Do you swirl?

Do you swirl…your foundation, that is? I know I do! As a professional makeup artist I create flawless foundation for my clients. It’s high unlikely that a cosmetic company will get it right in just one shade. If you are a woman of color chances are you have multiple tones in your complexion. You can create a custom blend foundation for your perfect shade by mixing two or sometimes three shades together to create one. I simply add a lighter or darker foundation shade drop by drop until I create the desired color.

Seasons play a big factor in your skin’s tone. Lets face it, in the summer the sun gives you a bronzed glow, while the winter leave you a bit lighter. For this reason alone I have several shades of foundation that I use for myself. Naturally, I use the lighter shade when I don’t get as much sun. In the summer I’m a warm toffee shade which requires a deeper foundation. When mixing I use the back of my hand to warm up liquids and creams for a smoother application.

Pressed or loose powder can also be used to adjust the shade of your foundation. Sometimes I use Ben Nye Banana Powder to highlight the skin in certain areas. I usually place the light power under the eye to set concealer and at the top of the check bones. If I need to warm up the skin I can use a deeper shade of loose or pressed powder. I call this method “The Star” because you apply the deeper shade on 5 parts of your face. The five parts are both temples, the cheek bones and the very bottom of the chin.

Blending your foundation is key. I recently discovered Artis Elite Collection brushes. These brushes are truly unique, like nothing you have ever seen before. Its almost unfair to call these luxurious creations brushes. The angled head vows to make applying your makeup easier and not harder.  My favorite is the Oval 10, it has a generously sized, rounded oval of fibres to provide coverage to a larger area of the face. This patented brush is superior for applying a setting powder to the entire face, blending highlighting powders or liquid foundation to the face. The Oval 8 is slightly smaller than the Oval 10 and has 100’s of thousands of fibres in an oval shape to provide applications to a large area of the face.

Its great to mix foundation so that you have the very best shade possible. Over 78% of women are wearing the wrong foundation shade. If you mix two are more foundations you are more likely  to get a more accurate shade.

How will you swirl?