the way down to your bosom, you were going to have a tidemark that would make the ocean proud.
But with all of the new advances in skin care, we are closer to having a perfect complexion than ever before. So if make-up is offering less and less coverage, what is the point of putting it on in the first place? It=s an obvious question to ask. Let me try to enlighten you.
Why?
Well, the main job of a foundation is still to even out imperfections and give you a smoother looking skin. Despite all the care in the world, some of us still have problematic skin, suffering from high colouring, blotchiness, blemishes or uneven pigmentation.
Foundation can also be quite a valuable part of your skin care routine, offering a range of treatment benefits from hydration to oil control. For instance, if your skin is prone to breakout, Neutrogena Skin Clearing and Almay Skin Stays Clean are both mass market foundations that are medicated to help keep blemishes at bay.
In the luxury market, Clinique Clarifying make-up uses salicylic acid to do the same. For balancing combination skin there is L=Oréal Ideal Balance, Clinique Super Balanced and Lancôme Adaptive.
The other thing that foundation is fantastic for is to give your skin a protective barrier. It’s like a wall between you and the nasty old world, and this is where the newer foundations excel. With advanced anti-oxidant protection and sun screens, you can ensure that your skin is safe from the threat of UV light, pollution, cigarette smoke, and general lifestyle stresses.
The beauty of the new sheer foundations is that while giving you all of this protection and comfort, they are near to naked on the skin. With many of them you can also adjust the amount of coverage you get, so if there are some areas that are slightly less than perfect, an extra dab will even things out very nicely indeed.
So how do they work?
The amazing new development in the foundation category is the creation of light-enhancing pigments and silicones which will give you the look of coverage, without giving you much coverage at all. They are a trick of the light.
The way they work is something like a disco ball — light bounces off in multiple directions at the same time, causing our vision to blur and not really see the slight imperfections in your skin. Mind you, you do need fairly good skin to pull this off, so if you look like a pepperoni pizza you’re not going to be satisfied with the coverage.
If all you suffer from is a slight reddening of the cheeks, uneven pigment or open pores, you are going to love these. They are also ideal for first-time foundation wearers, and for those of you who like an extremely natural make-up being virtually imperceptible on the skin.
The very best of the lot is Chantecaille’s Real Skin. Real Skin is filled with millions of little mirror balls that all reflect one specific colour of light wave. One for red, blue, yellow, etc. It’s physically weightless and invisible to the naked eye, though it still gives you all of the protection that you’re wearing foundation for, with either an SPF 15 or an SPF30 version.
Chanel will also be soon launching a new sheer foundation called Voile Universel which has an SPF15, and is an absolute doddle to apply. Others include Prescriptives Traceless, Clinique Almost Make-up, Dior Diorskin, YSL Teint Parfait, Collection 2000 Sheer Make-up and L=Oréal Air Wear.
Most of these will allow you to adjust them slightly to build coverage on areas that need a bit of extra help, and if push comes to shove and there’s an area that really does need the coverage, you can always resort to a concealer for those bits.
State of the art
Whereas Chantecaille Real Skin helped to pave the way for using these special new diffusers in colour products, you can find them in colourless products and skincare as well. This is great news for both men and women who are not prepared to wear foundations, no matter how beneficial they may be.
Shiseido’s new Make-up Primer can be worn under a foundation, but also alone, and gives the slight smoothing effect of a very light make-up. The same goes for many other primer products like Laura Mercier and Clé de Peau. Yet another development is products like the new XCD Perfector — a completely clear gel that looks like a light foundation when applied.
And once the skin looks smooth and perfected, colour cosmetics can be enhancing instead of heavy: transparent and fresh to create a flush of health and an impression of well-being. You can experiment with all of the stunning new sheer blushers, shadows, and lipsticks — all formulated to gently wash colour onto your face and lift your own natural beauty. After all, isn’t that what make-up is all about?
Tricks of the trade: applying your foundation
I=ll start by letting you in on a big secret. Do you think that all models have a flawless complexion that would be envied by a marble statue? Signs of excess
Let me tell you, I=ve met many models in my time and with the eating habits of most of these girls — a steady diet of fizzy drinks and cigarettes — you need a bucket and trowel to smooth over the signs of excess. Sure, they may be gorgeous, and their bones are in all the right places, but they have the same problems that we mere mortals face. (They also have airbrushing and retouches!)So how do you achieve the perfect skin we all desire? Start with a good skincare routine. Attend to the problem itself, not the symptoms. Choose a foundation that exactly matches your skin. Then you can have extra coverage where you want it, without it showing.
If you want more colour, use a foundation that is the colour you would go with a natural suntan. Save a bit of your summer make-up to check it with.
Always check a foundation along the jawline to be certain you will not be left with a tide-mark.
Look at the colour in natural daylight. This is where most foundations fall down. You can always ask the sales assistant if you can borrow a mirror, and go to the door to check it yourself. Most of us have had the experience of getting home with something that looks totally different to what it did in the shop.
If blending is a problem, apply the foundation while your moisturiser is still a bit wet.
‘Warm’ the foundation between your fingertips and then touch it over the entire skin before blending.
Do not put a blob here, and a blob there and expect to be able to get a smooth finish! You will drag the skin all over the place and still have some areas with more product than others. Remember, skin is elastic — the more you stretch it around, the less it bounces back.
After warming the make-up, and placing over the entire face, go back and blend with broad strokes. Use your whole hand, not just the fingertips, and use the lightest touch you can.
Once the initial coat is done, put a small amount on the heel of your hand, and then go back and increase the coverage where you need it.
Use a small brush, like an old lip brush, to cover marks. That way you paint away imperfections instead of adding a big blob around them.
If you want to use powder, again make sure it does not alter the colour of the foundation.
If you want a semi-matte finish try a brush. For a more matte look, a puff. Some women only want powder in the areas they are prone to shining in. The choice is yours.
As a final touch, you know how make-up always seems to look better after about a half hour or so? Before you wash yo
ur hands to start applying the rest of your make-up, rub your hands together really fast until you start feeling the heat. Then, press your hands to your face to allow the natural oils to start pulling through.
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