All hail foundation! “The” makeup staple the majority of us can’t live without, and the one product that has the ability to cover redness, hide imperfections and smooth out skin texture, making way for a truly flawless complexion, even when we are having a “bad skin” day! But are we applying our foundation correctly? Are we using the right one for our skin type? After all applying foundation incorrectly or simply opting for the wrong base for our particular needs can be detrimental and actually add years to our skin! Well fear not! WE are here to help! Read on for the top 7 foundation mistakes you could be making and how to avoid them!
Hydrated skin is key to creating the perfect smooth surface for your foundation. If your skin is dehydrated it can have an adverse effect on your foundation’s appearance and make skin appear dull, dry and flaky too!
Solution;
Both your morning and evening skincare routine, no matter how busy you are, should include a good nourishing serum and anti-ageing moisturiser. Try products formulated with marine collagen and hyaluronic acid, two anti-ageing wonder ingredients. Just be sure not to overload your skin with product or overstimulate the sebum glands as producing excess oil can cause foundation to slide off your skin revealing what might be a less than desired complexion.
Try; Two BC best-sellers - Pevonia Hyalouric Acid Hydra Serum and Pevonia Age Correction Marine Collagen Cream.
There is this pretence that as we age, we should opt for thicker foundation to cover our imperfections but actually when you use a full-coverage foundation or are too heavy-handed with your application, the makeup settles into the wrinkles, pronouncing them even more!
Solution;
Remember quality over quantity! Steer clear of the thick, full coverage foundation, instead opt for light, sheer bases that can be buildable, this way you can focus on areas that need that extra coverage.
Try; ELES Cosmetics best-seller and multi-tasking wonder cream ELES Age Defying BB Cream 30. It literally primes, tints, nourishes, evens out skin tone, and helps to strengthen and protect skin on contact, Genius!
Face powder, when used correctly and frugally can be a fantastic makeup staple, however, no matter your skin type, too much face powder can actually age you. That’s right, it can, not only magnify fine lines and wrinkles instead of helping to conceal them, but also accentuate pores, flatten the complexion, as well as dull and clog your skin!
Solution;
If you can’t give up the powder (I hear you!) try switching to a breathable, sheer translucent powder or better still a mineral-based one and use it sparingly and carefully – on your t-zone, or for quick touch-up’s.
Try; ELES’s Mineral Powder Foundation. I’ve been obsessed with this product for years!
The key to natural-looking makeup lies in mastering the art of blending. Foundation that isn’t blended well can look heavy and imperfect.
Solution;
Get yourself armed with a few good brushes and a Beauty Blender, these tools will stand you in good stead and the beauty blender will enable you to reach every contour of your face. It is meant to be used damp, allowing for a flawless application and ensuring that foundation never looks heavy!
Try; ELES Pro-Blender Sponge
Yes, many do this but are they walking away with the correct shade for their complexion? No one wants a foundation to be too light so they look ghostly, or too dark so they look like they’ve spent too long in the sun!
Solution;
The back of your hands tends to be darker than the skin on your face so it’s best to trial a few shades on both your jawline and neck. Just remember though your face tends to get much more sun exposure than your neck so you really want to find a foundation shade that matches both areas when blended into the skin.
Many foundations come in warm AND cool tones and choosing the wrong one for your skin can be detrimental.
Solution;
Opt for warmer tones as you get older that help counteract complexion pinkness that comes with thinning of the skin and exposure of fine capillaries. Warmer tones also conceal shadows better which means you need less concealer. Or give a CC Cream a go. Also known as colour correctors, they serve multiple purposes including disguising sallowness and imperfections such as dark spots and redness common with skin ageing.
Try; The ELES Luminous CC Cream SPF 20. It’s a lightweight, oil-free, colour correcting cream with broad spectrum protection and demi-matte finish. And while it’s technically not a foundation, the full coverage pigments adapt to individual skin tones “cancelling” redness—be it from rosacea, pimples, irritation, you name it, while skin nourishing and brightening ingredients help even tone, diminish imperfections and maintain a healthy, youthful complexion.
From mineral to traditional formulations, matte foundation to tinted moisturiser, oil-free to liquid, powder to stick and more, there are so many foundation formulations on the market so it can be tricky to know which is the right one for you! But knowing is key to creating the perfect base!
Solution;
Check out one of our latest blogs. It gives you the lowdown on each foundation type and which one will be best for your skin type and concern.
Mistake No. 1: Not moisturising before applying your foundation
Hydrated skin is key to creating the perfect smooth surface for your foundation. If your skin is dehydrated it can have an adverse effect on your foundation’s appearance and make skin appear dull, dry and flaky too!
Solution;
Both your morning and evening skincare routine, no matter how busy you are, should include a good nourishing serum and anti-ageing moisturiser. Try products formulated with marine collagen and hyaluronic acid, two anti-ageing wonder ingredients. Just be sure not to overload your skin with product or overstimulate the sebum glands as producing excess oil can cause foundation to slide off your skin revealing what might be a less than desired complexion.
Try; Two BC best-sellers - Pevonia Hyalouric Acid Hydra Serum and Pevonia Age Correction Marine Collagen Cream.
Mistake No. 2: Using thick foundation formulations
There is this pretence that as we age, we should opt for thicker foundation to cover our imperfections but actually when you use a full-coverage foundation or are too heavy-handed with your application, the makeup settles into the wrinkles, pronouncing them even more!
Solution;
Remember quality over quantity! Steer clear of the thick, full coverage foundation, instead opt for light, sheer bases that can be buildable, this way you can focus on areas that need that extra coverage.
Try; ELES Cosmetics best-seller and multi-tasking wonder cream ELES Age Defying BB Cream 30. It literally primes, tints, nourishes, evens out skin tone, and helps to strengthen and protect skin on contact, Genius!
Mistake No. 3: Overloading on powder foundation
Face powder, when used correctly and frugally can be a fantastic makeup staple, however, no matter your skin type, too much face powder can actually age you. That’s right, it can, not only magnify fine lines and wrinkles instead of helping to conceal them, but also accentuate pores, flatten the complexion, as well as dull and clog your skin!
Solution;
If you can’t give up the powder (I hear you!) try switching to a breathable, sheer translucent powder or better still a mineral-based one and use it sparingly and carefully – on your t-zone, or for quick touch-up’s.
Try; ELES’s Mineral Powder Foundation. I’ve been obsessed with this product for years!
Mistake No. 4: Applying your foundation with the wrong tools
The key to natural-looking makeup lies in mastering the art of blending. Foundation that isn’t blended well can look heavy and imperfect.
Solution;
Get yourself armed with a few good brushes and a Beauty Blender, these tools will stand you in good stead and the beauty blender will enable you to reach every contour of your face. It is meant to be used damp, allowing for a flawless application and ensuring that foundation never looks heavy!
Try; ELES Pro-Blender Sponge
Mistake No. 5: Testing foundation shades on the back of your hand
Yes, many do this but are they walking away with the correct shade for their complexion? No one wants a foundation to be too light so they look ghostly, or too dark so they look like they’ve spent too long in the sun!
Solution;
The back of your hands tends to be darker than the skin on your face so it’s best to trial a few shades on both your jawline and neck. Just remember though your face tends to get much more sun exposure than your neck so you really want to find a foundation shade that matches both areas when blended into the skin.
Mistake No. 6: Selecting a cool skin base that is wrong for your skin tone
Many foundations come in warm AND cool tones and choosing the wrong one for your skin can be detrimental.
Solution;
Opt for warmer tones as you get older that help counteract complexion pinkness that comes with thinning of the skin and exposure of fine capillaries. Warmer tones also conceal shadows better which means you need less concealer. Or give a CC Cream a go. Also known as colour correctors, they serve multiple purposes including disguising sallowness and imperfections such as dark spots and redness common with skin ageing.
Try; The ELES Luminous CC Cream SPF 20. It’s a lightweight, oil-free, colour correcting cream with broad spectrum protection and demi-matte finish. And while it’s technically not a foundation, the full coverage pigments adapt to individual skin tones “cancelling” redness—be it from rosacea, pimples, irritation, you name it, while skin nourishing and brightening ingredients help even tone, diminish imperfections and maintain a healthy, youthful complexion.
Mistake No. 7: You’re using the wrong foundation formula for your skin type
From mineral to traditional formulations, matte foundation to tinted moisturiser, oil-free to liquid, powder to stick and more, there are so many foundation formulations on the market so it can be tricky to know which is the right one for you! But knowing is key to creating the perfect base!
Solution;
Check out one of our latest blogs. It gives you the lowdown on each foundation type and which one will be best for your skin type and concern.
