Fabulous Foundation: Mixing My Makeup

If you've read my skincare routine and face primer review posts, you know that I prep my face using Cetaphil moisturizer, Aczone, and finally Korres Vitamin E Face Primer.  These products give me a great base for my makeup.  Today I want to tell you about what I do after this, my foundation routine.

My skintone varies throughout the year, as I'm sure it does for many other people; But, mine is rather drastic since I do use self-tan regularly through the fall and winter.  The springtime I usually embrace my natural fair skin and summer I try to get as much color naturally as possible (with sunscreen on, of course!).  So, I have two different foundations in my makeup bag.  Originally, I had one for when I was tan and one for when my skin was light.  During that stage in the middle, when my tan was fading, I began to mix my two foundations and I have had the best results not only with color, but also with texture.





For my light-colored foundation, I use Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in Shade SB 02, and for my tan-colored foundation, I use Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in Natural Beige 60.  When I used the Illamasqua foundation by itself, I found that it made my skin look very dry.  It's also a very heavy foundation, so you have to be really careful to not make it look cakey.  When I first ordered this product about a year ago, I read that the company originally made makeup for stage and film, which would explain why it's so heavy.  Now, Illamasqua products are bit of a splurge, especially after international shipping (they are U.K. based and I am in the U.S.), so, you can imagine my disappointment when the product is not what I thought it would be.  Anyway, I began my self-tanning routine again right on schedule in the fall, and purchased what used to be my go-to brand drugstore foundation, Neutrogena in a color that matched my bronzed skintone.  I like the Neutrogena, but I did have to apply about twice and then use concealer or powder to cover blemishes, so I was using a lot of product.

Then, something magical happened (of course it didn't seem magical at the time).  I realized what a broke college student I was. After splurging on clip-in hair extensions from Sally Beauty Supply, a stylist in the small town I was attending school in completely ruined them and my hair.  I spent every cent I had for the next three months trying to find someone who could fix my hair, and I couldn't afford the $8 every other week I spent on tanning products.  My bronzed glow began to fade, so I didn't have a foundation to match my skin.

I mixed my light with my tan foundation because I thought it would give my that perfect in between color.  Well, it did.  It also gave me a smooth, even, flawless face.  Since the coverage from the Neutrogena was a bit too sheer for me and the Illamasqua a bit too heavy, they blended together perfectly.

Today, even though I am pale right now, I still use this technique.  Depending on the darkness of my skin, I add more or less Illamasqua to the mixture.  Below are pictures of how I mix my foundations.

To finish, I use a fluffy brush (right now I'm using one by Ecotools) and dust on some Smashbox Photo Set Pressed Powder in Medium.  It's my favorite powder.  It doesn't make the skin look to dry, and it doesn't look like your powder exploded on your face.  It adds the perfect smoothness to the face and really makes the makeup look natural on the skin.  I love using this on top of a liquid foundation because sometimes liquid foundations can make your skin shiny.  I prefer a more matte look as opposed to a dewey one, so pressed powder over the foundation is perfect for me.  It also sets my makeup and lasts all day.  It doesn't rub off like a lot of other powders do.

  

 

Note:  I know the outside of my makeup looks a little messy..sorry!

Leave me a comment if you think I should make a YouTube video on my foundation routine!