foundation

My philosophy with foundation  nine times out of ten is "less is more".....and that is at any age. When you're young, your skin is so beautiful and dewy that you don't want to mask it and not let that beautiful texture come thru. I see girls with so much foundation on that is 3 shades darker than their skin (since when was orange a skin tone??) , and you know underneath it they have the most beautiful skin.  And when you're older you don't want so much on that it gathers in the fine lines and accentuates them , making the skin look dry and cakey. You just want enough that the skin looks even and dewy. I have abit of a trick I like to do on older women - including myself - and that is to put a small blob of  foundation on the apple of each cheek and then one on the chin and one in the middle of the forehead (see pic above. Please excuse the wrong shade on her very pale skin, it was easier to read ) then blend it around and outwards to the edges of the face  and up to the nose - usually with a foundation brush for the smoothest effect - making sure you do around the nose to cover any redness ,  and by the time you have blended it out towards your jawline there is practically nothing there . This gives the illusion of having a full face of foundation because you have evened out the skin tone , but it looks completely natural. Don't forget to put abit on the neck as well and blend up to the jawline so that it fades  out and your coverage on your face matches your neck. You can then put a light setting powder over the top. My favourite one is Mac Prep & Prime, it's a transparent powder that doesn' t build up on the face when you re-touch - it keeps the look natural and even. The only exceptions to applying a heavier foundation for me would be for an evening look where you might want something stronger or to give good coverage if you had problem skin.

When choosing your own foundation you first have to decide what type of skin you have. If it's oily then you would be better going for an oil free or powder foundation. If you skin presents a little dry then you would try something more hydrating. I have found that Shu eumura have a great range of foundations for all skin types that sit really nicely on the skin. Their color range is good too as I find that most foundations are too pink which is not good for all those yellow based people - no matter what the girl at the makeup counter might tell you! They also do one that is quite sheer for light coverage and then a slightly heavier one for more coverage. The Face Architect Illuminating moisture foundation is good for normal - dry skin , while Face Architect Smoothing Fluid foundation is very sheer and natural with a semi matt finish so you could use it if you had normal - oily skin  and Nobara Cream Cover Stick foundation is the new twist on their old classic which gives a heavier coverage (normal - dry).  Their powder foundation gives a nice matt look to  oily skin. These are all foundations I have used for years and they work for me across lots of different skin types. I'm also not afraid to cross - pollenate either and mix them together to get the right color or texture to go on the skin. My other favourite foundation is Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation. This you can put on as light as you want or you can put slightly more on for evening and it leaves the skin quite luminous. My favourite color is Bamboo Beige, I find it blends so well with many skin colors but if you are going to buy this one check the color against the skin on your jawline leading down to your neck first just in case you have a tan... it might be a little light. I've also been known to mix this in with a Shu eumura to get the right color and consistency - sometimes there are no rules!  There is also an oil free range in the Laura Mercier which is good if you have pink based skin and it gives quite a thick coverage so wouldn't recommend it for a natural look unless you added abit of moisturiser to it. Bobby Brown does a great foundation stick in the black metal tube which I love for darker skin. It works really well on Indian or African American skin. You can mix these together to get the right color and the coverage is great. They also do an oil free range but again, for me it is too pink based.

Another little trick to give the skin a dewy look too is to put a tiny bit of moisturiser in your foundation and mix it in before you put it on the skin. This will give a sheer coverage but will still even out the skin tone where needed . Then you have the tinted moisturisers which are always great in the summer when you have abit of a tan and you just want that healthy glow to your skin. 
In a couple of weeks I will start uploading tutorials on different makeup looks and will show you foundation techniques so you can see the products and how I apply it.