Start by applying your foundation in single pea-sized amounts to each area of the face you're covering: generally the forehead, nose, chin, and each cheek. To blend your makeup, use gentle dabbing motions and upward strokes that match the natural contours of your face to create the most even look.
Yes, many professional makeup artists and beauty gurus swear by applying liquid foundation with their fingers. This tactile approach provides a skin-like, natural makeup result since you're massaging the makeup onto your skin. Using your fingers works on all skin types and with both cream and liquid foundation.
You Need to Exfoliate
While moisturizing and priming play an important role in the end look of your foundation, Garshick says that exfoliation does, too. “Those who have a build-up of dead skin cells and don't exfoliate regularly may find their foundation appears cakey,” she says.
Make sure your skin is well-prepped with a serum, moisturiser and smoothing primer before you start applying your base. Applying these products before your foundation helps to create a smooth canvas for your makeup to glide onto and prevents makeup from settling into pores and emphasising them.
To “bake your makeup” means to let your concealer sit on your face for 10 to 20 minutes before blending it, so that your own body heat enables the makeup to melt into your skin and cause it to change color and texture.
Liquid foundation is just that: a liquid. Aka it takes a little time to completely dry once you've applied it. This means if you speed through your beauty routine and dust a powder product over it immediately, it's going to heavily absorb into the first spot you applied it and it won't blend out properly.
Fingers are best for a quick and natural application; sponges are good for achieving a flawless finish; and brushes are ideal for full coverage.
Bhatty likes to use moisturizer to make her own bespoke foundation—the moisturizer essentially thins out the foundation formula to get the most natural coverage. "The best way to do this is to add a drop or two of your foundation to your moisturizer," she says.
Kristen: First apply a primer before your foundation. This will help fill in any pores or lines and create a barrier between your skin and the foundation. Then use a makeup brush or sponge to blend the foundation into your skin, rather than rubbing it in.
Cause #1: Using Formulas That Don't Complement Each Other
Finding the right foundation for your skin type may seem like a no brainer, but you also need to find the right primer for your foundation. Just like oil and water don't mix, your primer and foundation won't wear well together if they have conflicting formulas.
Apply Foundation to Minimise Face and Neck Colour Differences. Once you've got that new foundation at home, don't apply it just to the face. Blend your makeup, preferably with a blending sponge, all the way down, over and beneath the jawbone, to the neck. This creates a seamless look.
So, do you use concealer before or after foundation? The proper way to apply the two products is to first smooth on a foundation and then apply your concealer. Foundation will create that even canvas we talked about earlier, and then concealer can be used to spot correct any outstanding areas that need extra coverage.
Foundation separates for two reasons: either the ingredients in the foundation clash with your skin type or your primer and foundation aren't working well together. There are reasons for both these possibilities. Think, for instance, how many makeup removers and first cleanses are made with oils.
Using too much product. According to experts, this is the most common cause of cakey foundation. When you apply too much product you risk overlaying it, making your skin look patchy, textured and opaque.
Apply makeup with your fingertip instead of a brush or sponge; the heat from your hand warms up the product so it glides over peach fuzz. Finally, use a light touch and smooth on makeup in the direction hair is growing to help tamp it down.