6 Ultimate Ways To Apply Foundation Makeup In 2022
How to apply foundation to make it look like a second skin? Well, here is your guide!
What are Parisian makeup artists' top secrets to applying foundation makeup? We bring you all the secrets. All you need to start is by executing everything without any traces. If you want people to say "your skin looks amazing" and not "your foundation looks great," execution is the key. Finding these compliments is half the battle won. Once you have that Houdini-looking skin, ensure everything vanishes into your complexion. It is incredibly crucial. These six top tips on applying foundation makeup come directly from the best Parisian, in-demand makeup artists, who explain ways to achieve that glass-like, elusive second-skin finish.
1. Start by Creating a Glowy Canvas
The first thing is a complete no-brainer. You have heard it everywhere. Ensure your skin is clean, refined, and moisturized. However, people don't really tell you that it is essential to keep your skin supercharged in terms of glow. So, to achieve that glowing canvas, start by putting on a hydrating mask. Follow this step with a facial massage. Not just any facial massage, a lymphatic facial massage will work wonders for your skin.
You need to begin with a hydrating sheet mask that targets your specific skin type. A sheet mask with rose extracts can help you combat oiliness if your skin is oily. A sheet mask with aloe extracts will help combat that extra dryness on your face. And if your face is suffering from a lot of inflammation, go for a sheet mask with tea-tree extracts.
Once you are done with the mask, for at least 15 minutes, massage the leftover moisturizer/serum from the mask gently. Now begin to apply your moisturizer to your skin to boost your facial circulation. It also helps reduce your overall puffiness. Massaging these products gently helps create a natural flush that makes your skin truly awake and glowy.
Moisturizers like the Embryolisse Lait-Creme concentrate, Clinique 72 hours moisture surge, Tatcha the water creme, or the Tata Harper Water-lock moisturizer work wonders for all skin types.
2. Prep Your Face With a Primer
What bothers both amateur and professional makeup artists is the question - to prime or not to prime? It has concerned everyone at some point in their makeup routines, even us!
Some makeup artists usually tend to skip this step entirely because they are opting for a look that relies on as little product as possible. However, priming is essential. Despite the fact your skin is hydrated and moisturized, you need to give yourself the chance to really glow. If applied correctly, primers tend to prolong the life and longevity of your foundation makeup for all-day budge-proof wear.
After hydrating and moisturizing, ensure you are wearing a primer. Opt for a primer with an anti-shine formula if you have a shiny and oily t-zone. It can help target all your hotspots like your hairline, forehead, sides of your nose, and around your mouth. It even offers you a sheer, luminous glow above your cheekbones.
3. Apply a primer with your fingertips, tapping into your skin gently
Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer, Fenty Beauty Pro Filter Instant Retouch Primer, Nyx Shine Killer Primer, and the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Blur Primer are some of the best in the market!
4. Apply your Foundation From the Center and Move Outward
Only apply foundation makeup where it is extremely necessary. You do not have to apply it all over your face. Start with a few small dots around your face, where you actually want it to be targeted. Makeup artists also suggest that one needs to start around the center of their face, and then blend it towards the cheek, out.
Another crucial part of your face makeup is applying specifically to the area around your mouth, prone to yellow undertones as well as shadows. To combat discoloration around your mouth, you can also use a concealer. But hey, we are talking about keeping foundation makeup to a minimum to make it look like a second skin!
To make sure your foundation looks extremely natural, you can skip the bridge of your nose and let your natural skin and freckles and all the imperfections really show through. You can even skip applying foundation around the corners of your nostrils; it is here that the pigment tends to cling tightly to all the dry patches.
Some foundations that offer good but natural coverage are Estée Lauder Futurist Hydra Rescue Moisturizing Foundation SPF 45, Pat McGrath Labs Sublime Perfection Foundation, Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation, NARS Sheer Glow Foundation, and Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Foundation.
5. Buff the foundation! You are not a painter.
No matter what your choice of tool is, you really need to start buffing the foundation makeup into your skin and not paint it all over. Yes, your face is a canvas, but you are really not Monet!
Whether you are using a foundation brush, a stippling brush, your fingers, or a beauty blender, buffing is the key!
If you use a sponge or a beauty blender, bounce it across your skin. The painting will do you no good. Buffing or bouncing will help build better coverage, smoothen your foundation, and avoid all those harsh streaky lines across your face.
A few tools you can use to apply foundation better are - Beautyblender The Original, Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, NYX can't stop won't stop foundation brush, Morphe Deluxe Buffer Brush, and Sonia Kashuk Essential Flat-Top Foundation Brush.
Pro Tip: If you have dry skin, you should stick to beauty blenders and makeup sponges. They do not tug at your skin like stippling brushes and other foundation buffing brushes. This way, the foundation does not cling to your dry patches, and flakes are not visible around your face, making everything look better and natural.
6. Strobe around your high points
Strobe around your face, wherever the sun actually hits! For a better dimension to your face and that natural sheen, blend a strobing cream or highlighter to the high planes of your face that are bound to catch light naturally. The first places you should be doing it are your temples, cheekbones, and Cupid's bow.
Powder foundations are great for people with an oilier skin type, but if not applied correctly or a cheap product is applied, it can look chalky and fake. Rather, you can opt for a strober that comes in a creamy, balm-based texture to make your makeup look dewy and glowy. It almost looks like you are not wearing any product on your skin.
Some of the best strobing creams and liquid highlighters in the market are - Mac strobe cream, Kevyn Aucoin glass glow liquid illuminator, Fenty beauty match stix shimmer skinstick, Westman Atelier lit up highlighter stick, Hourglass vanish flash highlighting stick, benefit high beam liquid highlighter, and Glossier haloscope.
Blot all the way!
Once all these steps are done, soak up all the excess oil from your foundation makeup and other products underneath with blotting paper. Gently blot around your face, lightly tapping on all the target points. Then, apply a featherweight translucent powder to really lock in your foundation and prevent any unwanted sheen.
Use the powder with a brush to apply it extremely lightly across your face. It should get to only the areas you really think get the shiniest towards the end of the day. Your skin should look natural, silky, smooth, and even-toned by the end of all these steps. The only light coming in should come in the right amounts from the dewiness within your skin layers now.
The final step - spritz it all away with a makeup fixer. Keep the spray at least 5-6 inches away from your face, close your eyes, and spray in generous amounts. But, here, what we mean by generous is to not drench your face with a lot of makeup fixer water! It will make your makeup drip. Just spray in moderation. 3-4 pumps should be enough!
Some of the best translucent powders available in the market today are - Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder, Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, Bare Minerals Original Mineral Veil Pressed Setting Powder, Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder, and Hourglass Cosmetics Veil Translucent Setting Powder.
Some of the best makeup fixers available in the market - Queen of Hungary Mist, Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Setting Spray, Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Setting + Refreshing Spray, MAC Fix+ Magic Radiance, Morphe Continuous Setting Mist, Benefit The Porefessional Super Setter Pore-Minimizing Setting Spray, Hourglass Veil Soft Focus Setting Spray, and Nyx Dewy Finish Makeup Setting Spray.
And that is how you really come about executing an unbelievably perfect second-skin! Follow these steps to really guide your makeup as a part of your face and not separate!