ALL ABOUT THAT BASE

Foundation that is. Sorry if I’ve just got that song stuck in your head. If it helps, I’m singing it to myself on repeat now. This is what happens why you try to turn a blog title into a dreadful pun…

I thought today I’d talk a little bit about my current foundation routine of choice.

As I’ve mentioned countless times before I have a patch of hyperpigmentation on my right cheek from previous spots and blemishes that has been around for years now. It has improved a LOT over the last couple of months, and I mentioned some of the products that I feel have really helped with that here and here, however it’s still something I feel super self conscious about. My main aim when doing my make-up is always to conceal and cover that up.

Hyperpigmentation aside, I’d describe the rest of my skin as pretty average. It’s combination, although oiler on the cheeks and chin rather than the forehead and chin, and I get the odd breakout, usually on my chin / around my mouth, which is usually hormonal although I’m terrible for resting my chin on my hand and generally touching that area of my face an awful lot throughout the day which I’m sure doesn’t help matters. When it comes to foundation I definitely believe in a mix and match approach, using a couple of different products to achieve the look I want without masking my skin completely.

I’ve been using Vichy’s Dermablend Corrective Foundation for well over a year now. I don’t use it all over my face because this stuff is pretty industrial when it comes to covering up blemishes and the likes, so I feel like a full face of this foundation would just be too much. Instead I use this to conceal those areas that are of most concern to me; pinpoint concealing any spots and to cover up the area of hyperpigmentation I have (I’d say it’s probably about an inch square on my cheek). 

It is amazing stuff. Once this is applied I can’t see any hint of the hyperpigmentation on my cheek. Dermablend Corrective Foundation has a high coated pigment concentration which reaches a level of 25%, about twice the coverage level of a traditional foundation, so if you’re wanting something that will give amazing coverage then I can’t sing the praises of this enough. Despite it’s high coverage, it’s comfortable to wear and doesn’t feel cakey or mask-like on the skin and it’s seriously long lasting. Once it’s set with a little powder it doesn’t budge all day.

The RRP is £18 but it’s generally always on offer somewhere (it’s currently £13.50 at Boots and £12 at Escentual). I use the shade 25 Nude and the 30ml tube lasts me ages. I’m currently on my third tube but I use this probably 5 days a week, for over a year. A little really does go a long way so in terms of cost per use this is probably one of the most cost effective base products I have. If you have any skin irregularities that you’re wanting to feel confident will stay covered then this is absolutely one to try.

As for the rest of my face, whilst I do have issues with certain areas of my skin once those are covered the rest of my skin is actually perfectly fine and just needs a hint of *something* to even everything out. MAC’s Face and Body Foundation is perfect for this. I often used to use this when on holiday but I’ve been using it regularly for nearly a year now. It’s very sheer and natural looking but you can build it up for a hint more coverage if desired. I buy the 50ml size and I think that probably lasts me about a year. Because I’m just using this to even out my skin tone and to provide a small amount of coverage I really don’t use very much per application. I use the shade C4, which is probably more of a summer shade for me however because it’s so sheer I find this works all year round, regardless of whether I have a tan or not. The Face and Body Foundation retails for £22 and is available here.

Two points of note: I always set my foundation with powder, my go-to products are Bourjois Healthy Balance powder in 52 Vanilla for everyday or MakeUp For Ever’s HD Powder for evenings or days where I just want my skin look a bit more flawless, and I use a primer about 50% of the time. I prefer mattifying products and two favourites are Dermalogica’s Oil Free Matte and Garnier’s Pure Active Matte Control which is perfect for the summer and holidays. For general everyday make-up that’s it for my base.

For an evening or if I know I’m having a really long day then I add a little bit of MAC’s Pro Longwear Foundation in the shade NC20. I just add this to the areas that I find are typically most likely to get shine and oiliness coming through. I adore this for occasions when you want to be sure your make-up isn’t going to slime off even if you end up doing crazy dancing in a gross, sweaty bar in the early hours of the morning. I have never worn this on a night out and had that moment where you look in the mirror towards the end of the night and wonder where all your make up went. It doesn’t move. I used this last summer when I was in Barcelona with a group of friends. The weather was insanely hot and humid and friends were asking how I managed to still have perfect make-up when everyone else’s was melting off. The only downsize to the longevity of this foundation is that I find a double cleanse doesn’t always do the job at removing it, I often have to wash my face three times to make sure there is no trace of this left!

I’ve heard quite a few people say that MAC foundations can break them out but I haven’t found that to be the case and I have quite sensitive skin. Whilst this has excellent coverage it doesn’t feel heavy on the face although, like the Vichy Dermablend, I wouldn’t wear a full face of this foundation. I use it on the areas I feel I need a little extra help. I can imagine that if you did your skin might react badly because, as I mentioned above, it can take some effort to make sure your skin is thoroughly clean after wearing it. For me the extra effort it removing my make-up is well worth it to know that I’ve got a foundation that will look as good at the end of the night as it does when I head out of the door.

The Pro Longwear Foundation costs £25.50 for 30ml, available here. A bottle lasts me ages as I only use one to two very small pumps of product each time I wear this.

Apart from the addition of a little of the Pro Longwear the only other thing I add to my base make-up routine for those times where I want as perfectly flawless base as possible is some of the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser – I’m lucky that I don’t really have much in the way of dark circles under my eyes so I don’t bother to add this every day. When I do use this, it’s fantastic for lightening and brightening the under eye area and never seems to crease or go cakey.

Have you tried any of these? What are your go-to base products?