What makes a good Foundation?
What does make a good foundation? Well, as your favourite beauty expert I am going to tell you. Lets have a think..... Ok, in my opinion a good foundation must have an SPF. Why? Because I don't like using SPF in my skincare. It gets in my eyes, I can taste it and I also sometimes like to use my skincare at night, and you shouldn't use SPF when you sleep. A good foundation should be quick and easy to apply. I like to apply my foundation on myself with my fingers then buff it in with a brush. I don't like sponges, I never have, they smell absorbing too much product and are yuck. There should be no need to chicken fillets from your bra or a sponge in a condom like you see on Instagram (Where are these girls mothers? My mother would kill me if I did that, I can hear my mum saying that only naughty girls would put a condom near their face). A good foundation should offer coverage but not mask you, that is unflattering and will show up all the fine lines and imperfections. A good foundation would colour correct so you do not have to deal with adding lavender or green and so on and so on to your makeup routine or the lasted Instagram trend. A good foundation should last, not all day because I have never seen a foundation in my 20 years of being in this industry and frankly imagine what a all day foundation would do to your skin? Now I have been a makeup artist on film sets and let me tell you foundation is often taken off and reapplied after hours of wear. Finally a good foundation should give you a glow.
Here are my favourite foundations that tip all the above boxes and what I do to get the best use out of them.
Those of you that follow me on social media know how much I love Dior. I was lucky enough to have worked for Dior while living in Canada. Dior foundations are fantastic. Dior STAR is a favourite of mine since it came about a couple of years ago. The texture is so light weight that you don’t feel like you are wearing anything yet it give a medium coverage so flaws and imperfections are instantly covered. STAR is a brightening foundation and it actually brightens your skin reducing darkness and redness. Tiny hollow silica beads capture and diffuse the light almost painting the face in a soft veil of light without that hideous ghostly flashback you see commonly in photographs. It has a SPF 30, I apply it on myself with my fingers concentrating on my porey areas like my nose and chin then I buff it with a brush leaving a even coverage. This foundation does need a good powder and if you are oily like me then you will need to reapply some powder after a few hours. Made in France.
Dior reformulated the Forever Foundation and now its FABULOUS. I wear this foundation on days that I mean business. You know the days I am talking about, like a job interview or going out with the girls or running into your ex. The days that you need your skin to look amazing. This foundation is heavier in coverage than STAR and I find it requires less powdering. It has a SPF 30, I apply it like I do STAR with my fingers then a brush. I wear 02 through the winter and 03 in the summer but I do mix the colours together for fall and spring as I find I am in between shade then. Made in France.
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau BB Beauty Booster is magic in a tube! Known as a BB Beauty Booster this is the same as a tinted moisturizer but I would say give a little more coverage so its great if you want something light and easy to apply but still want a foundation sort of coverage. This give a SPF 30. I love this product in the summer time and I love the smell, it smells gorgeous like a European holiday. I apply this invisible skin-fusion BB cream with my fingers concentrating in porey areas like my nose and cheeks. I apply concealer where needed and powder well with Guerlain Meteorites for added glow. I used Lingerie de Peau on my cousin for her wedding day and I have converted many family members and friends into using it and generally if its good enough for a makeup artists friends its a very good product indeed. Guerlain also makes the Linger de Peau in a foundation form which is also very nice and will provide even more coverage with a SPF 20. Both are made in France.
Moving onto the Marc Jacobs Genius Gel foundation that I bought a few weeks ago in my old stomping grounds, Harrods. I was obsessing about this foundation for about a year till I bought it, I have a lot of personal foundation and when I love using them I found it hard to try something new. Anyway, this foundation is oil free and like it says in the title a gel so its very light weight giving a light weight coverage. On days that I appear a little bit more blotchy I top it with another foundation in areas but generally this leaves a radiant finish. The only thing that's missing is SPF which is annoying but I thought that I would mention this for those of you that do not like a SPF in their foundation. I apply this foundation with my fingers then a brush. This is made in France.
What's your favourite foundation? What makes a good foundation to you? Comment below as I would love to know!
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