To find the best color of foundation for your skin, you absolutely MUST test it on your jaw line. Testing it on the hand, arm, or wrist is NEVER a true match. Eye-balling it through the bottle is doesn't work, either.
I find that the best applicator for liquid foundation is your clean fingers or a foundation brush. Use a sponge only for blending. Sponges have a tendency to soak up foundation instead of smoothing it out on your skin. For thicker foundations, a sponge may be necessary to help spread onto the skin.
Loose powder like
Skin Smoothing Loose Powder is typically best when needing to set your foundation. Check that the color is not too dark for your skin. This will give an unnatural look. A foundation that is too light will look terrible in pictures, but too dark a foundation will look even worse.
If you have oily skin, stick with an oil-free or oil-absorbing make up or powder. Be wary that skin oils can actually change the color of the foundation you are applying. Avoid foundations that are too yellow. They may create an orange cast to the skin.
Apply
loose powder with a velour puff in a "pressing" action for extra coverage and staying power. Press enough powder into your skin, avoiding the immediate eye areas, until you look like a powdered doughnut. Then lightly dust off the excess. When your skin warms up, you will have a natural finish without looking made up.
Choosing a blush color really isn't that hard; it is probably the easiest color to decide upon. It's unfortunate that there are so many unnatural colors on the market. The purpose of blush is to give the skin a healthy glow. I don't know many people who blush brown. Most look better in a color that has some sort of pink to it, although some women look better with a warmer color, Especially those with red tones in their hair. Both
Posietint and
Baked Matte Satin Blush
are beautiful options.
To apply blush start with the apples of your cheeks. Find them by smiling. Start there, and blend backwards straight into the hairline. Blend into the skin so the application does not seem obvious.
If you feel that you are too pale and are afraid of self-tanners, you may want to try a bronzer. These come in loose and pressed powder forms, as well as sticks, gels and mousse. Ulta carries Mousse Bronzer and it looks amazing! Look at yourself in bright light. Where does the light hit you? Your forehead, the tops of your cheekbones, nose, jaw line, etc. This is where the sun would most naturally color the skin. Apply the bronzer sparingly to these areas.
Now that you've been educated on Foundations, Blushes, and Bronzers you are now ready to apply your makeup safely!
"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"
-Suzanna
