Just as it is essential for a painter to prepare his canvas carefully before starting on his artwork, it is very important to ‘prepare’ your face (as your canvas) with flawless foundation application, to ensure the rest of your makeup become (and remain for as long as possible) a ‘work of art’!

So I have thrown together some guidelines to help you do just that.

If you are one of the few lucky ladies who have a clear complexion and do not need that much coverage, a tinted moisturiser is great for a natural look. Try Elizabeth Arden pure finish mineral tinted moisturiser SPF 15 – which recently won a Marie Claire South Africa Prix D’Excellence De La Beaute 2011 Citation – Makeup product.

Or try one of my favourite BB creams, the Sorbet “get that feeling” BB Cream, which I reviewed here.

Liquid foundation is usually water based and works well for all skin types. My favourites are: 

1. As a more affordable option – Revlon PhotoReady Makeup. This foundation features photochromatic pigments that bend, reflect, and diffuse light to help erase imperfections, reduces shine and evens out skin tone.

 2. Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation SPF 15 available in Woolworths stores. An oil-free, weightless formula packed with anti-aging, revitalizing, and firming ingredients that work overtime to provide cellular nutrition for skin.

Cream foundation gives more of a coverage and works well on drier skin. I would recommend Bobbi Brown Moisturizing Cream Compact Foundation – which gives a flawless coverage, long wear, and relief for dry skin.

Tip – if your cream foundation is too heavy, you can add a couple of drops of moisturiser to ‘thin’ it out.

Powder foundation is ideal for oily skin and will help reduce shine.

1. MAC Studio Fix powder plus foundation is perfect for women with oily skin who want to minimize the appearance of large pores.

2. You can also try Make Up For Ever Duo Matt Powder Foundation – A long-lasting, oil-free mattifying powder foundation for normal to combination skin types which provides a shine-free finish that covers blemishes and other imperfections and perfectly evens out the skin tone.

Things to remember when choosing your foundation:

With the harsh sun of the 21st century, always ensure that you use a foundation with a sunscreen of at least SPF 15 to prevent skin damage.

Don’t try your foundation on your hand or arm. You should look for a colour that matches your face firstly and your neck secondly, so try it on your jawline.

I always suggest to my customers to take a little hand mirror with them to the store when they go shopping for foundation. Choose 3 colours that you think suits your skin the closest, dot them onto your chin line (do not blend yet) and then go outside. – Yes ladies – I know walking around with blobs of foundation on your face in public may be awkward, but trust me, you will clearly see that the colours appear completely different in natural light than in the harsh fluorescent lights of the store. When you get outside (not in the direct sunlight, choose a shaded spot) whip out your mirror and see which one of the colours that you chose ‘disappears’ when you blend it into your skin. That would be your perfect choice!

Most people need a different shade for summer and winter. During the inbetween months (Spring & Autumn) you can also blend the 2 colours for a perfect match.

So lets get down to application..

Always apply your moisturiser before your foundation and allow a couple of minutes for it to be absorbed.

Natural light is very important for a natural finish, so try to apply your foundation near a window, or check it in natural light after application.

Liquid foundation can settle and separate, so give the bottle a gentle twirl before you use it.

 You can either use a sponge, foundation brush or your fingers to apply your foundation, however, a sponge or foundation brush will give you more of an even finish.

Start on your nose and blend outwards, always in the direction of the growth of the little hairs on the face. When you apply against the hairgrowth, you will cause the little hairs to stand up, which will give you the opposite of a nice and smooth finish.

Remember to also apply foundation on your eyelids. This will act as a base and help your eye shadow to stay on longer.  And be sure to blend well into your neck along your jawline for  a natural finish.

No-one wants to look like they are wearing a mask, and one of the surest ways to look that way is to leave visible lines of where your foundation starts and ends along your hair and jawline… Blend blend blend!

Apply loose translucent powder with a large cosmetics brush to set your foundation and to keep it from settling in any possible little lines on our face or ‘running’ in hot and humid weather.

If necessary, use a concealer for those nasty blemishes and pat lightly with pressed powder.

Voila! Beautiful flawless skin and a perfect canvas on which to apply the rest of your makeup!

Make sure to keep an eye out for my next posts on eyes, cheeks and lips =)

Also go and have a look at my page about Airbrush Foundation which I now use on all of my brides & shoots!