Let’s be real – we all want glowing, baby smooth skin with no blemish or imperfection in sight, but that isn’t reality for most of us. So what do we do? We fake it with foundation. But despite your best efforts, your foundation is anything but flawless. What if I told you that it’s not you, it’s your skin prep? I am here to tell you that with the right skin care preparation, your foundation won’t flake or slide off. To ease your frustrations, I’m sharing some tips on how to prep your skin for flawless foundation that’ll help you get a seamless application every time.
First and foremost I recommend reading about products and familiarizing yourself with your skin type before you purchase anything else. It’s about time you stop purchasing products just because they look pretty (totally talking to myself here).
Step 1 | Cleanser
You always want to make sure you are cleansing your skin to remove excess dirt and oil. If your skin is oily, dry or peeling, your foundation will not go on smoothly. You should also exfoliate 1-2 times per week to remove the dead skin and reveal a smooth canvas.
I always follow my skin care routine so that my makeup application is seamless. Prepping your skin gives your foundation longevity, and not to mention even coverage. Start with a gentle cleanser and follow it up with toner to remove any remaining impurities.
Step 2| Toner
I love using toner in my morning and night routine, but especially when I am in a crunch for time and I just need to freshen up my skin. Use a generous amount of toner on a cotton ball and wipe it across your entire face and neck. Toner helps to reduce the look of pores, remove oil, and also acts as a moisturizer. I am honestly shook every time I use it because of the amount of dirt that my cleanser leaves behind.
Step 3|Serum
Serum should be used after toning and before moisturizing, it peneatrates deeper into your skin and delivers intense hydration. The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid is hydrating, fast absorbing, and oil free. It’s lightweight and doesn’t clog your pores. I highly recommend adding a serum into your skincare regimen, but I don’t have all the information about the benefits it can provide to your skin. Read more about serums and which type of serum is best for you based on your skin’s concerns here.
Step 4| Sheet Mask
If you want to take your skin prep a step further, try using a sheet mask. This is totally optional, but it is a game changer that will give your skin an extra boost of hydration. The products go on much smoother and last a lot longer when your skin is hydrated. If you haven’t noticed the common theme here, its hydration and longevity, we want our foundation to not only be flawless, but last all night long!
After you’ve washed your face slap on one of those bad boys and let it do its magic. Once you remove it, gently massage the leftover goodness into your face and neck. Don’t let a drop go to waste!
Step 5| Moisturize
Don’t forget to moisturize. No matter what skin type you have, you should always hydrate your skin before applying any makeup. Speaking of skin type, you want to take that into consideration when choosing a moisturizer. It is important to use products that suit your skin’s needs. Your primer will thank you because it will have something to stick to.
Step 6 | Prime
Now onto the final step of skin prep. Let me just say that if you’re one of those people that does not need a primer, I envy you! Okay, so primer is very beneficial. There are so many primers on the market that help smooth away the appearance of pores, fine lines, and wrinkles. They can reduce oiliness and shine, add hydration, the just list goes on. Most importantly, primer helps extend the wear of your foundation and concealer.
I use primer that reduces the look of my pores and combats oil, but that doesn’t always do the trick. Before applying my foundation, I have to set my primer with a light layer of setting powder. This extra step has really helped my foundation stay in place, and keeps the oils under control. It is only needed in the areas of your face that get the most oily throughout the day, which for me is my entire face.
Now your skin is all prepped and ready for that flawless foundation application! I hope you enjoyed this post, and maybe even learned a thing or two about how to prep your skin for flawless foundation. What are your favorite ways to prep your skin before applying makeup? Let me know if you would like to see my foundation routine in the near future.
