Foundation 101: Achieving that Flawless Look

So I decided to talk about foundations as alot of my friends have concerns; and frankly I am tired of seeing the "light face" in pictures. You know the face of the girl whose make-up looks great in person but once the camera flashes she looks like a "Mime Face"; that's what we'll call it "Mime Face." So to avoid Mime Face (Chuckling)  here are A few tips from start to finish!

1. Wash/Exfoliate: Before applying ANY make-up to your face you must have a good skin-care regimen in place. One where you are cleansing the face thoroughly, and removing dead skin cells. You many notice sometimes you put make-up on and it looks ashy or flaky. Putting make-up on dead cells will NOT moisturize or absorb into your skin. How can it... your skin cells are dead! You must remove the dead ones so the new skin cells can appear (and trust me those look better!). Think of it this way...you can do 500 crunches a day to have better abs but if you are not burning the fat i.e. doing Cardio no-one will ever see them. Same thing applies here, REMOVE those yucky dead cells ladies so your moisturizer and foundation can work!  Try this: Fresh Sugar Face Polish or Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel this one provides a deeper exfoliation as it contains Alpha Hydroxy Acid which boosts healthy cell turnover.

2.  Moisturize: Now that you have removed those pesky dead skin cells your moisturizer can perform much better. You want to find something that fits your skin type, and because we have multiple issues at different times of the day, month, season, and year you may use more than one. With so many to choose from it's Hard to narrow them down here are a few I love: IsClinical Moisturizing Complex, Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief, Kate Sommerville Oil Free Moisturizer, and Origins Make a Difference.

3. Applying Liquid Foundation: Let me first start by saying I am all for saving by going to Target (Tar-jay) or Wally World but ladies lets not skimp on foundation PLEASE. Also you need 2-3 colors as we tan in the summer time and lighten in the winter.

Okay off the soap box now: After you let your moisturizer dry, I add a face primer to prep my skin  and smooth it so the foundation will lay properly. As mentioned is a previou blog I love Sephora Brand primer as well as Smashbox and Nars. I sometimes add concealer before my foundation. Especially if I am in the midst of HUGE breakout, I cover and let set before applying my foundation.

I use a foundation brush to apply foundation (like every profession use the right tools get the right results) I used to use my fingers but honestly that is extra bacteria sinking into your pores so no fingers. I used to use a sponge but the cost of products aren't cheap and when you use a sponge I find that most of the product was soaking into the sponge and not going onto my face. So hence the foundation brush! I apply an even coat on my face (remembering less is more), using my concealer brush (because it's small) near the eyes and bridge of nose. Apply also to the jawline neck area. Blending well. Blend. Blend. Blend. Let set.  If you need to touch up unevenness with concealer again by all means do so.

Want a light look?? Only apply foundation where needed. Or try a tinted Moisturizer like Bobbi Brown's with a SPF 15.

Some liquid foundations I have used that get BJG "LOVES IT": Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation, Make-up Forever HD Invisible Coverage, Clinique Perfectly Real Make-Up, Smashbox HD Healthy FX with SPF I like these as they have a wider selection in color blends and they moisturize, but they also don't feel heavy or like they will slide off your face at any moment.

HATES IT: Revlon Color Stay (sorry Hallie) I feel like the liquid is melting off my skin from the second I put it on, Like I should be walking with a pan under my face so I can catch the product. It's oily and no good when it comes to coverage.

4. Translucent Powder: This photo finishes your look, it pulls everything together and helps set your foundation, and reflect light. It also takes away shine and gives you a matte picture and NO "Mime Face". I like to use Make-up Forever HD Micro-finish Powder it really mattifies (is that a word) the skin. I also Love Clinique's blended Face Powder and Brush it sets and finishes your look perfectly.

Now look in the mirror you should have a flawless looking, even-toned, matte face. Take Pictures and load onto the BJG Facebook Fan Page or onto BJG Blog page. We would Love to see your flawless beautiful face!


LOVES IT!!!