Application Made Easy!
Jan 19 '01
The Bottom Line Follow the Six Steps to Successful Skin. Apply foundation carefully and neatly for a seamless, flawless face.
Everyone wants a flawless face these days. What's a flawless face? It's a perfectly clear, smooth, silky one. It's free of acne, freckles, and bumps. It's moisturized and healthy. And it's so soft that it always feels like it has dew droplets on it (like in the commercials).
There are, I'd say, six steps to a flawless face. Three are personal care and three are makeup. Here they are:
1) Cleanse. This is a given to most people. Cleansing should be a daily ritual, and it's important to use the right one. But hey, this epinion is not about cleansers, so I'll move on. You're welcome.
2) Tone. Basically this gets all the excess cleanser off your face, and provides double-duty cleansing action to scrape all traces of bacteria from the pores.
3) Moisturize. Nobody likes their face to resemble the Sahara or sandpaper. This step is just as important as the preceding two, even if you have very oily skin.
4) Conceal. This basically means using concealer or cover-up to camouflage all blemishes, freckles, moles, cuts, scabs, et cetera.
5) Apply Foundation. For heaven's sake, this is what the whole epinion is about!
6) And finally-- Powder. You dust your face with translucent loose powder to absorb any extra oil or shine, and to seal your skin makeup in place.
But this whole thing is about Foundation - sorry for the digression. Foundation comes in a zillion shapes and sizes. I'm not going to help you choose a foundation-- there's another section of Epinions that'll assist you with that. I'm talking about how to apply it.
I typically use liquid foundation. I find this easy to apply and easy to control. Plus, it doesn't clog your pores as much as most foundations do.
That's why it's very important to create a barrier between the foundation and your pores. What I usually do is apply an extra layer of moisturizer. The film of moisturizer creates a sort of wall between the foundation and the surface of your skin. Plus, the moisturizer coat gives your foundation something to adhere to, for extra staying power.
Then it's time to apply the actual foundation. This isn't hard, and you can do it with your fingers. But it's even better to use a makeup sponge. A makeup sponge is a small latex wedge that's great for spreading and smoothing liquid makeup. They come in inexpensive packs containing between 3 and 30 sponges, and are available at most pharmacies and beauty supply stores.
Before applying the actual makeup, prepare to do so. First cleanse, tone, moisturize, and conceal. Add another "barrier layer" of moisturizer. Pull your hair back away from your face, and wash your hands to eradicate germs and bacteria.
To apply the foundation, squirt a quarter-sized blob onto the palm of your non-dominant hand (for Righties it's the left, for Lefties it's the right). Take the sponge in your other hand and dip it into the foundation. Gently smear across your chin. Use the other end of the sponge (the big end) to blend the foundation into the skin, until it's invisible. Sprinkle a bit of powder over the area where you applied makeup.
Repeat with the rest of the face, one section at a time, moving upwards from the chin. When you are done, dip a large fluffy brush into loose powder, and dust all over your face. You'll have a beautiful, seamless makeup look that will last the whole day (or evening).
Before going to bed, be sure to wash off all facial makeup COMPLETELY. Sleeping with foundation on your skin can bring forth nasty surprises the next morning. To keep pores open and clear, limit your use of foundation to 5 days a week.
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