Depending on the foundation I use and my memory, I usually start out with a mattifying primer to keep any shininess at bay. If it’s something that I know doesn’t make me oily, I will sometimes skip this depending on time. My current favorite is the BECCA Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector. It helps with oiliness, blurring pores and prolonging wear so it’s a win-win if you tend toward the oiliness. I just use my fingers and apply a tiny dot to the spots that are most prone to oil – forehead, cheeks and chin. Pat with the fingers and on to the next step!
I now go in with a green concealer. Yes, green. I don’t really care which one, but lately I have been reaching for the Physician’s Formula Conceal Rx in Green. I only dot this on particularly red patches – active pimples or temporary acne scarring typically. I blend it in a tiny bit, but obviously it’s not going to completely disappear. This is a step that most people can skip, but I find it just makes future concealing an easier task. I definitely recommend giving this a try if you have trouble covering redness.
Next I put on an eye primer. I’ve been switching between the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and the NYX Proof It! Eye Primer. I do it at this point because the primer helps prevent concealer or foundation that may come near my eyes from creasing. Plus my eyes are now ready for eye shadow should I decide to add any later.
Now we’re finally to foundation! It’s sounds like such a long process, but it’s really not so bad. I just started using the Too Faced Born This Way Foundation and I’ve really enjoyed it! I get the proper amount of foundation that I need – err on the side of too little because it’s easier to add more than take away! I typically put it all onto my fingertips and just press them to my face so there’s a decent amount of coverage everywhere. Does that make sense? Then it’s time to blend it out. I usually just use my fingers for the initial blend and then go over my entire face with a brush to ensure it’s well blended and not sitting on top of my skin. Lately I’ve been grabbing the IT Cosmetics Velvet Luxe #302 LBD Foundation Brush or the Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush. The IT brush is soooo soft and beautiful! Highly recommend it! J Both work similarly, but I think the Urban Decay brush disturbs the foundation a bit more, reducing the coverage a bit. I find this to be the quickest way to make foundation look it’s best and it works for me, so that’s my process!
Moving along, we have to do a bit more color correction under the eyes. I’ve been using the Pixi Correction Concentrate in Brightening Peach for this. I’m not married to the product, but it does work well. I just haven’t tried many others. This is another step that would depend on how dark the under eye circles are each day, but I tend to do it regardless because it also makes concealing later an easier task.
We’re still not finished with the face! These next two steps are sometimes reversed, but I usually go in with some concealer for anything left on my face at this point. I do my undereyes after my eye makeup lately so I’m not going to discuss it here, but for the face I have been reaching for the Bare Minerals Multi-Tasking Concealer in Bisque. I like that it’s a powder so I feel like I’m setting the products underneath plus it has fantastic staying powder. I’ve been applying it with a Sigma P82 Precision Round Brush and the combo is great for quick and easy cover-ups. I don’t tend to get too picky about how flawless my face looks. It never will be anyway, but it’s nice to disguise the redness further without looking cakey or overdone.
Now I go in with a light layer of translucent powder to set everything. Sometimes I find that blush or contouring can disturb the foundation a bit, so I like adding this step here to help prevent that. I don’t find that it causes issues if I’m using a cream or liquid blush either – in fact it helps all the more because it prevents moving the foundation. I have been using the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Loose Powder on a fluffy brush (currently the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Wand Ball Powder Brush) for this and it does the job. Really any powder works. At this point I feel like my face has a good foundation for anything else I want to apply, but I feel a bit alien-like without a couple more steps!
I look strange without doing something to my brows. I don’t really care what I grab for this step, but I always use something to fill in my super sparse arches. I find the quickest is usually a pencil, but I kind of like the control of a pomade these days. I’ve been enjoying both Milani’s new Stay Put Brow Color and the IT Cosmetics Build-a-Brow. I use them both on an angled brush – the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe #12 Build-a-Brow Brush is quite useful. I just deepen the actual areas that have hair with light strokes, brush over with the spoolie and consider it done.
Now I add some definition back to my eyes. I start with my trusty eyelash curler. I gravitate towards the Kevyn Aucoin Lash Curler these days and I repeatedly squeeze the curler while kind of bending my lashes at a 90-degree angle for about 20-30 seconds. It really helps the curl to last longer. Looks terrifying, but it opens the eyes and makes such a dramatic difference even if you don’t add mascara.
The last step in this long ass process is similar. I tightline my upper lash line. That is to say I run a black eye liner in that little space underneath my eyelashes. You don’t see the actual liner, but your lashes look thicker and your eyes are suddenly more defined. Part of the reason I do this is also to disguise a slightly protruding mole on my lashline. Drives me crazy, but I can kind of make it disappear with this trick. Many, many, many black liners will transfer to your lower waterline after doing this as well, but I don’t really mind if that happens. It adds a bit more punch to your eyes as a whole. The best liner that I have found to avoid any transfer is again from IT Cosmetics and it’s their No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner, though I also love the Ardency Inn Modster Smooth Ride Supercharged Eyeliner because it is so black, ultra creamy and has minimal transfer. If I had to choose between the two, I’m not sure I could!
It is now, finally, that I am at a point where I can concentrate on adding other products to my face if I want, or I can just add a bit of lip color, a quick dusting of blush, and some mascara should I want when I run out the door. I usually stop here and eat breakfast, then go back to my eyes if I have time. I realize that’s a lot of steps and, as I said, it’s definitely not a quick 5 minute face. I can do this in maybe 10-15 minutes. It’s basically the building blocks to a full face of makeup if I choose, but it is polished enough that I can basically consider myself done and ready for a day of anything should I need or want to stop here…and I often do! Basically, this is what I feel I need to do on a day where I use a typical foundation. On rushed days or casual days, I will grab a tinted moisturizer and let more of my beautiful flaws (that’s not sarcasm!) show. I also feel less ghost-like without brows and blush should there not be time for typical foundation. I hope this was at least interesting, if not informative, to some of you and I hope to see you back soon!!! J