Spring is the time to switch up your foundation. Your goal this season is a fresh-looking, lightweight look without compromising on coverage. Editor Trudi Brewer shares the top products and clever hacks to help you reach that flawless finish.
Nail The Shade
First, to find your perfect match. While there's a lot of skin for swatching foundations on your forearm, it's not the same colour as your face. For the ideal shade, look at the undertones in your skin. If it's pink or rosy, you probably have a cool undertone, or if it's golden, you probably have a warm undertone. For shopping online, try to match your colour first at Findation. This great online tool allows you to know your foundation shade and then find your perfect match. When choosing foundation, don't go any lighter or darker than the exact tone of your natural skin; your goal is a 'sheer almost invisible coverage. If you want to brighten a dull complexion, opt for adding glow or self-tan drops to your makeup instead.
Gucci Fluide De Beauté Fini Naturel, $117.
Admittedly, at first, we were enamoured by the pretty packaging, but it's what's inside that counts and this foundation is well on its way to being a cult beauty buy. This formula offers sheer to medium coverage suitable for everyone regardless of gender or skin type. One pump (which means cost per wear. It's worth it) will cover your entire face with this light and silky serum-infused formula that won’t pool into fine lines during the day. Available in 40 shades, with brilliant options for dark skin, in colours that focus on the undertone colour of your complexion to ensure the finish is neither ashy nor orange. Apply using your fingertips to get that second-skin-like finish. Beautiful on the outside and the inside.
Take time to perfect your technique
To get that lightweight, fresh-looking finish, start with concealer where you need extra cover, think under the eyes, around or any dark spots. Then only apply your base makeup to the areas that need it most; finish by blending the two with a round blush brush in swift, circular motions. This technique will keep your makeup sheer, almost like a second skin.
The Ordinary Serum Foundation, $15.
If you like the feel of silky skin serums, then this foundation offers the same sensory feel, but with built-in colour to cover any flaws. Stacked with skin-loving coconut extracts and film-forming polymers that hydrate and ensure the formula glides, it stays put for hours. While the mica colour and pearl pigments ensure your skin looks glowy in any light. Finally with 21 shades for skin colourings that range from very fair pink undertones to very deep neutral.
Opt for a tinted-moisture-making foundation
Blend parts foundation to one part moisturiser into the palm of your hand, and then apply the blend with your fingers. Or use an illuminating primer, first, this not only perfects dull skin and gives that healthy glow, but it also helps reduce the amount of makeup you apply, keeping the finished look sheer and luminous.
MAC Studio Radiance Face and Body Radiant Sheer Foundation, $65.
It's been a favourite with makeup artists and models across the globe for giving a barely-there finish on any skin type, even sensitive. Now, reintroducing their most natural-looking formula, MAC says this foundation, "Promises to reveal – and never conceal – the real you with a sheer, radiant, my-skin-but-better finish." We agree. The formula is ultra-light; it's also waterproof to wear for up to eight hours. To apply, do what you like, fingers a sponge or a brush all work well. There are 30 shades.
Always prep your skin first
To get sheer, dewy coverage, focus on your skin prep. Always apply your foundation to freshly cleansed and adequately moisturised skin for the best results. We are addicted to the glow and illuminating primer with skincare benefits first, then you only need a small amount of your foundation on top. If you want to add more coverage, mix a little of your foundation with a tiny amount of concealer to blend out your base and keep things light.
Jane Iredale Smooth Affair Illuminating Glow, $97.
For a natural cosmetic lover, this new vegan primer will boost radiance fast. The combination of mica (mineral powders that offer a metallic sheen) gives your complexion a pearly lustre, while the moisture magnet hyaluronic acid hydrates. At the same time, shea butter stops the skin from drying out during the day and extends the wear of any foundation you lay over the top.
Use a Brush
Buffing foundation into your skin guarantees an excellent finish without it ever sitting on top of your skin in little lumps. A flat foundation brush will lay the foundation down into the skin without disturbing any product underneath, like primers or moisturisers. For a hint of tint, clean fingers are the speedy and easy way to get a sheer finish – be sure to massage the product in, as you would a moisturiser.
Shiseido Daiya Fude Face Duo, $90.
Based on principles learned in the calligraphy brush mecca of Kumano, in Japan, nothing compares to this double-ended beauty tool. The synthetic fluffy brush is designed for buffing foundation and concealer into the skin seamlessly. While the gel tip is bouncy in texture and mimics the effects of your fingertips; adapting to the contours of the features on your face to offer a sheer or full even coverage. While the synthetic bristles on the brush buff out any lines left on the skin by your foundation application. It’s one of those tools every woman should own.
Lighten the layers
For lightweight foundation coverage, ensure you apply everything in layers. For instance, start with light layers of your go-to serum and moisturiser, then allow that to be fully absorbed, wait at least five minutes. Next, apply it to the middle of your face, moving down your T-zone, around the nose, and onto the chin, these are the areas that may need the most coverage. Finally, to make your foundation, try spritzing the skin with a hydrating mist.
MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ Lavender, $46.
This hydrating skin mist is stacked with vitamins, caffeine, chamomile and lavender to hydrate, soothe irritated skin. But most importantly, it helps with your makeup application. Spritzed on the skin, it sets makeup and can refresh makeup, but it also enables you to achieve lightweight coverage by using this to dampen sponges or brushes.
Stick to the same textures
To get that healthy, dewy glow, you need to be using similar textures in your other products, such as cream or liquid bronzer, blusher and highlighter. This way, everything will work in synergy, and you're less likely to get pilling ((small balls of product begin to roll off your skin). Always shake liquid makeup first, lightweight textures often separate in the bottle, so you want the liquid to complete your flawless finish.
NARS Soft Matte Complete Foundation, $64.
If you want the look of sheer foundation, but struggle with oily skin, this could be your new BFF. This newbie is what the brand calls a “high-performing, full-coverage formula”. it will leave a skin-like finish thanks to an anti-oxidation complex, protects the skin from UV and blue light damage. While the hydramatte balancing complex helps control excess oil flow skincare ingredients such as micro-algae, bio hyaluronic and oil-absorbing and optimal diffusing powders offer up to 16-hours of wear and subtle radiance. Finally, if that hasn’t got your interest it’s transfer- and shine-proof and leaves the skin is a subtle matt finish.
Add a subtle highlight
Wait for a few minutes before you apply a highlighter over the foundation. Then, dust it over the high points of the face. The cheekbones, the peak of the forehead, the tip of your nose and on your cupid's bow too. Those are the best areas to illuminate; that is where the natural sunlight will hit your skin and make those areas pop.
Shiseido Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation, $79.
This is a hybrid water-based foundation that offers skincare benefits with built-in luminous-looking colour. From the citrus peel extract, and wild thyme, to hydrating and firming beech tree extract, and hydrolysed protein, this makeup not only hides flaws it firms and lifts the skin while you wear it. We recommend it for anyone who wants to boost skin radiance with a blend of light-adjusting technology and micro-crystals that work to blur the look of shadows and fine lines, while the pearly lustre wipes out the look of dullness and covers brown spots creating an even-looking complexion. There are 16 shades from Alabaster to Sunstone.
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