Now that the weather has started to cool down, your thoughts may be turning to your make-up and a more autumnal palette. During the warmer summer months, foundation might not be something you use regularly as you tend to have more of a ‘glow’ in the sunshine, so a BB cream with SPF is usually enough. However, when it’s cold and grey outside you may feel as though your skin needs something of a boost and with central heating increasing the chances of breakouts, better coverage is on the cards.
It’s important to make sure that you’re using the correct foundation for your skin type, otherwise the overall effect may not be nearly as polished as you’d hoped for. We thought we’d put together a guide to help you to choose a foundation, whatever your skin type.
Oily Skin
When you struggle with oily skin, liquid foundation can be a disaster, leaving your face feeling shinier than ever. Prep your skin with Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion, which will use microsponges to absorb excess oil and then opt for an oil-free formulation with a matte finish to encourage your face to stay flawless all day.
Dry Skin
Dry skin can look awful with foundation caked over the top, so a little work is needed beforehand. Use a product such as Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant to keep the flakiness from dry skin to a minimum and follow up with Decleor Lift and Firm Day Cream for Dry Skin to nourish and rehydrate the skin. Powder and cream foundations tend to ‘cling’ to dry skin and make the areas look claggy, so a gel-based foundation is probably best as it can give excellent coverage as well as added hydration.
Older Skin
Older skin often lacks hydration and has areas of fine lines and wrinkles, which means that certain foundations will sit unevenly on these areas. Start by preparing the skin with a product which will plump the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, such as Decleor Mandarine Smoothing Serum and use a mousse foundation, which will be lightly whipped and will blend perfectly into ageing skin, without appearing heavy.
Uneven Skin
Uneven skin can be difficult to deal with, as you’ll need a good layer of coverage, but no-one likes to feel as though they’re wearing a mask. That’s why a mineral powder foundation is a good option as you can build coverage in areas of redness to give you a more even skin tone. Use a good-quality Kabuki brush and sweep onto the skin in a circular motion.
Spot-prone Skin
Using make-up on spot or acne-prone skin can be a tricky business; you want maximum coverage for your blemishes but don’t want to exacerbate things by blocking pores and drying out your skin. Although thicker formulations such as pan-stick offer maximum coverage, most of them are packed with ingredients which will ultimately irritate your skin and make breakouts worse. Using a good toner and Dermalogica Breakout Control before using foundation will help, and opting for a liquid formula which offers medium to full coverage will be kinder to your skin.