Make-up; where to start - Lesson 1 Part 2 (Face)

As promised today we will look at foundation and powders, but before we continue we should clarify the order in which facial make up should be applied - that is:

1. Moisturiser  

2. Base/Primer

3. Foundation

4. Concealer

5. Powder.

My personal make-up regime is fairly light so it tends to be (1) Moisturiser, (2) Concealer (on rare occasions) and (3) Powder.  However, what you choose to use should directly correspond with how much coverage you feel you need and the look you are going for.

...laying the foundation...

Has anyone noticed that this sounds very much like what builders do?  Put the trowels away unless you are going for the drag queen look - and some people do (Christina Aguilera for example).  Anyway, as a starting point foundation is the make-up you put all over your face; primarily to even your whole skin tone out and allow the other (colour based make-up such as eyeshadow) to stay on longer. We think that the best foundations are liquid foundations as cream ones can be too heavy and as it goes all over your whole face it is very important to find out what works for you. Like a coat, your face is the first thing that people see so you should be willing to spend the money on a good foundation which matches your skin tone and would allow your skin to breathe. At Tyger Eyes, our all time favourite is Laura Mercier oil-free foundation.  It is really light and covers beautifully. Also, Lancome's Teint Miracle is great as it creates a bare skin perfection and allows your skin to breathe. Another foundation worth a mention is Giorgio Armani luminous silk foundation - it is oil free and like the title, it feels like silk on your face. We know Clinique is very popular but generally we think it tends to look ashy and really only suits those with blue (yes blue) undertones in their skin - these are (natural) blondes, some people from the Far East and some people from certain East African countries such as the Sudan and Somalia, so it doesn't make our faves list.

Although it is important to get the colour right when choosing a foundation, it is not always possible to get an exact match. So, if you ever need to pick between a slightly lighter or a slightly darker colour - always go for a lighter colour as this is easier to blend and is less likely to give you the look of a 19th century minstrel - race relations have come a long way so this is really not a good look anymore.

...finish with powder.

Powder is great!  It "sets" your make up i.e. helps keep it in place and it also absorbs a lot of the natural oils in the face and your foundation so that your face doesn't look too oily.   Powders come in all shapes and sizes but we prefer loose powders as they are easier to apply and give better coverage.  However, pressed powders are less messy and easier to transport (for later re-application), so it's all about what works for you.

Our favourite powder: we recently stumbled upon an amazing powder by a relatively unknown Australian company - Youngblood High Def Mineral Powder.  It is perfect for setting make-up and helps to create a flawless but light finish. However, if you can't get hold of this powder, Laura Mercier and Nars also make good powders which come in a range of colours

Powder/foundation combos

OK, so I am not fully convinced by powder/foundation combos as they are meant to give the full foundation coverage with a powder finish.  And although they give very good coverage, they can be a little too liquid and don't always give a matt finish.  This means you have to finish with another powder, defeating the point of using a combo.  On the plus side, they are a good starting point for people who don't like to wear make-up very often and don't want to go through the whole make-up process.  Also, they are easier/less messy to apply and easy to transport - so allow for easy re-application.  Our recommendations here would be MAC Studio Fix which can be applied with a good brush like MAC 134 and Chanel's Double Perfection Compact. 

This has been a long long lesson but, before signing off, we just want to address one of the questions we had emailed to us about using cheaper make-up ranges which may have a more diverse range of colours to match skin tone.  This is a dilemma as it is important to find a range that suits your skin but it is more important to make sure that the make-up is good for your skin and allows it to breath i.e. doesn't clog your pores which can encourage spots so in such cases we'd say try before you buy just to know how your skin would react to it and then go for the one you like best.  

We're loving the responses so keep them coming! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter TygerEyes16 or Facebook for more information, tips and prizes!

Much love
Tyger xoxo