The structure & literal “foundation” of your make-up look; this aspect needs careful consideration and colour-matching in order to hit the jack-pot!

But what of the different types of coverage on the market..?

Choosing a Foundation Base

Liquid Foundation – A liquid foundation is best suited to drier-normal skin types. It can give you the dewy look everyone loves and is easy to blend into skin with either your fingertips or, preferably, a good foundation brush. However, always remember to blend up to your hairline and on to your neck for a natural finish!

BB Cream – We’re a big fan of REN’s new BB Cream! Being the last brand to get on the band-wagon, you just know they’ve perfected the art of the BB Cream with their natural antioxidant ingredients, ensuring your skin is not exposed to all those nasties! A BB Cream is the coverage of choice with our PURE beauty therapists this summer, as they get all the benefits of a foundation without the heavy finish blocking your pores. Use your fingers to apply.

Mineral Foundation – A mineral foundation is the perfect choice for oilier skinned ladies, as it can soak up all the excess oil and give you an even coverage which doesn’t irritate or block pores. The finish is buildable, so you choose your own coverage! This type of foundation is also fantastic for your skin, as it contains natural minerals which increase skin health. Use a Kabuki Brush for best results!

Tinted Moisturiser – A tinted moisturiser is the lightest of all foundation coverage types. Most popular in the summer months, it is a moisturiser which is infused with a sheer colour to give you a healthy light base. For anyone with fairly good skin, it simply gives you the glowy boost you want and will have people asking, “what’s your secret?!” Best applied using fingertips! Add a few dots of concealer over any blemishes to really maximise the results.

PURE Top Tip: “Use a foundation primer before applying your base to keep your make-up in place all day long! Especially useful for all you on-the-go ladies with no time for touch-ups!”

PURE Top Tip: “To really amp up the dewiness, spritz on a spring water spray on top of your base – it’s also perfect for travel, as it will wake up the skin and bring out your natural radiance during long haul!”

Foundation Colour Matching

Probably the most essential part of choosing the right foundation is getting your colour right. There are too many people in the world who simply head into a shop (or, worse, online!) and choose a colour they think will match to their skin tone.. This is a no no, ladies! Always go to a beauty counter (or colour swatch 3 shades across your jaw-line at the store and see which blends into your natural tones) and let the beauty assistant match you up.

As a guide, if you have warm undertones, you should go for foundation colours with a yellow-peach base. In reverse, if you have cooler undertones, go for foundation colours with a pink-neutral base shade. For all those ladies with a more neutral undertone – you are pretty free to try either base shade. But make sure you match up well!

Check out The Beauty Department for their ‘Going Undercover’ colour-matching guide

No time to get colour matched in the store and already have the perfect shade in another brand..? We recommend trying out the Temptalia Foundation Matrix online to get matched up as best as you can. Best for those experienced foundation users!

PURE Top Tip: “Make sure you check your matched colour is correct by heading outside into day-light and taking a look. Your colour may look completely right under the harsh store lighting, but normal lighting may bring a completely different result!”

SPF or no SPF?

You may not know this already but SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is a sneaky addition to foundation which can either be a saint or a sinner..

In the day-time, SPF application is fully recommended to protect your skin from the harsh effects of UVA & UVB rays. We love the Elemis Liquid Layer Sunblock SPF 30 for getting your protection sorted!

However, during night-time, SPF turns into a darker character.. Always wondered about those dreaded white-faced flash-back pictures of you on nights out? It’s down to SPF! Always choose a base without SPF for night-time application to ensure you always look photo-ready and can focus on perfecting those poses instead..

Enjoyed this Foundation basics post? Let us know in the comments below!