How do you do it? (Quick Demo Video)
Once you know the foundation formula you want, you now need to get the right shade.
You have to put it on your skin, and not just your skin, your jawline. The hand or forearm will not do unless that is where you will be wearing the foundation.
You do not have to apply it to your whole face. Instead apply an opaque vertical stripe a fingertip width wide along the jaw line closer to your ear than lips. This area is the truest shade of your skin. Also, we want the shade to disappear at the jawline. (Quick Demo Video)
Allow the foundation to begin to dry. Watch the edges of the stripe. If the shade disappears into the skin outside the stripe, chances are this shade will look most like your own skin. (Quick Demo Video)
Why do we wait for it to dry a little?
There are internal and external forces that factor into the final dry-down of a foundation.
They are:
• PH balance of the skin
• Body temperature
• Environmental oxidants
All of these factors affect the pigment and it is wise to let them have their affect before choosing your shade.
The first two, PH balance and body temperature, affect the shade very quickly. In a minute you will know the affect on the foundation.
Oxidation however takes longer to manifest. Suffice it to say that no matter what shade you choose, it will get slightly to moderately darker by the end of the day.
If you need to choose between 2 shades, one a little lighter than your skin tone and one a little darker, I recommend always choosing the lighter one. It will get darker during the day. (Quick Demo Video)
If you start with a foundation a little darker, as it oxidizes, it will give the skin a more weathered appearance. As this is usually not the desired appearance, try to use restraint and not select the slightly darker shade.
Do I need to try it on my skin?
Absolutely. Color charts either in stores or online are a guide to narrow down the shade that is appropriate for you. Without putting it on your skin, you will NEVER know if it is the right shade for you. (Quick Demo Video)
The only exception is if looking at tints such as BB creams or my Tinted veil. They usually come in 3 to 4 shades max.
The pigment is so minimal in these products. Most people know if they are a Light, Medium or Dark and the color choices do not go much deeper than that.
What if my skin tone changes throughout the year, winter is lighter and summer is darker?
For those whose skin has a wide shade range throughout the year, I suggest 2 foundations, one for your lightest shade and one for your darkest shade.
It is far easier to mix a little foundation together and get your exact shade as it fluctuates throughout the year than getting a new foundation shade every time your skin lightens or deepens. (Quick Demo Video)
What are the pitfalls to avoid?
If purchasing in a store and being helped by an employee, do not let the employee rub the makeup into your skin to show you how well it blends.
It is easy to make a number of shades blend well if it is blended enough. Use the stripe dry down method before having anything applied all over your face.
Use the daylight test. It is best to have your own compact mirror and check the new foundation in a few lighting scenarios before selecting your shade. Outdoors is a must and bad bathroom down lighting will often reveal if the undertone of the shade is wrong.
Here is a quick demo video for picking your foundation shade
Many of these blogs are the result of my clients telling me their challenges and concerns with anything to do with makeup.
Please send me your concerns so I may feature them with my blogs.
Experience the Gourmet Collection: Eye Shadow Quintets
Warmly,
Chris Scott
24th of February, 2016
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Makeup Gourmet’s Face with a Heart Authentic Beauty Makeup® products are developed alongside the Face with a Heart Authentic Beauty Makeup® method of application. They are customized to give you the best results when applying your makeup.
Please let me know if this blog was of value to you and share your own Authentic Beauty Makeup tips in the comments box below. I would love to hear how you get on trying this new method of makeup application – tell me how useful you find the tutorials and how you found the results. You can also use the comments box to tell me what interests and concerns you when it comes to which makeup colors to choose. Please let me know so I can fashion future blogs that are relevant and interesting to you.
Want to know more? My new best selling book, Face with a Heart: Mastering Authentic Beauty Makeup is available on Amazon now.
CHRIS SCOTT, M.A. is the creator of San Francisco-based Makeup Gourmet®. Over his nearly 30-year career, in addition to doing makeup for top models from every corner of the planet, he also had the honor of working for legends like Paul McCartney, US Vice President Al Gore, Shirley Temple Black, Maya Angelou and Olympic Gold medalists Oksana Baiul and Kristi Yamaguchi. He was the creator and host of the TV show ‘Makeup Gourmet’ from 2008 – 2010. He was a leading Chanel Beauté national artist for over two decades, and is also the creator and guest teacher of Fashion Makeup at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He created his unique Makeup Gourmet line to ensure his clients and the public could have access to high-quality, ethically produced, ‘green’ makeup and skincare with a low-carbon footprint. Chris is also the author of Cosmetic Counter Survival Guide: How to Buy the Right Skin Care and Makeup and the international #1 bestseller Face with a Heart: Mastering Authentic Beauty Makeup.
‘The grass is always greener where you water it.’
CS
