gleam and glitters: HOW TO: AVOID CAKE FACE AND ACHIEVE AN EVEN BASE MAKEUP

Hello everyone! I hope everyone’s doing fine. I wanted to talk about how you can achieve an even base when you do your makeup. First things first, I am not any professional makeup artist. These are the steps I like to do for myself

For reference, I have normal to dry skin. I piled up basic and most important makeup base dos and don’ts which will helps in achieving a flawless base.

CLEANSING YOUR SKIN:

The first and the most basic rule is to cleanse you skin with a gentle cleanser. Use a cleanser according to your skin type. I am currently using a cleanser suggested by my dermatologist. It is a very light weight cleanser and helps removing dead cells from the skin.

Cleanser Episoft

EXFOLIATE YOUR SKIN:

Exfoliating plays a very important role in prepping up the skin. It helps skin breathe. Always exfoliate your face before applying makeup. Exfoliating helps in removing dead cells from the skin. It gets rid of white heads or black heads which pokes through when you apply makeup. Dry up your skin in a patting motion. Never drag the towel on the skin because it will loosen up the skin and will make you look older than what your actual age is. I like to exfoliate with the rice scrub from the brand MYOHO. It has essential lavender oil with helps in keeping the hydrated and rice which helps in tightening the pores.

Myoho Valencia Rice Face Scrub

ALWAYS PREP YOUR SKIN

After exfoliating the skin always apply moisturiser. Use moisturiser according to your skin type. Never skip moisturiser even if you have oily skin. I like to prep my skin with facial oil; the body shop oils of life as it hydrates my skin plus make it luminous at the same time. For moisturiser I like to use Physiogel which is also recommended by my derma, as it is a gel based moisturiser it doesn’t clog the pores. Allow your moisturiser or facial oil to sink in your skin for 5-10 minutes before moving to another step.

L-R Physiogel, The Body Shop oils of life

USE PRIMERS

Primers give a smooth canvas for your skin. Always choose primers according to your skin type. If you have oily skin, opt for a mattifying primer. For dry skin use a hydrating primer. If you have fine lines on your skin (forehead lines or laugh lines around your mouth) use a smoothing primer. If you have combination skin you can use a combination of hydrating+mattifying primers and apply according to your skin needs. Alike moisturiser let your primers also sink in your skin for 5-10 minutes or else it will ball up or can create another layer on the skin which will lead to cake face. I don’t have many primers in my collection as my facial oil does a good job. For the days I want my makeup to stay for 12+ hours I use my makeup revolution ultra face base primer, it is a silicon based primer and I like to use it on my T-Zone.

Makeup Revolution ultra face base primer

CHOOSE FOUNDATION ACCORDING TO SKIN TYPE

There are various types of foundations available in the market with different textures.

A Liquid foundation gives best result on normal to dry skin.

Foundations with mousse or whipped texture looks good on almost all skin types but it is mainly preferred for dry skinned people

Powder foundations works great for oily skin people as it is matte in texture and helps in eliminating excess oil from the skin.

People with sensitive skin can go for mineral foundations which are truly organic and natural.

I like to use liquid foundations for my skin. My HG drugstore foundation is L’oreal Infallible foundation and for high end Mac mineralize moisture foundation.

L-R Mac mineralize moisture foundation, L'oreal Infallible foundation

ALWAYS BUILD UP

Remember “LESS IS ALWAYS MORE”. When you start applying your foundation always start in less quantity. You can always build up the foundation. Work in layers and do not apply two pumps of foundation at once (it will surely give you a cake face).

Always warm up your foundation on the back of your hand. This technique helps the foundation of sink in skin better.

If you are working with a matte foundation always work in parts. Do not apply or dot the foundation all over the face at once. It may become dry and can be hard to blend.

DO NOT dot your foundation under eye area. When you blend your foundation just go with a very thin layer under eye area because we will be applying concealer later. If the under eye has a prominent layer of foundation and concealer it will crease and will end up looking dry.

Always let your foundation to sit for 2-3 minutes before applying powder.

COLOR CORRECTING

If you have issues with dark circles, redness or dull skin color correcting is a god gift to you. But there are a few techniques to color correct. Always blend the corrector in a patting motion. Never drag the product. If you do so it will not be of any use. Never use too much of product at once. Start with a thin layer and build up according to your requirements. When you apply your foundation or concealer over the corrector always use stippling motion to blend. Do no swipe. I like to use the Nyx color correcting palette. It is a multi-purpose palette and has every color you need or color correcting. The texture in this is very soft and creamy and blends very well.

For eliminating dark under eye area use an orange or a red corrector.

For redness or acne scars use a green corrector.

To brighten up you face use a lavender corrector.

NYX Color correcting palette

CONCEALERS

Highlighting is a rage in today’s trend. People like to highlight and contour their face to enhance their features. Concealers are also use to highlight the face. Concealer also helps in eliminating dark under eye areas. According to my preference I always use a concealer with a medium consistency with a matte texture. I like my concealer that way. When you blend in your concealer always let it sit for 2-3 minutes before setting it with powder to avoid creasing.

L-R Maybelline fit me, L.A girl pro conceal natural, Maybelline Instant age rewind, L.A girl pro conceal creamy beige. Maybelline dream lumi conceal

USING THE RIGHT TOOLS TO BLEND

Blending is a key if you want to achieve a flawless look. Always use right tools to blend in your foundation/ concealer. If you do not blend properly, the face will look streaky. For example, if you are aiming for a more natural and light weight look, blend in your foundation with a stippling brush. Newest addition to my brush stash is the oval brushes. It helps to achieve the most natural finish and blends the product quickly.

If you want your foundation to be more full coverage, use a damp beauty blender or a buffing brush.

A damp beauty blender will soak up excess product and help you avoiding a cake face.

L-R Oval brush, Flat foundation brush, Stippling brush, Beauty blender

FACE BAKING

If you are following this popular trend than you know how it goes. Baking is used to make the highlighted parts of your face stand out. Never let the bake sit for more than 5 minutes on your face. If baking is done excessively, the areas baked will end up looking dry. I personally do not use any baking powder. I like to set my concealed areas with yellow setting powder from my contour palette.

Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette

SET YOUR BASE

Always set your face with a face powder. If you want your powder to give you some coverage, go for compact powders. For light coverage you can use loose powders. My favourite product to set my face is Rimmel stay matte long lasting pressed powder.

. For keeping the makeup for long hours I spray my favourite Nyx dewy finish setting spray all over the face. it also helps giving natural glow from within.