Caked Up Makeup= bleh

Have you ever had one of those days when you apply foundation or powder and you look and see a big cakey mess that makes your skin feel horribly suffocated? I know most have had this experience and it's not a pretty one. The purpose of foundation is to perfect and smooth imperfections, but sometimes it sits on top of skin and inside of pores creating a not so natural and cakey looking finish that nobody wants.

Here's some simple ways to avoid unnatural cakey makeup! 

 1. Apply a face primer: Think of painting walls in your home... you apply a primer before painting to smooth out the surface of the walls-- the same way a face primer smooths out the surface of your skin and prepares it for the application of foundation. This is a recently new standard of makeup products. If you have dry skin go for a sheer or silky primer, if you have oily or combination skin go for a matte primer. For a sheer primer I recommend Clinique Pore Minimizer Instant Perfecter and for a matte primer I recommend MAC Matte Cream.


  2. The right colour: This is pretty self explanatory!How many times have you gone to buy foundation, thinking it will match your skin colour, to go home and find that it is orange or maybe too pink.  Your foundation should not be darker or lighter than you neck. However, you skin tone does change throughout the year so make sure you get the right colour depending on the season. A good way to check the colour of your foundation is to swipe three different shades of foundation that you think might match and pick the one that is closest to your natural skin tone.

  2. Don't apply too much foundation: The first thing a lot of people do when they see a blemish or discolour they panic and pile on the makeup to cover it. This may cover the blemishes fairly well, BUT there's the risk of piling up and looking like a mask! what you should do is apply a thin layer  just to even out your overall skin, then go with a light concealer on just the blemishes. One way to know you have applied too much foundation is to take a tissue and dab it onto your face after applying foundation. The makeup that shows up on the tissue is the makeup that is just extra sitting on top of the  skin!

3. Apply powder only to oily areas: This is one key step! ONLY apply powder to the areas on your face that tend to get oily. If you have dry skin, you may want to skip powder altogether. If you MUST have a totally matte face, then the trick is to apply a thin layer with a velvety powder puff!

6. Mist setting spray: This is totally optional. You should only do this step if you skin looks dry after applying makeup. This sets your foundation and gives a suble glow because it "melts" the powder into your foundation. Skip this step if your skin is oily because it could cause your skin to look even more oily. A good product for this is Mac Fix + another is just rose water spray like in my Glow of Roses post!

7. BLEND!: This is one of the most important steps in applying foundation! Personally it is the most important step! One of my biggest pet peeves is blotchy makeup and foundation lines! Blend with a sponge or foundation brush starting at the forehead and blending in circular motions. Continue onto the jaw line and hairline until the foundation looks seamless! Apply some foundation to your neck, as well.

And there you have it! A few simple and easy ways to get flawless natural looking foundation! Enjoy your flawless look!