Makeup for Beginners (Part 2: Choosing The Right Base)

We've talked through the part of preparing the skin (skincare) for makeup in my "Makeup for Beginners (Part I)" blog. And now it's the real deal - MAKEUP! I'm here to share the knowledge of the very basics of makeup for those who are the real beginners. This blog post is to focus on knowing yourself and what basic makeup to start with that will suit you instead of the techniques of applying it. (You'll probably need to know what to get first before knowing how to put it on your face, hope that makes sense to you 😉 LOL) Without further ado, let's begin!

4) Choose the Right Base

The most important makeup item that one should really start with is "FOUNDATION". It's that IT-item that can change your life completely. It acts as a base (or rather our second skin) right after skincare for the following makeup (eg. blusher, bronzer, eyeliner, eyeshadow etc) to sit on and is in charge of how well the latter perform and last. Imagine proper skincare as a building's ground floor (assumed you did it the right way) and now foundation as the first floor, then the following makeup as second floor and above. If the first floor (foundation) is not done properly, the others will eventually collapse as well. Hence, making it the most important step in makeup. But it is never an easy job to get through this part even though I've been learning makeup for years. And why is it so? 😨 Because there are so many types of them and to find the 'love of your life' (a.k.a the right foundation 😉) is never a hands down task. Fret not! We shall go through the task one by one!

A) Choose the FINISHING look that you like (or you should!)

They are many types of finishing a foundation can provide for your skin. It might as well be your own choice or you don't have a choice (eg. ME!) LOL 😢
To my own experience, it's best if you choose according to your skin types.

i) Normal: Choose any as long as it's comfortable on you
ii) Dry/Aging: Dewy finish (a more moist and shiny-looking finish) Often associated with K-beauty
iii) Combination/Oily: Matte/Semi-matte/Satin finish (powdery/non-shiny, non-tacky finish)

[Left: Jun Ji Hyun (Korean actress); Right: Nikkiajoy (Australian Makeup Artist/Youtuber)]  

On Jun Ji Hyun's skin, the foundation shows a DEWY finish. It's as if the skin is packed with water and full of nutrients. That's the look most Asians (natural-looking/skin-like) would go for ever since the beauty trend of Korean Cushions. It's also describe as "chok chok" (in Korean) which means moist-full. Most western brands such as Estee Lauder, Dior, Ysl has also hop on the bandwagon of producing foundation with this types of look. However, in order to provide this sheen on the skin, this type of foundation usually contain oil and might not be suitable for combination/oily (breakout can be of concern, but the biggest concern is the foundation usually don't last long). Hence, this type of foundation goes best with those who needs constant moisture to the skin such as dry and aging skin.

Recommendations of DEWY foundation (High-end and Drugstore Option):

[Left: Lancome Miracle Cushion; Right: Loreal Nude Magique Cushion]

Dewy foundation are best found in cushion compact form especially Korean brands for example, Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion, Hera UV Mist Cushion, IOPE Air Cushion etc which are now easily available in Malaysia through Hermo. One down side of Korean cushions or foundation is that the color selection are often limited & not wide enough to cater for most people but if you're fairly fair, korean brands' cushions are among the best dewy foundations in the market.

On Nikkia Joy's skin, you will probably realize a more heavy-looking, powdery finish which is what MATTE foundation usually portrays to others. Nikkia Joy has oily skin and hence making it very suitable for people like me to take into account of her recommendations. The matte foundations are usually formulated to settle to a dry/powdery finish for the sebum-controlling purposes. These type of foundation are also oil-free which makes it more suitable for those who have oily/acne-prone skin. However, for those who have dry skin, this type of foundation are more likely to settle into fine lines and dry patches/flaky areas.

Some cushion foundations have came up with matte OR semi-matte (non-sticky on touch but visibly glowy good skin kind of finish) finishes which I think is absolutely great! Diorskin Forever Perfect Cushion SPF35 PA+++ is a great example! (I've also did a detailed review on this product)

Recommendation of MATTE foundations (High-end and Drugstore Option)

[Left to Right: Estee Lauder Double Wear; Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation;
Loreal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte; Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Foundation]

TIPS: And skin types do often change with environment and weather (especially seasonal countries). So for those who are living in places which are seasonal, you might need to consider preparing different finishing of foundations catering for the season itself due to probable skin changes.   

B) Choose the COVERAGE that you need

Generally there are 3 types of coverage:
i) Low/ Sheer (often regard as "natural")
ii) Medium
iii) High/ Full

Brands always put up the claim of "low/sheer-to-medium" or "medium-to-full/high" coverage. This literally means you can either build/pile up more foundation to achieve maximal results of either to a medium or full coverage.

This is very personal as different people has different skin conditions and preferences. But there's always a misconception that full coverage foundation tends to look very fake/obvious/mask-like on the face. It is often because of the high amount of foundation used and application method that affect the final outcome. Technologies in the beauty industry has been evolving so much that full coverage foundations are no longer heavy but can be very lightweight on the skin, makes you feel as if nothing is on the skin.

C) Choose the right SHADE that suits you perfectly

Well, this is toughest job ever! I can never say I'm always perfect with foundation shade selection but I'm a foundation hoarder which I can proudly say that I'm well-trained and experienced in it. XD

The general rule I've quickly learnt from experience is to FIRST observe yourself from head to toe especially those sun-exposed area. (face, neck, arms, hands, below-knee-area, ankle) This is because our face is usually slightly fairer compared to our other sun-exposed areas, at least in my case! So when you match the foundation just according to your face, you'll definitely look like you're wearing a mask because your face's color doesn't match the other part of the body and also people will NEVER just look at your face! Some would say that they wanted their face to look slightly brighter which is perfectly fine. But I did honestly say BRIGHTER and FAIRER is two different thing. So, be wise!

SECOND,  learn about your UNDERTONE. This is the KEY to buying the perfect foundation match. Friends often asked me what does undertone really mean. It's simply too complicated to define it without some illustrations and examples. I'll try my best to convey the message in the simplest and most understandable way.
No matter which skin color spectrum you are in, either very fair or very tan, there's always an undertone or a base color to your skin. For easier understanding, there's 3 categories:

i) Cool/Rosy: Bluish, Pink, or Rosy hint
ii) Warm/Golden: Yellow, pasty, peachy or golden hint
iii) Neutral: Neither pink/yellow, but rather skin's natural color (Beige)

[Cool undertone VS Warm undertone]

It's generally the color that come through your skin from underneath the surface which may affect its overall hue. The common wrong perception about undertone =  how light or dark your skin is!

My personal way of determining ones skin undertone is to answer a few questions below:

i) Does your skin tan easily?
    Yes = likely Warm/Neutral
     No = likely Cool
ii) Look at the color of the veins on your hands
    Greenish  = Warm
    Blusih/Deep purple = Cool
    Neither the above = Neutral
iii) Do I look better with silver or gold?
    Gold = Warm
    Silver = Cool
    Both = Neutral

I must admit that the world of foundation has gamed up so much because of this one particular brand, MAC Cosmetics. Their foundation shade selection has been the most specific I would say. They have came up with "Neutral Cool",often known as NC and "Neutral Warm". My all-time cult favourite, Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation shade selections are just as amazing! Another new brand that blew up the makeup industry last month was Fenty Beauty by Rihanna which came out with a total of 40 shades in different undertones. Also, many drugstore brands have also been trying to produce more shades to suit all walks of life.

[An Example of MAC Cosmetics Shade Selection]

THIRDLY, try the foundation over the counter/get a tester, then have it on your face for at least an hour before buying! If the shade is still OK, then proceed with purchasing. This is because foundation color does oxidizes/darken in shade traditionally. Which is why most salesperson would advise us on getting a foundation at least 1 shade lighter than our face. However, with the improvement in technology, foundation these days seldom/hardly oxidize at all. So just be extremely aware!

LASTLY, never trust the lighting in the makeup store or counter! Always leave the store after applying foundation on your face. Try to go to an area with different lighting! For example, SUNLIGHT, Fluorescent (white) light, Orange light. Foundation color may present differently with different lighting. My suggestion is to take SUNLIGHT as the determining color!

💓TAKE HOME MESSAGES💓:
If you're still confuse with the skin undertone, I suggest you head to the makeup brand counter and start off with "I would like to find a foundation with a dewy/matte finish, low/medium/full coverage that matches the color of my face/neck/arms/legs/all the above and what undertone am I?" With the assistance of the salesperson, apply on the whole face. Then, leave the counter and observe throughout the day if the foundation color changes. If everything is fine, you shall happily proceed with the purchase.

I guess that's a wrap for Part 2 of "Makeup for Beginners" series. Now, head over to the nearest drugstore or shopping mall to find that perfect canvas for your skin and I shall move on with Part 3: How To Apply Foundation.

JUST REMEMBER: NO rushing! Everyone is different! Explore MORE!