Seeing as there is no way I could write this better, I’m going to link to an article by the lovely Jessica Allison, who put exactly how you need to match your foundation: Foundation 101 – Finding your best shade

I’m going to elaborate a bit, but more on the side of undertones.  Foundation is not only -literally- the foundation of our make up creations and kits, it’s something that is increasingly difficult for users to match and understand proper shade determination.

Cool, neutral, warm…. There is such an abundance of options at our disposal, which only raises the question for most: Which one am I supposed to use?

Unfortunately, undertone matching goes much further than yellow and pink undertones: there is blue-pink, olive, beige…. It goes on.  And on, and on, and on.  This fact makes it even more difficult, seeing as we often don’t know our own undertone, and in some individuals, it can be hard to determine.

The easiest way to figure out your undertone is to look at your forearm, and look at your veins.  How blue are they?  The more blue they are, the more cool your skin tone is, the more green they appear, the more warm your skin tone is.  However, the best way to determine undertone is by following Jessica Allison’s tips in order to find the right foundation for you — some foundation formulations are hard to tell whether or not the undertone is warm or cool, and just because it’s labeled a certain way doesn’t necessarily make it so.  (L’Oreal True Match has warm, neutral, and cool shades — however the neutral colors tend to look more warm than neutral, and the warm colors more neutral than warm.  The cool colors tend to be took pink for most skin tones.  Even labels can be deceiving.)

Here is a list of things to keep in mind when choosing a foundation:

• Your undertone.  Most skin tones will look best with warm or neutral shades, as cool-toned foundation often tends to appear too pink, and applying cool-toned foundation to a warm face will make your skin look highly unattractive and sallow.
• Avoid foundations that seem to have an orange-y tint.  When you get into that medium part of the spectrum, there will often be one or two shades of foundations that look orange.  If it looks orange in the bottle, it will have the same appearance on your skin.
• Darker skin tones should avoid foundations that have a high titanium dioxide content.  25 SPF is too much unless it doesn’t use titanium dioxide as the ingredient (there are chemical sunscreens that do not have this effect).  Check the ingredient listing to see how far titanium dioxide is from the end, and as always, try it if you must.  There is a foundation out there for you if one doesn’t work!  Try the darkest you think you would be first, and see where to go from there.  If there is any sort of ashy appearance, the foundation uses too much titanium dioxide, and is going to make you look gray — or similar to a corpse.  Always go for neutral or warm toned foundations for darker skin!
• Make sure to look at your foundation in natural lighting as well as fluorescent.  You want to look good both inside and outside (and not in the typical saying), so you want to make sure it looks good in sunlight — not just in the store.
• Buy your foundation from somewhere that has at least a 30-day return policy on all products — Ulta, Sephora, and most cosmetic counters offer such.  Drugstores, Targets, Wal-Marts, and K-Marts do not often let you return opened product just because it doesn’t match (though they should, seeing as the companies really do not mind).
• Make sure it works for you, don’t always expect the make up artist who is matching you, or the sales associate, to be familiar with your skin when they don’t know you, and it’s not theirs.  If you can get a sample, do so, if you can’t, read the bullet above!

What is your favorite, and least favorite, foundation on the market that you’ve tried?  What did you like about it?  What did you dislike about it?

My answer:

My favorite foundation I’ve used to date is Nixie’s Oil-Free Natural Finish foundation — while it’s rather runny, it offers great coverage, a great color selection, and a natural looking finish that lasts all day long.
My LEAST favorite foundation I’ve used is Bare Escentuals mineral make up.  Thinking about it seriously makes me throw up in my mouth a little!  Not only did I get a nasty rash from the stuff, but it also made me itch horrendously.   I hate how the titanium dioxide is so prevalent in the formulation, that it makes all the darker foundations look ashy on dark skin!  Bismuth oxychloride is my arch nemesis (Read my blog over there to your right for more information).

Now, what about you?

Okay readers, I’m not going to lie, I get so incredibly peeved when cosmetic companies release their foundations with a wide mouth bottle!  I get so incredibly frustrated because it wastes product, and makes it so incredibly easy for the foundation to harbor bacteria.

Even my favorite foundation is made this way.  Many professional products are.  So I decided to do something about it!

I ran to my local Wal-Mart (I live pretty close, but I’m sure a craft store would carry something similar), and went to the travel section.  I found a handy bottle that I poured the bottle of my foundation is!  I hold it upside down, with the lid open, and since the hole is so tiny just a little bit comes out at a time.  Which is exactly what I wanted.  You can always pour out more, but once it’s poured out, you really shouldn’t put it back.

How much was this savior?  97 cents.  And it came in my favorite color — purple!

There are a plethora of things available to you.   I’ll probably be replacing this inexpensive bottle (I’m almost out of foundation), with one of a higher quality — but still extremely affordable.

Check out this site, Specialty Bottle!  I would recommend PN8F, PN4F, or PN2F (bottles of foundation are typically one ounce, so a PN2F would be a good sized bottle).  This is what I plan on ordering soonly   The bottles are natural as well, which makes me like them much more!

Dear mL:

I see so many different tutorials on YouTube and online, and I was wondering what the right order is to apply make up?  Do you do foundation before or after your eye make up?  Do you do concealer before or after foundation?

Thanks!

(Multiple readers)

Dear readers:

I always find it interesting that people think there is one specific rule for when to apply what part of your make up.  Quite frankly, there are no rules to make up.  It’s not like hair color, where different developers give you different outcomes — there are ample possibilites at your fingertips!

Some people like to apply their foundation after their eyeshadow.  The benefits of this would include that you can easily clean up any eyeshadow fall-out without messing up your foundation.  I personally like to put my foundation on after just for that simple fact.  However, some people prefer to put it on before hand because it’s easier for them.  Whatever’s clever.

Here are my personal “rules” that I do recommend following, however, just for ease of application!

• Apply eyeshadow base around your nose prior to applying foundation.  This area rubs off the easiest!  I use Urban Decay’s Primer Potion (the original) very lightly.  It helps keep my foundation on all day!
• Apply blush (rouge) after your foundation, but before face powder.  Sometimes you’ll put on too much blush — it’s natural, it happens.  While we can try to apply it lightly at first and make it darker gradually, sometimes it doesn’t happen.  If we apply the powder first, you’ll just have to apply more powder to lighten it up — which can make your face look ridiculously cakey.  If you apply the blush before powder, however, it will blend and soften the lines of the blush easier!
• Always, always, always apply concealer after foundation.  Why?  Because of two simple reasons.  1. Foundation already gives some coverage, you’ll be using more concealer than necessary if you apply it first!  2.  When you apply foundation after concealer, you’re rubbing off a lot of the concealer, and thus using too much product.
• Lipliner BEFORE lipstick.  Though I think that’s pretty obvious!  It helps keep the lipstick on better and keep it from bleeding.
• Eyeshadow primer before eyeshadow, eyeshadow before eyeliner, eyeliner before mascara.  Otherwise the shadow covers the liner and mascara.  Ew.

Other than that, I don’t see any reason why to do one thing before another.  The wonderful thing about make up is that it’s a form of self-expression, so express yourself freely!  Apply however you want, and however you feel comfortable doing it!

Nothing bothers me more than watching a girl putting on foundation with her fingers (bothers me even more than the sponge, bad sponge!).  There’s, of course, a multitude of reasons.  Where does one even start?

• Fingers carry loads of bacteria.  Look at everything we touch with our hands.  Most diseases are spread from our hands touching something (ew), and then usually touching our faces.  Avoid, avoid, avoid!  Break-outs, anyone?
• When you’re rubbing it in, you’re rubbing most of it off.  PRODUCT WASTE!
• Our fingers contain massive amounts of oil.  Ew.

What about the sponge?  Simple:

• It soaks up most of your product. However, I like sponges for professional use when you don’t have time to clean your brush in between models; they’re disposable and simple (just wet it and ring it out first so you don’t waste so much of your product).

Then of course, you’re going to ask me — but Moolllyyyy, what are the pros to buying a foundation brush?  They are EXPENSIVE!

Yes, but well worth the expense.

• A foundation brush will save you on average 2-3 bottles of foundation a year.  Make sure you always buy synthetic (it doesn’t absorb the foundation into the bristles).  This in and of itself will pay for your brush.
• Each bristle is like a tiny finger, you have tons of teeeeeny little fingers applying the foundation to your face, causing a flawless appearance.
• It’s clean!  I clean my foundation brush after every use with either baby shampoo or generic anti-bacterial soap (it’s more gentle than Dial, I get the Wal-Mart – Equate brand).
• There’s a multitude of types of brushes to choose from (I actually use one by Urban Decay that’s intended for blush, more on that later).

I recommend a soft brush, for the obvious reasons…. The bristles will blend better than one that’s tighter!

There are the typical foundation brushes, skunk brushes, and then of course powder/blush brushes — which are newer to being used for foundation (I like them, it makes me look air brushes).  Each gives a different amount of coverage with different application, how does one choose?

Now, I’m a brush fiend.  Texture and the feel of the bristles means everything to me.  I don’t want to use something that’s stiff and is going to feel like I’m poking my face every morning, it just isn’t worth it to me, and I doubt it would be to you!

Those flat brushes (like our dear friend, the MAC 190) offer more coverage for your face.  Yes, it looks similar to a paint brush, but isn’t that the purpose?  You are painting your face.  Short strokes in all different directions will help to evenly apply foundation all over your face.  This brush is pretty ideal for the areas like underneath your eyes (though they do have mini foundation brushes, commonly called “concealer brushes” available to you ), or on the corners of your nose.  I really like this tool for most liquid foundations (especially if you want more coverage), and cream foundations!

• MAC 190
• Lancome Foundation Brush
• Nixie Foundation Brush
• Smashbox Foundation Brush
• Make Up For Ever Finishing Brush

There’s always a duster or “skunk” brush that you can use as well.  These will give you less coverage, and I like it for super creamy foundations (like MAC Studio Fix Fluid).  I suggest STIPPLING with these brushes.

• MAC 187 brush (really, this is the only skunk brush I like, it has the best control and the bristles aren’t too flimsy).

Oh my goodness, and my favorite!  I love using kabuki brushes, blush brushes, or flat-top kabuki brushes!  These are my all time favorite, I think they blend so much better than anything else and give a nice moderate coverage.  Kim Kardashian’s make up artist uses a flat-top MAC kabuki brush, but I can’t find the sucker anywhere.  Total bummer These are ideal for ANY foundation, liquid or cream (and your cream blushes, too)!

• Urban Decay Blush Brush — this is the brush that I personally use, and I love it.  Love, love, love, love it.  The one on the Sephora website does not resemble the one I own, so I’m not sure if the photo is updated.  Will somebody let me know if Sephora does carry this?
• MAC 109 — if you’ve been on YouTube, everybody has been talking about this guy.  He’s soft, fluffy, and perfectly airbrushes your make up on!
• MAC 182 Buffer — this is the rounded top counterpart to the brush I mentioned above that I cannot find.
• Nixie Kabuki
• Nixie Blush Brush — pretty similar to the MAC 109
• Sonia Kashuk Flat Top Kabuki Brush — easily available (Target stores), I use this for my cream foundation which I put around my nose, and under my eyes.  The top is small so it’s easy to get into those small areas, but would also be good for the whole face!  I also really like it for my cream blush
• Too Faced retractable kabuki brush — SO soft!
• Philosophy Super Natural Air Brush — similar to my Sonia Kashuk

Now, these are just my personal favorite brushes that I’ve actually played with and tried.  What do you use to apply your foundation?