What to look for when buying coverup/ foundation

Hey ladies! 

I'm going to go a bit off topic today and go over what you should look for when trying to find the perfect coverup/ foundation.

I know it can be overwhelming when you go into either a drugstore or a highend makeup store and have no idea where to start. Well you can ask one of the girls working at the store to help you, but sometimes they aren't very good at helping you out. They don't give you any advice on the type of coverup/ foundation you're buying, the shade is off, the consistency sucks, or many other problems. Now I'm not saying they can't help you, this is just my experience when walking into one of the stores. Now here's my personal list of what to look for when choosing a coverup/ foundation.

1. Color- Make sure it is the right shade and tone for your skin color. There are so many different colors out there for foundation. When testing a foundation don't test it on your hand or jaw line. I know this is where everyone says to test it but it is wrong. You want to test the color on your chest. I know what you’re thinking, why would I test the foundation on my chest. Think about it though, your chest doesn’t see the light of day half the year (especially if you live somewhere that doesn’t get a lot of sun) so it’s lighter than your face which gets sun almost every day. Remember, even on cloudy days your skin is getting sunlight so don’t forget that SPF! 
2. Type- Yes there are many different types of coverup/ foundation. Ones with SPF, ones that claim to be anti-aging and ones that are good for acne. Now you should always have either a primer with SPF in it or your foundation with SPF, don’t want to have those wrinkles when you’re older. You want to have glowing beautiful skin! Now there’s liquid foundation, powder foundation, cream foundation, tinted moisturizer, spray foundation, and cake or stick foundation. Now I know that’s an overwhelming amount of foundation and can be confusing when you’re trying to figure out which foundation to choose from. Now it’s all about a personal preference and I don’t really use any foundation but a concealer and powder. I try the more natural approach. Now let’s go more into detail with the different foundation types.   

• Liquid foundation: This is probably the most popular of all the foundation types. It offers either light or heavy coverage depending on its formula and is suitable for dry skin, combination skin and oily skin (only if it says oil-free though!)
• Powder foundation: Is definitely up there when it comes to its popularity with girls. It offers light to medium coverage and is best suited for girls with oily skin. It’s also good when it comes to retouching your makeup on those dance nights with the girls to make sure your makeup ain`t going anywhere.
• Cream foundation: Now I haven’t used this type of foundation yet but it is good for older women and also girls who have an uneven complexion or lots of blemishes they’d like to hide because it offers heavy coverage. Cream foundations work best for people with dry skin but not those with oily skin.
• Tinted moisturizer: Now this is my favorite for those days in the summer where it’s too hot to wear normal foundation because it could melt off. This is more of a moisturizer and doesn’t offer a ton of coverage so if you have lots of blemishes to cover this isn’t for you. There are many different types of tinted moisturizer and each of them has different benefits for your skin. You can use a tinted moisturizer and then apply powder to set it giving you a more matte finish or just leave it how it is and get a more dewy look.
• Spray foundation: Now not everyone uses this type of foundation but it is getting more popular because of the smooth airbrush finish it gives.
• Cake or stick foundation: This type of foundation has more of a heavy coverage and is best suited for media purposes like filming videos and such. It is pretty thick so it could actually be used as a concealer if you wanted to use it that way. It’s not suited for people who have acne prone skin though because it can clog the pores and worsen your skin (and we don`t want that!). 

      3. Foundation for your skin type:     

• Oily/ Combination- The best types of foundation for this skin type are ones that are oil-free (obviously). You also want to find a foundation that won’t clog your pores and cause your skin to look too shiny. There’s a fine line between looking like you spent the weekend at an exotic getaway getting a tan and having a dewy finish and looking like you just spent an hour at the gym running like the wind with a shiny finish. You want to find an even balance between the two.
• Sensitive/ Dry: You want to find a foundation that won’t dry out your skin even more so a foundation that is moisture rich or has a dewy formula is great for this skin type. No one likes having flakes fall off their face cause their skin is so dry.  
• Acne prone: With this skin type it’s a little difficult to find a good foundation but your best bet is to find something that won’t clog your pores. I know Neutrogena offers a line for acne prone skin. This foundation has salicylic acid in it which will help clear up your skin but won’t clog your pores causing you to break out more. 

And there you have it ladies! Those are just a few of my tips on what to look for when choosing a coverup/ foundation. If you want some more tips just let me know and I`ll make another post for you guys! Happy shopping xo!