Pro Tips for Perfect Make-up
Part 1. Perfect Base
Perfect foundation begins with great skin
Whatever your skin type, taking care of your skin ensures that your foundation sits perfectly and looks flawless. Understanding your skin type is the first step. If you are unsure about your skin type, make use of the the assistants in department stores and ask for a free skin care consultation.
Oily skins will require oil-free light formulations and emulsion and gel-like textures, whereas dry skins will require rich, luxuriant textures offering extra nourishment . Combination skins will require something in between.
Ensure that you treat your skin well: skin that looks dry without make-up will look extra dry with make-up and oily skin with a heavy moisturiser will cause your make-up to look greasy.
TOP TIP Whatever your skin type, always remember to exfoliate. Flaky skin never looks good with foundation.
Wear a Primer
Keep your make-up looking flawless all day by wearing a primer suited to your skin type. Oily skins will require a mattifying primer, such as Laura Mercier's Oil free Foundation Primer, to keep your make-up shine free and looking fresh all day.
Conversely, dry skins will benefit from a moisturising primer, such as Laura Mercier's Hydrating Foundation Primer, which will give your skin a beautiful glow and help reduce dry patches.
For normal to combination skin go for a classic primer, to keep your make-up in place without adding extra moisture or stripping away excess oil. Laura Mercier's award winning Original Foundation Primer is a great choice for all.
Choose your Perfect Shade
Choosing the right shade for you is very important; there is nothing worse than an orange face and a white neck!
Choose three shades close to each other in their depth and test them along your jaw-line, inbetween your chin and ear. Blend three lines of foundation down your jawline onto your neck. Whichever shade disappears into your skin and is the least detectable is your perfect shade! You will find that some ranges of foundations do not have a vast variety of shades. If you can't find a shade that works for you, move onto another brand of foundation.
I highly recommend No7's foundation range and their colour match service. A consultant will use a specialist electronic device to discern your foundation shade which will suit you perfectly!
Stay tuned for tips on choosing the perfect foundation formulation for you...
Why not take the guess work out of applying your make-up and hire a make-up artist here.