The Art of Choosing Foundation Like A Pro

One of the most important cosmetic decisions a person can make involves the selection of the right foundation. 

Foundation serves a variety of purposes including protecting the skin from sun damage, evening out skin tone, minimizing fine lines, and giving your skin a more polished, healthy look. Some foundations even add a subtle hint of color to the face. If you’re confused about all the options available to you, here are some guidelines on how to choose the right foundation:

Consider your undertones

Everyone’s skin has an underlying tint that’s either cool or warm. This information is important for selecting your foundation shade. 

To determine your undertones, look at the skin in an area where you’ve received less sun exposure such as the underside of your wrists. Study the skin tone and the color of the veins. 

If your skin has a golden or reddish cast and the veins appear green in color, you most likely have warm undertones. 

If your skin in this area appears pink or blue and you have blue coloration of your veins, you probably have cool undertones. You’ll want to choose a foundation shade that matches these undertones. 

Know your skin type

If your skin is predominantly oily and you’re prone to outbreaks of acne, you’ll want to purchase a foundation that’s oil free and non-comedogenic. A foundation with added oil can be a disaster when applied to acne prone skin. Likewise, if your skin is dry or more mature, you’ll want a creamier or more moisturizing foundation. Always choose a foundation with sunscreen if you don’t plan on applying a separate sun block formula. 

Consider the time of year

If you are in the middle summer time and you’ll be out in the sun, you may want to choose a slightly darker shade of foundation to avoid a chalky or pasty look. Again, be sure your selection has added sunscreen. You may want to purchase a foundation for use in the summer and a separate one for use in the winter months when your natural skin tends to be paler. 

Consider the amount of coverage you need

If you’re looking for minimal coverage, you may be able to get by with a tinted moisturizer or a very sheer, liquid foundation. Another option are the newer mineral foundations that provide sheer coverage. If you want heavier coverage, you may want to consider a heavier, cream foundation or a foundation stick. You can also enhance the coverage of a foundation by applying concealer to areas that need extra help. 

When choosing a foundation, it’s best to start at the cosmetic counter where you have the freedom to try different colors and formulations. Avoid wearing makeup when you shop for foundation and carry a small hand mirror so you can view different shades in direct light. Don’t rely on the lighting at the cosmetic counter. A foundation may look totally different when you walk out into the light. 

Choosing the right foundation doesn’t have to be an impossible task once you understand your skin type and underlying skin tones. Keep these tips in mind the next time you set out to choose a foundation. 

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Recreate the Look: Kate Middleton’s Natural Beauty

 Who could forget her Royal Wedding day, where she decided to do her own makeup?

It seemed courageous of her to not seek any professional stylist for that special day. However, much like her wedding, Kate Middleton continues to brave and succeed over several Royal events without any professional help. As such, the Duchess of Cambridge has been well considered as a symbol of both elegance and simplicity.

Apparently, you don’t really need to marry a Prince or earn a new Royal title to look as beautiful as Kate Middleton.

Here’s how you can easily get her look:

 Foundation

●     Bobbi Brown Long-Wear EvenFinish Foundation

Kate Middleton is a popular fan of the Bobbi Brown line and its Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation is actually a perfect choice for her. This foundation already has SPF 15 to protect yourself from the harmful ray of the sun. It has medium coverage and a matte finish. If you are always on the go with a busy schedule, you can rely on this foundation to keep you looking fresh all day.

Eyebrows

●     Bobbi Brown Dark Brow Kit

The Duchess of Cambridge always has the perfect eyebrows to frame her face. To achieve the same effect, you can use the Bobbi Brown Dark Brow Kit to fill in your eyebrows and enhance your look. You just have to keep in mind, however, choosing the right shade for your brows to make them look as natural as possible. Make sure the color is not too light and not too dark.

Eye makeup

●     Urban Decay Naked Palette

Apparently, the Duchess of Cambridge is also a fan of this famous palette. Who wouldn’t love it? It has 12 matte and pigmented colors to give your eyes the definition they need while maintaining that sophisticated look.

●     Bobbi Brown Long Wear GelEyeliner

This Gel Eyeliner is long lasting which means that it won’t fade right away. You wouldn’t want smudged eyeliner in the middle of the day, right?

To recreate Kate’s impressive eye makeup, you can use a medium sized brush to pick up some colors from the Naked palette’s Toasted shades. Blend it all over your eyelid, particularly where your socket area is. Pick up your Bobbi Brown Gel Liner and swipe it on both your top and bottom lash lines. You can gently pull the skin around your eye area taut to have an easier eyeliner application. However, you must be very careful in pulling your skin as the area around your eyes is very fragile and sensitive.

 Lips

●     Mac Plushglass ­in Ample Pink

 Finish off your look with a natural lip color. You can choose to simply use a lip gloss or pick out a neutral pink shade. The trick here is to stick with a neutral color as much as possible.

Kate Middleton exudes confidence in her own skin. Perhaps, it’s one of the many reasons why she’s always glowing. Although it’s quite easy to look as glamorous as she is, we also need to have a bit of that same confidence in order to feel as beautiful as how we look. Inner beauty shines, right?

SK-II CC Cream: The Art of Glowing Nude Makeup

Spring time means it’s time to wear those floral print dresses and let your bare face shines. However, we were not all blessed with perfect skin, and wearing heavy foundation is a no-no in the humid weather.

CC cream is the perfect choice during this time of the year.

What’s the difference between BB cream and CC cream?




Although BB cream and CC cream have been in the market for quite some time, many people still ask the question – what’s the difference?

To briefly explain it, BB cream stands for Blemish Balm, it is initially designed to protect and nourish traumatized skin. Later, cosmetic companies improved the formula and turned it into a makeup product. One common problem of BB cream is that the color is too grayish and unnatural, but recent products have improved a lot on this area.

CC cream stands for Color Control Cream, and it is an upgraded version of BB cream. It also boosts nourishing and color-correcting function, while strengthening nourishment benefits such as whitening, moisturizing and anti-allergy. The texture of CC cream is more lightweight and hydrating than BB cream, and has a more natural concealing effect.

SK-II Auractivator CC Cream SPF50+ / PA++++


A CC cream that has drawn much attention recently, this product combines skin-nourishing and makeup benefits in one tube: whitening, moisturizing, brightening, concealing and UV protection. Not only does it conceal blemishes and spots perfectly, it also diffuses light on your face evenly to create a flawless, glowing complexion. This cc cream also has a high UV protection and active whitening ingredients, making it a comprehensive skin-protecting makeup product.

http://www.cosme-de.com/en/product/product_page.html?pdid=10915

5 major benefits:

Brightening: 40% of whitening ingredients from SK-II’s best-selling Cellumination Aura Essence, boosts skin’s inner luminosity. After trying for 4 weeks, skin illuminates with radiance.

Moisturizing: The light, hydrating formulation glides easily onto the skin.

Glowing: Iridescent micro pearl pigments instantly improve skin’s surface glow.

Coverage: The natural tint conceals spots and imperfections for a flawless finish.

Protection: SPF 50+ PA++++ protects skin against future damage from harmful UVA and UVB rays.

With nourishing, beautifying effects and a lightweight texture, SK-II Auractivator CC Cream SPF50+ / PA++++ is your must-have makeup up this spring and summer!

Foundation Tips for Mature and Young Skin

Foundation is one of the most complex beauty products because of the wide variety of formulas, textures, and ways to apply it. However, there are easy ways to achieve that fresh, glowy finish no matter what your age is. Follow these 6 simple tips to apply a perfect foundation. 

1. Prep Your Skin

The first rule to applying foundation is to make sure that your skin is well-hydrated. It helps foundation to glide on more smoothly. For mature skin, slathering moisturizer on beforehand will instantly plump up your skin and make fine lines less visible. Primer is a skippable step unless you have to minimize pores and correct redness, or your makeup has to last through the day.

2. Choose the Right Foundation

Acne is a common skin complaint for young people, but that doesn’t mean they cannot use foundation. Choose a product with labels such as "non-oily,” “hypoallergenic” and “noncomedogenic”, which does not irritate the skin and improves complexion at the same time. If you do not have acne problems, choose a foundation that caters for the needs of your skin, such as a hydrating or oil-controlling formula.

Nowadays, many foundations are formulated with anti-aging and face-lifting benefits, which are ideal for mature women. An important tip for choosing foundation is to pick according to seasons. In winter, you may need a cream foundation which is more moisturizing. In summer, skin tends to become oily and a light foundation or even a tinted moisturizer will do.

3. Find Your Shade

To find the perfect shade, test foundation on your jawline and check it in the daylight. If the color is correct, it should disappear without blending. You can ask a beauty adviser at a store to help you pick the perfect color.

4. Apply It the Right Way

The best way to apply foundation is to blend thin layers into the skin. Take a dab of foundation and apply on the centre of the face, round the nose, mouth areas, chin and centre of the forehead, then blend it outward until it becomes thinner, which helps achieve a much more natural finish.

You may use fingers, a brush or a sponge to apply foundation, depending on the format of the foundation and coverage you want. For thinner foundations and a little coverage, use your fingers. For compact foundation, a sponge is preferred. To get an airbrushed look, use a brush or the Beautyblender Cosmetic Sponge, a cult favorite among the makeup pros.

5. Conceal after Foundation

Applying concealer after foundation can prevent using more concealer than you need. Choose a color that is one shade lighter than your skin, as too light will give a fake look. Use a small, pointy brush to cover the darkest part of under-eye circles, usually below the inner eye corners. Dab on a bit of concealer on other skin flaws or blemishes that aren’t covered by the foundation as well. 

6. Finish off with Loose Powder

Use a translucent or light-reflecting loose powder which helps give a luminous touch and control shine. Pour some powder on the lid of the container and dip it with a powder blush. Tap the brush over the lid to remove any excess. Gently dust your face with the powder, starting from the forehead, down to the cheekbones, bridge of your nose, and the chin. 

Choosing the right foundation and applying it the right way are keys to getting that fresh, youthful glow. Do you have any secret tips in creating a flawless look? Let us know in the comments!

Brand new make-up "bag"

Ok, I love it when designers put creativity in product designs. And I can’t stop myself from writing about this innovative new product. So, now, everyone, take a wild guess, what’s this thing in the picture? Kitchen tool? Key ring? Speakers? No! No! And NO! Alright, for those who didn’t cheat and scroll down to look for the answer, this is a make-up bag, um, ok, I know, it’s not a bag. It’s a white chunk of layers, but it indeed performs the function of a make-up bag. So how does it work? Look at this picture:

Is this clearer now? Oh…still not quite, right? Ok, how about this one?

Yes, it’s a stackable make-up palettes! How genius! Launched by former Lanôme artistic director Fred Farrugia. This neat new product range aims to de-clutter consumers make-up bag, making it easy to find what you need, including eyeshadows, lips colours, blush, and foundation.

The individual palettes are designed by Ora-Ïto, they can be clipped and stacked together to make a compact and complete make-up set in one.

Moreover, applying them are like finger-painting, you don’t even need a mirror. You can choose from 104 stackable palettes of colors. For those who aren’t accustomed to finger-painting, the range also includes a make-up tools set to suit your needs:

My new BB cream

Here it is, my new BB cream! Etude BB Magic Cream SPF 30 PA++

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Etude is a Korean brand, like I said before, BB (Blemish Balm) cream is originated from Germany, popularized by the celebrities and ladies in Korea. The reason I prefer this to Missha is 1. the design of the bottle, 2. the texture.

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As you can see from the left and centre photo, the bottle is slimmer than the Missha one, and it's easier to squeeze the cream out with the compress bottle mouth. And when squeezed out, it's like the right photo. The texture is watery, yet still perform the even colour tone function. Below is the demonstrating photo I took.

You can see that my face is brightened and colour so even. It might not be as good as other thicker texture BB cream in covering the spots, but it's good enough for me, i prefer watery.

The trick in using BB cream is to wait for about 5 minutes before applying anything else on top, like eye shadow, blush...etc. And it's ok to also apply BB cream around your eyes. It wouldn't hurt the delicate skin around it (but do apply eye cream beforehand though). The reason for waiting 5 mins is that BB cream normally takes a while to get into the skin, and then when the skin absorbs it, it will start the tone-evening and other functions it possesses. You can see in the photo very obivious that my forehead colour difference is gone and became brightened.
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BB cream normally doesn't have different colour or just 2 or 3 colour tones, this is because it simply just adapts to your skin colour after a while, so it doesn't really matter what its colour shade is.
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My daily routine for a light and natural make-up is:
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1. Dermalogica day bright SPF 15
2. Dermalogica total eye care SPF 15
3. Etude BB Magic Cream SPF 30/PA++
4. Blush
5. Eyeliner
6. Eyeshadow
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That's it, I don't need to use concealer or powder, and a simple and natural make-up is done and I am ready for work!
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It's takes only about 10 mins or less for me to get the make-up done. Hassle-free! Go get your own BB cream now!
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Foundation advice needed

Hi all, how's your Mother's Day, I had a great dinner with my family and relatives, a whole bunch of people, it was such a lovely evening!
I have been hunting for a good foundation recently: Bobbi Brown, Armani or IPSA? I really don't know which to choose, a friend said IPSA's is very thin and light, almost too thin to cover your imperfections; and another friend said Armani is thin and better, oh my god! Which one should I choose?

Could anyone give me some advice?