One our readers Nellie recently asked me to write about “suitable foundations for skin as we age (mutton/lamb avoidance strategies please)” so today in our #40plusmakeup series I have pulled together my top tips for choosing and wearing foundation to keep you feeling sparkling fresh and not at all muttony.
Skin preparation
I don’t go overboard but I do try and look after my skin at least a little. I figure it’s doing a good job keeping my face from falling off, so a little kindness every now and again doesn’t hurt.
My big ticket investment items are serums. As soon as I get out of the shower I use a few drops of my favourite serum while my skin is damp. I then follow up with a good moisturiser with a decent spf. I use Alpha-H products that I purchase from Absolute Skin online. I use their Vitamin C serum followed by the Vitamin E serum most mornings.
I personally find Alpha-H products second to none in terms of being value for money and actively working on my skin. They have a very handy little routine for Ageing/Mature skin, but if you have sensitive skin be careful as some of their products have glycolic in them which can be too much. Oh and I am not sponsored in any way by Alpha-H but I will tell anyone who listens how great the products are, because I love them.
Before I put on my foundation I will also apply a primer. This is pretty much like a spackfiller for your face, filling up the holes to give you a nice surface to work on. I use Clarins Beauty Flash Balm or Napoloeon Auto Pilot Skin Primer.
Choosing the right Foundation
Choose your foundation carefully. The wrong colour can be very ageing. Too light can make you look ghostly and Mrs Havisham. Too dark and you’ll end up with a nasty high tide mark around the hair and jawline. This is one of my pet hates. JUST BLEND IT IN.
The best way to choose the right colour foundation for your skin tone is to test on your cheek, near the jawline. You can check to see whether you are yellow or pink (blue) based skintone. Have a look at your wrist and if your veins are more green than blue you are yellow based, but if they are more purple/blue you are a pink skintone. Don’t get too caught up with this though. Many people sit in the middle and go both ways. Ultimately testing is going to be a better way of choosing than anything else.
I’ve found yellow based foundations seem to suit the majority of people and generally create a fresher and more youthful look.
Try a few colours at the same time, just draw the colours in stripes and the one that disappears into the skin is the one for you. Make sure you test in really good light, near a window or door if possible. If you are in a department store, it’s good to go with a friend. Get them to stand a metre or so away from you and tell you which colour disappears. Rub off the ones that are clearly no good and keep testing and eliminating until you find the one that works for you.
If you’ve read my makeup stuff you know how much I like a BB and CC cream. Not because of any amazing miracle properties but because they are generally nice and light. Plus they often have spf and moisturisers in them for extra hydration. I do think foundation is very subjective, I have tried a number of foundations over the years, most of them I don’t mind. I think that a lot of a success or failure of a product comes down to how you apply it. But of course there are some shit ones.
I never buy long-lasting or very matte foundations (too drying). I don’t like mineral foundations (not light or moist enough for me) and I don’t like stick or pancake foundations (too heavy). I don’t like feeling like the woman in the iron mask and I think the very matte powdery look can be quite ageing. However if you have oily skin I would say consider your foundation carefully and find one that is oil-free or buy a really good powder compact do you can dust off the shiny glare as it arises.
FROM LEFT: Garnier BB Cream; Revlon Age Defying CC Cream; Maybelline Fit Me Foundation #120; Clinique Super Balanced Makeup (Oil free); Mac Face and Body Foundation; Bobby Brown Skin Foundation SPF 15; Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation; Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation.
Applying your foundation
My top tip with foundation is to never apply in a heavy handed fashion.
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Apply a light coat, check how it looks. If you want more coverage apply again. Build up the colour. Don’t particularly try and ‘cover up’ anything, it usually only makes it stand out more. With your makeup, the aim should be to highlight the fantastic bits and create a nice overall picture. Rather than just being focussed on covering something up.
If you have dark circles, age spots or blemishes you are concerned about, concealer is the best way to deal with these.
I apply my foundation down the cheek and jawline and a little bit down my neck. Just over the edge of the jaw. If you have concerns with your neck or chest, it is totally fine to use foundation all the way down but I would say go very lightly. The neck and chest is notorious for holding foundation in the lines and the last thing you want to do is have craggy lines of makeup around your neck.
When you are happy blend, blend, blend. Go around the edges with a blending sponge or a foundation brush and make sure you remove any evidence of a line. If you are very lined around the eyes or forehead just make sure you blend well. You can end up with foundation building up in the lines and it does make them more obvious.
Applying your concealer
After you have applied your foundation you are going to apply to your concealer if you need it. I have the Napoleon Pro Palette Concealor which I use if I have dark circles. Otherwise I use the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat to highlight and cover up anything unwanted. Generally I’d go for a tone that is one shade lighter than your skin. You are trying to bring a lightness to the area.
For under the eyes, you need to apply in a downward triangle shape and then softly blend with your pinky, I’ve said it before but be gentle with the eye area.
For dark circles a slightly yellowish concealer helps to counteract the dark purplish tone. For blemishes, you can buy a green base which offsets the red. If you are worried about a blemish the same principle as putting on foundation applies. Don’t be heavy handed and build up the colour. Then blend it. Apply a bit extra around the blemish so you have some edges to blend.
From this point on you can apply powder, bronzer etc. I’ll talk more specifically about these in future #40plusmakeup posts but let me know how you go! I hope these tips have been helpful!
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