Applying Foundation – A Comprehensive Guide
Foundation is a crucial tool in any makeup bag as it offers coverage for imperfections, helps even out skin tone, and provides a smooth surface for other makeup products. However, foundation can also go woefully wrong if not applied properly.
It is also crucial to use a foundation that does not hurt your skin. Often, foundation can cover up unsafe ingredients for your body and actually damage your skin. On the other hand, natural ingredients work together with your skin to improve hydration and radiance.
100% Pure provides the tools and information you need to apply foundation easily, naturally, and without any fuss so that all you’ll see is your natural beauty–not the foundation.
Key Points About Foundation
Traditional foundations often contain ingredients that at first seem beneficial for our skin, when in reality they’re not. Take silicone, for example. Smoothing a slippery, blendable foundation onto your skin feels good and usually gives you a flawless finish; however, this might trick you into thinking the foundation is helping your skin when it’s actually not.
Although it may seem like silicone-based foundation is good for your skin because it feels smooth and hydrated, the benefits are not real. In fact, silicone can be damaging to both your skin and the environment.
The Importance of a Healthy Skin Barrier
On the uppermost layer of your skin, there lives an entire community of microflora that helps protect it, maintain your skin’s pH balance, and keep your skin looking radiant. Some products can cause your skin barrier to become off-balanced, which can result in irritation and blemishes.
Unlike other materials, silicone presents an occlusive barrier on your skin that actually traps in dirt, bacteria, and oil. As a result, you may experience more breakouts. Furthermore, it is not helpful in regulating your skin’s pH balance.
Silicone is Not Water-Soluble
Since silicones are hydrophobic, they don’t dissolve in water. This means that if you use a silicone-based product, it’ll be more difficult to remove and may cause skin irritation from scrubbing too hard.
Silicone is Layer-preventing
Once you use a silicone-based product, it creates a barrier on your skin that traps in any other products applied and prevents anything else from being absorbed. This can interfere with make-up application because usually people like to apply concealer after foundation.
Silicone Pollutes The Environment
Some materials, such as silicone, are bioaccumulative, which means they take a very long time to decompose. Even after you wash your face and the foundation comes off, it can stay in drainage systems or bodies of water for centuries.
At 100% Pure, we have a foundation solution that not only works better than silicone-based formulas, but is also good for your skin and earth-friendly.
Choosing The Right Foundation
The key to nailing your foundation look isn’t only about selecting formulas that won’t damage your skin, but also choosing the right shade.
If you know your skin’s undertone, great! You can use that information to help find colors that will work best for you. Not sure what your undertone is? No problem. Check out our helpful guide to learn more.
Prepping Your Skin Before Applying Foundation
Just as you wouldn’t start cooking without preparing your ingredients first, you shouldn’t apply foundation to your face before prepping your skin. Skincare isn’t only about washing your face- it’s an ongoing process that begins the moment you start using products on your skin.
Primer
Once you’ve cleansed and hydrated your face, you can apply a primer. This will help to set your skincare routine for the day and give your liquid foundation something to grip onto.
- We highly recommend 100% Pure’s Mattifying Primer. Our gel formula quickly absorbs into your skin, and is full of natural ingredients that help maintain your skin barrier and keep it balanced.
For those who prefer a more minimalist approach, our primer is all you need to give your skin a smooth texture and lock in hydration all day.
Tips For Applying Liquid Foundation
Making sure your foundation looks natural, avoiding harsh lines, and knowing how to apply product carefully will help you create a believable makeup look.
This tutorial is for anyone who uses high-quality, blendable liquid foundation– we’ll be using 100% Pure’s Fruit Pigmented Healthy Foundation.
Our medium coverage foundation not only gives you a natural finish, but also won’t clog your pores. It’s long-lasting, too – up to 12 hours! Plus, it’s waterproof and contains ingredients that are good for your skin.
The silicone-free formula contains a natural and potent mixture of plant- based ingredients that has been clinically proven to smooth, firm, and tone the skin while you wear it.
Formulated with 100% Pure’s adaptogenic blend of herbs that help hydrate, nourish, and support the skin barrier, this foundation effectively blurs the lines between skincare and cosmetics while blurring out imperfections.
The easiest way to apply liquid foundation is with your hands or a beauty sponge.
Step 1
Next, take a half pump of the product and place it on the back of your hand. If you are using an alternative foundation, apply a pea-sized amount to your hand instead. It’s vital that you avoid dipping dirty brushes or sponges into the container as this can contaminate your product with bacteria which will then be transferred onto skin.
Step 2
Wet your beauty sponge. Using the tip of your sponge, pick up a small amount of product from the back of your hand.
Step 3
Start blending your foundation by pressing it lightly into the skin in problem areas. For most people, this will include under the eyes, on the cheeks, nose, chin and forehead. Unless you have blemishes or other facial imperfections near your jawline, there’s no need to extend foundation coverage to those areas.
As you blend outward toward the edges of your face from where you applied the product initially, do so until the foundation has naturally faded for a more subtle appearance.
Step 4
Evenly distribute the foundation over your skin until you’re satisfied with the coverage. If you don’t need much, move on to step 6. But if you want or need more, proceed to step 5.
Step 5
The buildable coverage is what determines if a foundation is high or low quality. Being able to adjust the amount of coverage you need makes it more versatile. To use, allow the first layer to dry then add another where necessary with a beauty sponge.
Use the same method of applying foundation to the back of your hand and blending it outward with a sponge. This will help you avoid adding too much foundation under your eyes, which can make coverage look cakey.
Step 6
After you’ve applied foundation to even out your skin tone, use a concealer to cover blemishes, redness, and dark circles. 100% Pure’s Fruit Pigmented® 2nd Skin Concealer is made with hydrating ingredients like coconut oil to help nourish your skin and blend smoothly with other products.
Step 7
After you conceal any blemishes, your face makeup is complete, and then you can move on to bronzing, blush, or highlighter. Setting powder isn’t necessary as today’s liquid foundations have ingredients that make them last longer without coming off easily.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
Don’t worry if your foundation doesn’t look perfect the first time you apply it. It’s normal to need some practice, but these tips will help make it easier to get great coverage.
- Don’t go overboard with your makeup–you can always add more if need be, but it’s difficult to take away too much. Start out by using a small amount of foundation and then build up from there.
- resist the urge to “bake” your makeup with loose or pressed powder; you don’t need it and it might make your makeup look caked on.
Flawless Application
Once you get the hang of it, applying foundation will be a breeze. Do some research to make sure you’re using a foundation without silicone and with ingredients that are good for your skin. Always prep your face with skincare products and primer before beginning makeup application.
100% Pure provides some of the cleanest and greenest skincare available. With ingredients that are eco-friendly and food-grade, our products work in harmony with your skin to hydrate and restore balance & beauty.