Foundation in makeup helps create a uniform color. It can conceal imperfections and provide a flawless canvas for the rest of your look. Various foundation types provide the perfect base for your ideal look. This comprehensive guide to foundation for beginners will tell you everything you need to know.
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What Is Foundation?
Foundation goes on your face after primer and before the rest of your makeup. It helps cover imperfections and can give you an even skin tone. Most foundations are buildable, so you can get as much coverage as you need. Most foundation products offer additional benefits, and there are various formulas available. You’ll discover:
- Sheer formulas with a natural appearance
- Formulas with finishes to help give you a dewy glow
- Foundation sticks that are perfect for touch-ups
- Skincare-infused, hybrid foundations
- And more!
Choosing The Right Foundation
Always know what you’re looking for before you begin shopping. People new to using foundation should consider several factors to ensure they choose the right product.
Skin Type
Learn your skin type before buying a new foundation. Most modern formulas are packed with additional ingredients to help address skincare concerns. Your foundation can help reduce breakouts or mattify oily skin. Hydrating foundations can soothe dry, parched skin and give you a dewy glow. Take the time to learn if you have:
- Oily skin
- Sensitive skin
- Dry skin
- Mature skin
- Combination skin
Skin Concerns
Likewise, always consider your skin concerns when shopping for foundation. For example, people with mature skin will want a foundation that doesn’t settle into fine lines and wrinkles. Formulas are also available to address hyperpigmentation, dull skin, uneven skin texture, and other concerns.
Desired Look
Before learning everything there is to know about foundation for beginners, consider the look you want. Dewy foundation products are a massive hit because dewy skin is in style. However, if you want a cloud makeup look, you’ll need a semi-matte or velvet finish. Natural makeup looks usually call for sheer coverage.
Skin Undertones
Skin undertones are the colors underneath your skin that tend to shine through. They give your skin a slight hue. Foundations are specially formulated to accommodate different undertones. For example, you might see a foundation shade labeled for cool undertones and another labeled for warm undertones.
Cool Undertones
You have cool undertones if you look in the mirror and see blue, pink, or reddish undertones in your skin. People with cool undertones tend to get burns more easily and often look better in silver jewelry. They usually have blue veins.
Warm Undertones
Warm undertones mean your skin has a hint of yellow, golden, or peachy. You’ll be able to see those colors when looking in the mirror, especially if you have a lighted mirror. People with warm undertones often look better in gold jewelry and tend to tan more easily. They likely have greenish veins rather than blue.
Neutral
Sometimes, you don’t fall into the cool or warm undertones category. You may see a hint of blue and green. You may not see anything, meaning your skin doesn’t appear to have undertones. If that’s the case, you need a foundation designed for people with neutral undertones. People with neutral undertones typically look fantastic in both silver and gold jewelry.
Wearing foundation with the wrong undertone will make your skin look too red, orange, pink, or white, so it’s essential to consider this when choosing your foundation.
Types Of Foundation
A quick search for a beginner’s foundation will yield thousands of products. It can get overwhelming if you’re learning about makeup. There are several types of foundations available.
Each has pros and cons and is designed to meet specific needs. Learning more about the types of foundations available ensures you find products designed to meet your needs.
Liquid Foundation
Liquid foundation is typically available for every skin type. Previously, liquid foundation was used for dry skin. Innovative formulas ensure it can be used easily across skin types, as long as you choose a product formulated for your concerns.
Liquid foundations are perfect if you want a dewy or luminous foundation finish. You can get these same finishes in a powder foundation, but they don’t pull it off as well. This product is best for:
- Dry Skin: Liquid formulas are more likely to contain hydrating ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, than dry formulas. They’re also more hydrating and moisturizing than powder foundation.
- Natural Looks: It’s easier to pull off the no-makeup “makeup” look with a liquid foundation that offers sheer, buildable coverage than a powder foundation.
People with oily skin may find liquid foundation harder to apply. Anyone with mature skin should read product reviews to ensure the formula doesn’t sink into fine lines and wrinkles.
Our Picks
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Foundation
Neutrogena Liquid Foundation is available in multiple formulas, including one designed to combat acne. An inclusive shade range ensures everyone can find something for their skin tone.
The healthy skin formula helps visibly improve skin texture and tone, while SPF protects the skin from UV damage. Nourishing ingredients, like Vitamin B and antioxidants, promote healthy, youthful skin.
Why You’ll Love It
- Medium coverage
- Natural finish
- Dewy
- Nourishing
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Foundation
Laura Mercier makes online shopping for foundation easier than ever. Shade matching technology helps you find your perfect shade. The shade selection can be filtered to find a match for your undertones.
Flawless Fusion Foundation delivers full, flawless coverage that lasts up to 15 hours. The formula is lightweight, so you won’t feel like you’re wearing makeup. It’s water- and transfer-resistant and specially formulated to handle humidity. The matte finish offers immediate oil control.
Why You’ll Love It
- Actually suitable for oily skin
- Inclusive shade range
- Medium to full coverage
- Vegan and cruelty-free
Powder Foundation
Powder foundation is typically recommended for normal, oily, or combination skin. It absorbs excess oil well without caking, while liquid foundation does not.
Most powder foundations provide light to medium coverage, and some are buildable for greater coverage. Some come closer to full coverage, but they can’t compare to a liquid foundation when it comes to a genuinely full-coveragefoundation.
Powder foundations rank slightly higher when you want a matte finish, though. While you can achieve that finish with any foundation, powder foundations can deliver it better.
Our Favorite Powder Foundations For Beginners
Laura Geller Baked Foundation
Laura Geller Baked & Balance Foundation is the ideal powder foundation. Italian artisans bake the creamy formula on terracotta tiles to ensure the perfect blend of skincare-infused ingredients and pigment.
It glides seamlessly across the skin like a cream formula, but wears like a powder foundation. It’s ideal for anyone with mature skin because it doesn’t settle into fine lines and wrinkles, but anyone can wear it.
Why You’ll Love It
- Rosacea approved
- Dermatologist tested
- Buildable
- Creamy application
Milani Conceal + Perfect Mineral Powder
Milani Conceal + Perfect Mineral Powder provides ideal, lightweight coverage. Soothing ingredients ensure you don’t wind up with chalky coverage ,while the fine formula helps gently conceal imperfections. It’s blendable, buildable, and easy to use.
Why You’ll Love It
- Feels gentle on the skin
- Light coverage
- Matte finish
Other Types Of Foundation For Beginners
Although the main foundation types are liquid and powder, those aren’t the only two you’re stuck with. These are your classic foundation types. However, you can choose from additional options to ensure a flawless foundation that works for you.
Cream Formulas
Cream foundation is similar to liquid foundation, but thicker. As a result, it can provide a more consistent color. Most cream foundations can provide full coverage of imperfections.
Our Pick
Lily Lolo Satin Cream Foundation
A gorgeous foundation that offers the coverage of cream foundations, the satin finish you want, and an inclusive shade range. It’s vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty-free. Infused with jojoba and argan oils, this foundation helps keep your skin moisturized.
Why You’ll Love It
- Satin finish
- Blendable
- Inclusive shades range
- Moisturizing
Stick Foundation For Beginners
Stick foundation comes in a tube, like lipstick, but it is a foundation. You can easily apply it by swiping the stick across your skin and blending it in with your fingers or a brush.
These foundations are best known for providing medium coverage. Although some full coverage options are available, you won’t get the same coverage as with a liquid or cream foundation.
This foundation is recommended for people with dry skin rather than oily skin. The foundation is not designed to absorb oil like powder, so you may look shiny or sweaty by lunchtime.
Our Pick
Ogee Sculpted Complexion Stick
Ogee Sculpted Complexion Stick delivers the coverage you need with luxurious, organic ingredients that are gentle on your skin. Shades are available for every skin tone. The complexion stick provides lightweight coverage that resembles a tinted moisturizer. It’s buildable and blendable.
Ogee is known for creating makeup that is also a powerhouse of skincare ingredients. Green coffee oil promotes collagen production and increases skin elasticity, supporting an anti-aging effect. Elderberry extract promotes firmer skin. Pracaxi seed oil encourages the natural production of hyaluronic acid, keeping your skin hydrated.
Why You’ll Love It
- Skincare/makeup hybrid
- Lightweight coverage
- Weightless formula
- Easy application
BB Cream
BB cream is not technically a foundation in the makeup world. However, I included it because many people prefer BB cream to foundation. Use the same makeup routine, but apply BB cream with your fingers before concealer.
Most BB creams are tinted to provide coverage and help correct uneven skin tone. However, these creams are very lightweight. They absorb quickly into the skin and provide minimal coverage. BB cream is an excellent idea if you’re going for a more natural look.
Our Pick
Maybelline Dream Fresh Skin Hydrating BB Cream
Maybelline Dream Fresh Skin BB Cream is a unique 8-in-1 product that delivers one benefit after another. The sheer coverage provides a lightweight tint that’s ideal for natural makeup looks. It adjusts to your skin tone for a flawless appearance. SPF 30 helps protect your skin from harsh UV rays.
The unique formula was carefully curated to blur imperfections, minimize pore visibility, and reduce redness. Hydrating ingredients give you a fresh, dewy glow.
Why You’ll Love It
- Affordable
- Multi-tasking
- Hydrating
- Oil-free
Skin Tint
Skin tint, or tinted moisturizer, quickly replaces foundation for many people. Tinted moisturizer has the consistency of foundation drops, providing sheer coverage while delivering skincare benefits. It’s ideal for a natural finish that lets your skin show through.
This product and foundation drops provide the ideal level of coverage for anyone seeking a dewy, natural finish. They’re less likely to sink into fine lines and wrinkles.
Our Pick
Skin Perfector Hydrating Tint
Skin Perfector Hydrating Tint by Sigma Beauty is available in a range of shades, from light to deep brown. Enjoy the hydrating boost of a moisturizer with skincare-infused ingredients, like squalene, Vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide.
Coverage starts sheer but is buildable, so you can achieve medium coverage where you need it. Skin Perfector Hydrating Tint gives you a natural, dewy look. It’s also gluten-free.
Why You’ll Love It
- Promotes healthy, soft skin
- Buildable coverage
- Dewy appearance
- Vegan and cruelty-free
Types Of Foundation Finish
There are various foundation finishes, the most common being matte, dewy, and luminous finishes. Each foundation’s finish helps you achieve the desired look and coordinates with your skin type. You must know what type of finish you want before shopping for foundation for beginners.
Matte Foundation Finish
Matte-finish foundations typically do not contain oils or other ingredients that can give your skin a touch of shine. Instead, your skin will have an airbrushed, flawless appearance in photos.
Most people can benefit from including a matte-finish foundation in their makeup collection. These finishes are great for people with oily skin. (Using a foundation that provides a shine combined with the shine of oily skin can make your skin look too shiny.)
Matte foundations are known for providing better coverage than other foundations. This makes them ideal for people who want to conceal blemishes or have larger pores. You won’t be able to see them when you use a product with a matte finish.
Dewy Foundation
Dewy foundation strikes the perfect balance between a matte finish with no shine and a luminous finish that can be a bit too shiny for some people. It gives your skin the appearance of fresh morning dew.
Most dewy foundations have additional moisturizing ingredients, such as natural oils. These not only create the appearance of glowing skin but also support skin health.
Because these products have a slight sheen, they are not usually recommended for people with oily skin. If your skin is extremely oily, you can appear too radiant as the day progresses.
You can find a foundation for beginners with a dewy finish in medium and full coverage. These are available in light coverage, but they are harder to find.
It’s important to note that a foundation with a dewy finish typically does not reflect light.
Luminous Foundation
A luminous foundation finish guarantees a radiant, glowing face. However, these foundations are not recommended for oily or combination skin. Like foundations with a dewy finish, they can make your skin look overly radiant.
An easier way to remember a luminous foundation is to imagine a dewy foundation with a glow. Your skin will look shinier.
Most foundations with this type of finish reflect light. Because of that, your skin can look very shiny in pictures, mainly under the light.
Foundation For Beginners: Coverage
You can find a foundation in any formula and finish that provides the level of coverage you want. It’s essential to understand the different levels of coverage in a foundation before you start shopping to ensure your foundation suits your needs.
Light Coverage
Light coverage foundation provides the bare minimum. It’s not ideal for covering blemishes, pimples, age spots, etc. Instead, you get a more natural look and a thinner texture. However, most light-coverage foundations are still buildable.
Medium Coverage
Medium coverage foundations provide more coverage than light coverage foundations. They are better at helping you achieve a uniform skin tone and work well at hiding redness and imperfections. However, they don’t provide full coverage to instantly make your skin the same color and hide all imperfections.
Full Coverage
A full-coverage foundation for beginners is designed to cover your skin and all its imperfections. It is ideal for individuals who want to hide imperfections, such as age or sun spots. However, some people will still need concealer, depending on how dark the spots are.
Foundation Ingredients You Need To Know
You’ll also need to consider certain things on the ingredient list. Foundations often have a base, such as silicone or water. Oil-based foundations exist but are less common than water-based and silicone-based foundations.
Your foundation and primer must use the same base. If you have a water-based primer but use a silicone-based foundation, your makeup can separate. Your foundation can slide down your face as though it is melting off your face. Each type of foundation offers specific benefits.
Silicone-Based Foundation For Beginners
Silicone-based foundations are the most popular choice for anyone who wants their makeup to last all day and still look flawless during dinner. They form a fine layer on your skin without being too heavy.
Most silicone foundations are waterproof, making them ideal for hot summer days. A slight drizzle won’t ruin your two work hours.
These foundations are exceptional for their mattifying effect, making them the perfect choice for people with oily skin. However, if you have dry skin, you can find them in other finishes, such as luminous ones. These are a great all-around foundation.
It is important to note that products with a silicone base are more prone to causing irritation and breakouts. That means they might not be great for oily skin. Avoid using them for everyday wear. This is especially true if you have oily skin prone to breaking out. Instead, opt for a water– or powder-based foundation, or skip that step in your makeup routine.
Oil-Based Foundation For Beginners
Oil-based foundations take longer to absorb into the skin, so they remain on the skin longer. Remember that a little goes a long way when applying them, so you don’t use too much. If you have oily skin, you may notice a sheen that can be seen from a distance if you use an oily foundation.
However, these are recommended for people with dry skin. Oil-based foundations can instantly give you a dewy glow, so your skin doesn’t look dull.
The major downside of these foundations is their thickness. When they are on your skin, they may feel slightly heavy or greasy compared to other products.
Water-Based Foundation
Water-based foundations are typically more hydrating for the skin. They are known for not clogging pores, making them ideal for anyone with breakouts or acne-prone skin. They are generally lighter and less irritating for sensitive skin.
These products tend to be absorbed more quickly by the skin, so they feel and look more natural.
How To Apply Foundation For Beginners
If you’re a beginner, you may be wondering how to apply foundation. You must apply your makeup in the correct order to achieve flawless results.
First, Do Your Skincare Routine
Before applying makeup, you must complete your skincare routine and give the products extra time to absorb into the skin.
Primer Is Next
After your skincare routine, you should apply primer. Make sure that you spread primer over your entire face. Then, if necessary, give it time to dry.
Apply Your Foundation
After your face is primed and ready to go, it’s time to apply your foundation. There are various techniques that you can use to apply foundation.
Use Setting Powder Or Spray
After applying foundation, use a light dusting of setting powder or a fine mist of setting spray. If you do not apply a setting product after your foundation, use it after your concealer. Apply it before the rest of your makeup, such as highlighter. (You can apply another layer after you finish your makeup to set the rest of your look.)
How To Apply Powder Foundation
Vegan Foundation Brands
Those of you living a vegan lifestyle may also consider using vegan makeup. Vegan makeup is makeup that does not contain any animal by-products. Many brands offer vegan makeup and other beauty products.
Laura Mercier
Laura Mercier is known for offering high-quality makeup. They aren’t a completely vegan brand, but they do offer several vegan products. Laura Mercier Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting Waterproof Foundation is an exceptional vegan foundation. All products are clearly labelled on the site, making it easy to find vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free products.
Plant Makeup
The name says it all. Plant Makeup offers a complete line of plant-based makeup. Every product is vegan, from their powder foundation to their Earth eyeshadow. Most products are also multipurpose and made with certified organic ingredients.
Cruelty-Free Foundation Brands
Whether a makeup brand is genuinely cruelty-free often depends on whether it is certified cruelty-free. This means it does not test its products on animals or allow third parties to do the same. This issue has caused some controversy because products sold in mainland China must still be tested on animals, so any company that sells in stores there is not cruelty-free.
Bare Minerals
Bare Minerals remains an iconic brand. They’ve been around for years, and continue to produce impressive formulas. Their original mineral veil powder is the OG and is still one of the best. Powder and liquid foundations help you achieve the coverage you need and are always lightweight.
Essence Makeup
Essence Makeup’s claim to fame was their falsies mascara. It’s affordable and delivers eyebrow-raising results. They also offer a complete line of cruelty-free makeup, with many vegan and gluten-free products, including foundation.
Gluten Free Foundation Brands
Gluten-free foundation is a bit more challenging to find when compared to vegan foundation or cruelty-free makeup products. If a makeup product is gluten-free, its ingredients do not contain gluten, and it was not processed in a facility or on a line where cross-contamination may occur. These brands offer gluten-free products in addition to their other products.
Sigma Beauty
Sigma Beauty is well-known for its high-quality makeup products, including foundation, skin tint, and gorgeous eyeshadow palettes. They offer vegan and cruelty-free products in addition to gluten-free products. Products are clearly labeled on the website so you can easily find gluten-free makeup.
100% Pure
100% Pure offers a wide range of products infused with plant extracts. Their fruit-infused water foundation provides full coverage. It’s also vegan, natural, cruelty-free, and gluten-free. You’ll discover ingredients that are good for your skin, such as soothing aloe and green tea, to help tone the skin.
These are just a couple of the gluten-free makeup brands out there. Don’t forget to double-check the ingredient list! You can find a more comprehensive list here!
FAQ
Can you wear powder foundation with cream highlighter?
You can, but it’s not recommended. When you attempt to blend the two, they can be muddied together instead of the highlighter sitting on top of the foundation, which you want. The two formulas do not always align well.
Should you wear all cream makeup or all powder makeup?
Yes, you should. When you wear a powder foundation, opt for a powder highlighter, bronzer, and blush. The same applies to cream or liquid makeup. Use a cream or liquid highlighter, bronzer, and blush if you’re wearing a liquid foundation.
Should your foundation match your neck?
Your face experiences quite a few things that your neck doesn’t. We exfoliate more frequently and it receives more sun, so your face is typically darker than your neck. However, you want a uniform appearance. Match your foundation to your neck, and blend it down along your neck daily for a seamless look.
Can I use BB cream instead of foundation?
Yes, you can! People with oily skin or who prefer a lightweight foundation that doesn’t feel too heavy often choose BB creams over foundation. These are easy to apply and often provide the perfect color to make imperfections less noticeable.
Foundation For Beginners
Foundation is one of the makeup basics that we should all master. Learning more about your skin and the available products can help you find the perfect foundation match. Check out the rest of the site to learn more!
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