Primers

Hey there! Today is all about primers. There are primers for two different purposes. First is to prime your foundation and second is to prime your eyeshadow.

A foundation primer is used to create a smooth canvas to apply your foundation to. It works much like a moisturizer underneath your foundation to insure a smooth application of your foundation. There are many different brand of foundation primer in all different shades and colors. There are clear ones, skin colored ones, or in cancellation tones that act the same as the concealers from my last blog post.

An Eyeshadow primer is used to create a smooth base for your eyeshadow, to help your eyeshadow stay on all day and to make sure your eyeshadow doesn’t crease. These primers are in a creamy consistency and can come in many different colors. You can use a legit eyeshadow primer or you could also use a creamy eyeshadow or concealer as a primer. Anything that has a creamy consistency will work. You can also make your own eyeshadow primer. Here’s how: Stir equal amounts of liquid foundation, concealer and moisturiser. It’s as simple as that. So if you don’t want to spend money on an eyeshadow primer, you can make your own! If you want something inexpensive, I suggest the e.l.f. eyeshadow primer shown below. This is sold for 1-3$ on the e.l.f. website. 

Concealer

Hello and welcome back to my blog! Today we will talk about concealers. Concealer is a type of makeup used to camouflage dark circles under your eyes, small blemishes, redness and discoloration of the skin. It does a good job at hiding all these problem areas by blending the product in with the surrounding skin of the imperfection.


The purpose of concealer has the same purpose as foundation. They both make the skin appear more uniform in color. In other words, it makes your skin look flawless. The difference between the two is that concealer tends to be more pigmented and thick although they are available is a wide variety of densities. And secondly, foundation is normally applied to larger areas than concealer is. A little history for you; the first commercial concealer available on the market was Max Factor’s Erace, which was launched in 1938. Concealer can be used alone or can be companioned with any type of foundation or powder.

There are many different types of concealers on the market. First, there are concealers that are tinted yellow, lavender or green that allow you to cancel out certain problem areas by using complementary colors that you can see on the color wheel below. These concealers each have different purposes. 

By using a concealer that is yellow toned, it helps to hide imperfections such as dark under-eye circles, bruising or red areas usually around the nose or cheekbones which are discolored from sun damage, products, or irritation. You would use this concealer to cover up areas of your face that are of a purple or red tint or color. For dark circles you could also use a white tones concealer to brighten up the area.

By using a concealer that is lavender toned, it helps neutralize skin that appears to be yellow, especially those who have a sallow-like complexion. It can also cover up yellow bruises or extremely dark under-eye or dark spots on medium to dark skin. 

By using a concealer that is green toned, it helps reduce redness on all skin types. This tint is usually used to cover pimples, red spots, rosacea or any other redness on the face. This is the tint that is used most frequently.   


Now that you know most there is to know about concealer, you can go to the drugstore and get the one that’s right for you. If you want to cover up something that is large or very strong in discoloration, I would suggest buying the Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Concealer which is made to cover up tattoos. This is available at Sephora. If it can cover tattoos, it can pretty much cover anything! But if you simply want to even out your skin tone I suggest going with any concealer your heart desires; they all do the same thing. To apply your concealer, you can use a concealer brush or use your ring finger to apply and blend it out. The heat from your fingers will make it easier to blend and will give a smooth finish. 

Picking The Right Foundation

Today we are talking about makeup. Before you apply any sort of eye makeup, blush or bronzer, you need to have a good foundation. There are plenty of different types and brands of foundation both high end and drugstore. I will be talking to you about the different types of foundations, their purpose and which one best fits your skin.

The first type is tinted moisturizer. Evidently, this is a moisturizer. Tinted moisturizer is for people who do not need much coverage and only want to even out your skin tone and relieve dry skin at the same time. Tinted moisturizer is perfect for softening the skin while adding a small amount of foundation color. It also protects the skin with an SPF of 10 to 25 depending on the brand. This makeup product is ideal because you do not need to apply moisturizer and then foundation.  It’s a one step process. The picture on the left shows you a high end tinted moisturizer which is the Laura Mercier that sells for 43$ at Sephora. And on the left is a more affordable tinted moisturizer by e.l.f. that sells for 3$ on the e.l.f. website. 

Second is mousse or whipped foundation.  This foundation is easily applied in thin layers so you have more control.  Mousse foundation is liquid foundation that has air whipped into it which makes it lighter and smoother. This can come in many different packaging like aerosol cans, spray cans or in a glass or plastic container. Whipped foundation is good for all skin types but especially good for those with dry skin or aging skin because it tends to go on smoothly instead of caking and defining you fine lines. But we should have no problem with aging skin at Prom. Some options are the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation which sells for around 8$. There is also the Revlon Colorstay Whipped foundation which sells for around 12$.

Thirdly is liquid foundation. This is the most common foundation to use for formal events. It applies smoothly and easily. You can enhance the smoothness by applying it with different types of brushes. If you use a foundation brush, it will be much heavier than if you were to apply it with a stippling brush. I will insert pictures so you guys know what I am talking about. Also another way of enhancing the smoothness is by dampening a makeup sponge to apply the liquid foundation. Now keep in mind, when you buy your foundation, you want to get one that is matte, non oily or for photos because you do not want to look greasy in your pictures. You are going to have these pictures the rest of your life and you don’t want to be saying “oh gosh, I seriously let myself walk out the door looking so oily?” The best drugstore foundation to use for Prom would be the Revlon PhotoReady liquid foundation. It will give you great coverage and you will look flawless in your pictures. This sells for around 13$. If you are more interested in a high end brand, I suggest to go to your local Sephora to test different brand to see which is best for your skin. 

Fourth is cream-to-powder foundation. This is one of the most popular foundations and made by companies that have good reputations like L’Oreal. It goes on as a cream, and then dried to have a powder finish that minimizes oil and lasts all day. This normally comes in a compact package like a powder would. It is easy to apply and the great thing is that you won’t need to apply powder for full coverage since it dries like a powder. For a drugtore brand, I suggest Milani's which sells for around 8$. For a high end i would suggest M.A.C's which sells for around 32$. 



















Fifth is mineral foundation. Minerals are the newest addition to makeup. Their foundations have very minimal and natural ingredients which make them great for people who have allergies and sensitive skin. For best results, brush on mineral foundation with a big puffy brush, building layers of this nearly invisible powder. This foundation creates an airbrush flawless appearance. On the right is an example of a drugstore mineral foundation. This one is Maybelline Pure Foundation Mineral which sells for around 8$. A more high end would be the Bare Minerals foundation which sells for around 27$. 

 

Sixth is B.B. Cream. This is the most recent addition to face makeup. B.B. cream stands for beauty balm, blemish balm or blemish base. It is an all in one facial cosmetic product that is a serum, moisturizer, primer, foundation and sun screen all in one. This is for people who dont need much coverage and just want to look natural. An example of a drugstore B.B. cream would L'Oreal's Magic Skin Beautifier B.B. cream which sells for around 17$. A high end B.B. cream that was reviewed to be amazing is the Dr. Jart+ Blemish Base (B.B.) which sells for 36$.  

These are all the different types of foundation out there. To figure out which one you like the best, go to your local drugstore to find out. To choose the color that you need, always match it with the color of your neck. This is because your face can have redness and discoloration unlike your neck.

Here is a video tutorial of how to apply and set your foundation. In the video, I am using BB cream since I believe that i do not need much coverage. But if you believe you need more coverage than a BB cream will give you, please feel free to get a full coverage liquid foundation.