Best Tips For Flawless Foundation

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Regardless of the occasion, having a lovely smooth and flawless base always feels good whatever other makeup you’re wearing. There are a few steps you can follow to get the basics right and make sure you skin looks fresh and healthy. Here are my Best Tips For Flawless Foundation.

Skincare Prep

One of the first things I think about when I really want to make my foundation look as flawless and skin-like as possible is spending a bit more time on my skincare.

Exfoliate

A little bit of pre-makeup exfoliation is one of my best tips for flawless foundation. Any little dry patches or uneven texture are pretty much impossible to cover even with the best foundation in the world, so spending a bit of time smoothing out the skin always pays off.

For the most instant results, I love a product that offers both a physical and chemical exfoliation. The non-physical exfoliants, like AHAs or fruit enzymes, work to loosen dead skin cells while the physical particles sweep it all away. What a power couple!

For the seasoned exfoliator, I’d recommend Kate Somerville’s ExfoliKate*, and for something a bit more gentle, I love the old classic, Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant*. Both options take a couple of minutes to work and you’ll be left with much smoother skin for makeup to sit on.

For more information on all my favourite exfoliating products, make sure you check out Best Exfoliators for 2023 – all Skin Types & Budgets.

Hydrating Essence or Serum

I find it’s always a good idea to get a nice layer on hydration on to the skin before moisturiser. Foundation will stay put longer when there’s hydration beneath it – dehydrated skin tends to eat foundation!

As essence is a pre-serum or moisturiser step, and the Bioeffect EGF Essence* is instantly plumping and delivers long lasting hydration to the skin.

A more recent discovery, and a more affordable option for serum is the Nip+Fab Hyaluronic Fix Extreme4 Hydration Concentrate*.

These hydrating products will sink in beautifully to freshly exfoliated skin – just seal them in with moisturiser before you begin your makeup.

For a longer list of serum options, check out Best Serums for 2023 – all Skin Types & Budgets.

To Prime or Not To Prime?

I’ll be honest, I don’t always use a primer, but if you find one that suits your skin type and the kind of finish you are looking for, they can be a game changer for flawless foundation.

Dehydrated Skin

Whilst being combination in skin type, my skin can suffer from a bit of dehydration, so I love a hydrating primer and have been getting on really well with MAC’s new Studio Radiance Moisturizing + Illuminating Silky Primer* (review here). I also really like this one because I love a radiant finish.

If you want to avoid too many layers, a hydrating primer like this one could be used instead of a moisturiser.

For a Radiant Finish

If you want to go for major glow with some added skin perfecting action, then I’d recommend another favourite of mine, the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter*. I love the radiance this delivers and it also allows me to use less foundation, minimising the chances of any cakiness.

The bonus of this one is that is also comes in a range of shades. You can see all the swatches here – Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter Review & Swatches.

For oily skin and pore-minimising

If you worry about shine and enlarged pores, then a primer will certainly come in handy for you.

Benefit’s Porefessional* is a bit of a classic when it comes to mattifying and it’s blurring formula fills in pores and creates a smooth long-lasting base for foundation to sit on. It’s also now available in different options for different skin types.

Choosing the right foundation for your undertone

One of my best tips for flawless foundation is getting the shade right, which is why I spend quite a lot of time swatching.

Knowing you skin’s undertone is very helpful when it comes to choosing the right shade of foundation. I tend to be a neutral undertone so generally the shade names have an ‘N’ in them if the brand groups them in cool, warm or neutral.

How to work out your skin’s undertone

• Warm undertones usually have traces of gold and red in their skin
• Cool undertones have hints of pink and blue in their skin
• Neutral undertones have an equal mix of cool and warm tones.

One of the easiest ways to work out which undertone you are is to check the colour of your veins:

• Green veins – warm undertone
• Blue veins – cool undertone
• Mix of both – neutral undertone

The fuller the coverage of the foundation, the more important it is to get a good shade match. Sheerer formulas are much more forgiving.

For reference, and in case you have a similar skin tone to me, here’s a list of some of my reviews of my current matches:

• Shiseido Revitalessence Skin Glow Foundation in shade 250
• NARS Light Reflecting Foundation in Deauville
• Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Care and Glow Foundation shade 115C
• Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation in 4 neutral
• La Mer Radiant Skin Tint in Light 22
• Cle de Peau Radiant Cream Foundation in 020 Light Medium Ochre
• Cle de Peau Radiant Fluid Foundation Natural in 020 Light Medium Ochre
• Guerlain L’Essentiel High Perfection in 02N
• Givenchy Skincaring Foundation in 2-N150
• Tom Ford Traceless Soft Matte Foundation in Buff
• Dior Forever Natural Nude Foundation in 2N

Most of the posts I have listed here will have a range of swatches for you to check out.

Applying Foundation

For a really natural look, I like to apply my foundation to the centre of my face and then blend outwards, so that it fades out seamlessly to the outer parts of my face.

It is always best to start with a small amount of product on the areas that need the most coverage and use light layers. You can always add more, but it’s very hard to take away, and the less foundation you use, the more naturally flawless you will look. Remember you can always use concealer for specific blemishes, redness or darkness, so keep foundation light.

Using 2 Different Brushes

One of my best tips for flawless foundation when I have time, and I want an extremely natural looking finish is to use a clean fluffy buffing brush to polish over the surface after you have already applied and blended your foundation. This ensures everything is blended without causing streaks and removes any excess at the same time.

As a final step, I like to use to warmth of my fingertips to really press and fuse the foundation to my skin. This helps to give the best blend and a really seamless look.

Setting your base

Although I’m not a regular powder user, if I want a really long lasting base, I like to set just in the areas that shine appears. I like to use a very small fluffy brush for this job.

I like By Terry Hyaluronic Pressed Hydra-Powder*. It is invisible on the skin and easy to carry around for top ups. Read the full By Terry Hyaluronic Pressed Hydra-Powder review.

Finally, a setting spray not only helps to extend the wear of your foundation, but it also helps to make it look like its more part of the skin. I love the MAC Fix+ Magic Radiance* for a long lasting glowy finish, and the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray* to really hold everything in place.

I hope you enjoyed my best tips for flawless foundation. Please let me know yours – I love receiving your messages on Instagram or in the comments.