Starting Off: Foundation

Foundation has to be the hardest makeup product to get perfect ! 

There are so many to choose from, So many colours, so many textures, so many brands. I could go on and on ! 

In this post I will explain all you need to know and the most important tips about choosing and applying foundation.

What To Pick ?

So first of all you need to know the types of foundation and what they do. 

Here are the main ones which I think are most important to know.

Liquid Foundation - I'm sure most people would agree this is the most popular type of foundation.

The coverage of liquid foundation can vary from light to full.

Great for all skin types but if you do have oily skin look for an oil free based liquid foundation.   

Apply easily  and smoothly using Brush, Sponge or even your fingers. 

Cream Foundation-  The cream foundation gives a very full coverage and if applied wrong can become cakey.

Cream foundation works best with dry skin as it gives a moisterising effect so will help smooth over any dry areas.  Try to avoid if you have oily skin as it will over moisterise you and could make your face very shiny. Also works well with normal skin type. 

Applies well but be careful not to apply to much as this foundation is very thick. Use a brush or Sponge, can also blend with fingers. 

Mouse Foundation-    Gives a smooth medium coverage but is build-able to full coverage. 

Mouse foundation is actually liquid foundation that had been whipped with air to give the mouse texture. This should make the foundation easier and smoother to apply. 

Works well for dry and mature skin as it does not cake up around fine lines and patchy/flaky sections of the face.

Apply with sponge, brush or fingers.   

Mineral/Powder Foundations- Gives a light  to medium coverage with a matt finish. 

Good for oily skin types. Also good for sensitive skin as these foundations do not have as many added ingredients. 

Apply with sponge or Brush. 

So after you have picked the foundation that suits you best make sure you choose the correct shade.
I cant stress enough when choosing a shade do not test the colour to the back of your hand ! 
Places to test the foundation for the best match are

Middle of face
Jaw line
 Top of Chest area 

please stick with these 3 areas as you will get the closest match. 
I prefer to test around the jaw line as this is the most tell tale place when a foundation is the wrong colour. 

Also make sure you are testing the foundation on clean skin not over the top of other makeup. 

How to apply ?

This is how I personally apply my foundation do what feels best for you. 
There are many different ways of applying foundation.
There are no wrong ways ! 

first of all apply a moisteriser or primer to give a nice smooth base to the makeup . It honestly does make a big difference and will make your foundation look much more fresh and smooth.

Using a brush apply foundation to the center of the face and apply outwards. Apply a little product at a time. You can build up if needed. You will be surprised how far a little foundation can go and you don't want to appear cakey ! Make sure to blend around Jawline, Neck and even around the ears ! Many people forget around the ears. This will give you an even complexion throughout.

Just make sure you blend blend blend !!

Its as simple as that ! 

Here are a few foundations I have tried and tested out. 

Clinique Anti Blemish £24

Mac Studio Fix £21.50

Maybelline Fit Me £7.99 

Let me know if you have any questions !
Hope you enjoy !
Thanks for reading 

Starting Off: Concealer

Entering the world of concealers can be very very confusing. There are hundreds of shades and even green and purple shades !
 Also to add to the confusion most of them look like lipsticks. 

So concealers are available in 3 main types liquid, powder and solid. 

So first of all decide which one will suit you better. 

Liquid: Good for large areas. Works well covering acne, dark circles under the eyes and blemishes. This concealer I find is the easiest to blend.  

Powder: This gives the least coverage out if the 3 types. This is good for a little touch up on skin with hardley any blemishes and slight dark circles under the eyes. 

Solid: This is the concealer that usually comes in a lipstick form. It offers the most coverage out if the 3 but is by far the hardest to blend. This concealer works best for scares and large dark blemishes. I wouldn't reccomend putting this under eyes as it can irritate sensitive areas. Also as its hard to blend you will notice the build up.

The next tricky thing to choose is what shade is best for you. Take into consideration what it is you want to cover as it may be best to have different shades for different problem areas.

I personally try to steer clear of light concealers many people think the lighter the concealer the more likely it will hide dark areas and blemishes. I find when people apply concealer that is too light you then have light patches which can actually look worse!

So here is a little guide to what each shade does.

Orange/warm: The orange within the shade takes away the blue tones from the skin which is what forms the dark grey areas within the skin. This also is the best shade for hiding veins!  Warm tones are the best for hiding dark circles the colour is strong enough to cover the grey and give a fleshy tone. This instantly brightens the darker areas.

Yellow: The yellow shade takes away from the purple tones within the skin. Again this shade is good for reducing dark areas. Also this would be the best shade for covering up bruises.

Green:  This shade takes away redness so is great for blemishes, rosacea and scares.

Purple: This shade takes away the yellow tones in this skin. This shade also makes your complexion appear brighter.

Here is another guide that I personally use when applying concealer

( Remember everyone is different there is no right or wrong way. Do what ever way you are most comfortable with)

1. Apply foundation all over. ( foundation will cover most imperfections !)

2. Then look for imperfections.

3. Apply the correct shade.
4. Use a concealer brush to softly apply. You can use your finger if you do not have one.
5. Pat and Dab onto the area needed do not rub concealer in. (Especially around eyes as the skin is very delicate)
6. Blend around the edges of the concealer to make sure you don't have an obvious color change.

Always apply with a thin layer. You can build up coverage. If you apply to much you don't want to have to take all the concealer and foundation of and start all over again.

Here are a few that I use

Rimmel Hide The Blemish £3.99                    Witch Concelaer £4.99                            Clinique Airbrush £18.00                                                                            

For one last special tip from me I will tell you a makeup artist secret.
When dealing with really dark grey areas on the face under eyes etc and dark skin, Apply a very small amount of bright red lipstick to the area and mix in with the concealer. Make sure it is a warm orange based red to warm the concealer and this will completely remove the grey area !
This is also great to use when covering tattoos.


Hope this post helped you out.

Clinique Chubby Stick

I love the new Chubby Sticks that Clinique have recently stocked up there shelves with. On first Impression i thought that the Chubby Sticks would not have much colour to them and be more like a lip balm. I was pleasantly surprised as the Chubby Sticks are like a lipstick and moisturizing lip balm in one! The colour comes out very strong and also lasts well considering how moisturizing it is.

The Chubby Sticks are quite expensive at £16 each. Look out for when Clinique are doing special offers where you receive a little gift pack when you spend over a certain amount. At the moment you usually get a Free Chubby Stick ! Although it is slightly smaller than the original product. The Chubby sticks are a unique pencil style design. The applicator has a easy twist mechanism at the end to raise the content up from the tube. Just twist the silver section at the bottom. 

I would certainly  recommend one of these Chubby Sticks. They really do look nice and compliment all makeup. They are available in 16 shades so i'm sure you can find the perfect shade for you. They really do moisturize your lips leaving them soft and looking great. The texture of the product itself is very similar to lip balm and doesn't feel slimy or sticky at all. I have now got 3 of the Chubby Sticks in different shades they are great to have in your makeup and handbag ! 

You can buy the Chubby Sticks at Clinique. You can also buy the product in high street stores such as boots. 

Has anyone else tried the Chubby Sticks ? I would love to hear your feed back ! x