5 Tips For a Flawless Foundation

Beautiful skin takes work and in most cases is enhanced by artfully applied foundation. Foundations protect the skin, even out skin tone, and give the skin a more radiant appearance. Many foundations contain pigments that brighten the skin and hide imperfections. Guarantee a flawless finish by following a few simple steps.

1) Select a Foundation That is Suitable for Your Skin Type.

There are cream, full-coverage, medium-coverage, creme-to-powder, and mineral powder foundations. Cream and full-coverage are suited to normal to dry skin and will help to moisturize the skin for up to 6 hours. Medium-coverage suits combination to oily skin and controls oil for at least 8 hours. Creme-to-powder foundation and mineral powder foundation are suitable for all skin types. The majority of foundations are now transfer resistant so they won't fade away midday.

2) Select a Foundation Shade That Enhances Your Skin Tone.

Foundations come with several undertones; pink, yellow, olive, golden orange and warm brown. The best foundation shade, for you, will disappear on your face as you blend it into your skin. Many women can benefit from a yellow based foundation because it will minimize redness from broken capillaries, rosacea and will also minimize dark circles under the eyes. Pink based shades are generally best for fairer skin tones.

Olive undertones are great for women with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern background, golden orange shades seems to work best for Asian skins unless they are very fair and warm brown shades suit most women from African descent. Be sure to change your foundation shade as needed if your skin tone changes from season to season.

3) Prepare the skin.

Cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize well to guarantee a smooth surface for your foundation. Cleansing and exfoliating with a 3-in1 Cleanser gets rid of dry surface cells that can cause foundation to clump. Moisturizing ensures that the foundation will glide smoothly over the skin. Allow your moisturizer to dry before beginning your foundation application.

4) Foundation Application.

Apply liquid or creme foundations by blending a small amount on the pads of your fingertips and then patting the foundation over your face. This ensures a lighter application of color than the older method of putting dots of foundation on the face and then spreading it out. If you need more coverage in certain areas let your foundation dry for a minute or two then apply more in those areas. Some women like to use a sponge for application and this can work well especially around the eyes. I would encourage you to use disposable sponges and throw them out after each application. A used sponge is a breeding ground for bacteria. Blend your foundation well along the jaw line so there is no discernible line where your foundation ends. Finish with a dusting of finely milled, pressed mineral powder in a matching shade to set your makeup.

Apply loose, mineral powder foundation with special application brush. The bristles should be soft, natural hair that let you pick up a precise amount of powder. The shape of the brush should have shorter bristles that are flat across the top. This allows you to easily customize the level of coverage you are able to achieve. Dip your brush into the powder, tap the brush to remove any excess and then the swirl the brush in the lid of the jar to distribute the powder through the bristles. To apply, start in the center of your face and work your way out to the hairline, jaw and across the forehead. For light natural coverage, a thin application should be enough however you can repeat the application if extra coverage is required.

5) Care for Your Skin Daily.

Remember, foundation needs a good complexion as a base. All the makeup in the world will not look good over bad skin because it will look like a cover-up and nothing more. At night be sure to cleanse and moisturize to maintain your skin so that you will always look your best.

Dale Kathryn Grove, an expert on skin care and beauty was formally trained as a fashion designer and has operated her own business for many years. She is also an entrepreneur and social media enthusiast. For more FREE expert advice on how to present a perfect personal image please visit dalegrove.com.
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Using Acne Makeup to Cover Up Breakouts

Acne makeup can leave your skin looking uneven and red. Blemishes can also show up and be unsightly. Even when acne breakouts clear up, they can leave scarring that will take a while to go away. Even if you have a mild breakout, you may wish to cover it up with makeup.

It's quite easy to conceal some forms of mild acne or mild scarring. However, if the scarring is deeper, you may require medical treatment to remove it.

If you decide to try makeup to cover of scarring and/or acne breakouts, stay away from products that clog pores. Use products that say they are "non-comedogenic, " which means that they don't clog pores. If you don't do this, you could choose a product that actually clog pores and can make your acne worse. Most often, products that are comedogenic contain oils, while those that are not are water-based so that they do not contribute to acne breakouts.

If scars are easily concealed and/or temporary, simply using makeup will cover them up well enough until they go away. If they're deeper, you may want to consider consulting a dermatologist and opt for laser treatments that will remove this deeper scarring.

Makeup has been specifically formulated to cover-up acne scars, but you can also use ordinary makeup just as well as long as it is applied properly.

If you have problem skin, use makeup that is not oil-based and non-comedogenic. Many powders and foundations are available that work well on sensitive skin. If you have especially oily skin, you might want to opt for a powder instead of a water-based foundation, since a powder can also help blot oil naturally, thus helping control its appearance on your face.

Many products are specifically geared for sensitive skin, and some even contain medication that can help control acne as you wear it.

This can help you especially if you have to wear makeup a lot more for long periods of time.

As time goes on, you may find that your acne scars lighten by themselves, so that you don't need to cover them up forever. If they don't go away, you can opt for medical treatment to remove them, or continue to wear makeup specifically designed to conceal these types of imperfections.

When you choose a product to cover up acne, choose one that is gentle to your skin. If you try a product and it makes your face irritated, choose something else.

By the same token, when you cover acne scars, use makeup that will blend with your skin so that the cover-up is not even more noticeable than the scars themselves. Apply foundation evenly, so that it looks natural.

If makeup alone does not work very well, try an acne concealer cream underneath first. These are also available over the counter in many different shades. You can use concealer to cover blemishes and reduce the appearance of scars as well. Again, as with makeup, find a product that does not irritate your skin.
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How to Cover Up Acne with Makeup - Choose the Right Color Shades in 3 Easy Steps

Do you know how to select the right color shades to cover up your acne skin? The key to success in covering up acne with concealing cover makeup is in choosing the right color shades that best match your acne skin.

We've put together 3 easy steps you can use to choose the right color shades to successfully conceal and cover up your acne skin:

Step One: Determine your base skin tone shade

The first place to start is to determine what your base skin tone shade is. If you don't already know what your base skin tone shade is, you can use your hands or your jaw as a general guide to test and match the right color shade for your skin. Keep in mind though that your base skin tone shade can vary with the seasons of the year, lighter in winter and darker in summer, and may require that you use different color shades accordingly.

Step Two: Select the First Level Darker Color Shade

Once you have selected your base skin tone shade, the next step is to choose the next level darker color shade from your base skin tone shade. For concealing and covering up acne, the next darker color shade level is used to apply over the acne breakout and blemished skin area. Take a look at the color shades that are available and simply select the next level darker color shade from that list.

Step Three: Select a Second Level Darker Color Shade

Now that you have successfully selected your base skin tone color shade and your first level darker color shade for concealing and covering up your acne breakouts or blemishes, depending on the level of severity of your acne and your need for concealment, your skin may require a second level darker color shade for maximum acne concealing and coverage. Simply refer back to the list of color shades available again and select the second level darker color shade from your base skin tone shade to use for maximum acne concealing coverage.

One last thing to keep in mind when trying to find the right color shades for you is that there are no hard rules saying you cannot mix different color shades together. If you feel that the list of color shades available just do not seem to match right for your skin, you can custom mix different color shades together to better meet and match your skin's own unique color shade and acne concealment needs.

I hope that you've found this information helpful and useful.

Written by Laura K. Halik, author specializing in providing natural solutions for people suffering with skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, psoriasis, or dry skin.

Find out how to cover and conceal acne with makeup: Receive a free 5 step guide with easy to use professional application tips and suggestions by going to: [http://www.naturalconcealingmakeup.com/index.htm]

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