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6 Ways to Ace Your Base!

Our resident make-up artist Jenna Gnoato from J-Glo Makeup Artistry shares her skin caring tips for a healthy glow & flawless finish!

Step 1 – Cleanse and Exfoliate

The first step to a flawless base begins with your skin. Regular cleansing and exfoliating removes excess dirt, oil and bacteria and provides a smoother surface to apply your makeup. It prevents breakouts and removes dead skin cells to encourage a brighter more youthful appearance. Using an exfoliant such as Thalgo’s Freshness Exfoliator  2-3 times weekly is great as it contains a light menthol to invigorate and awaken the skin!

Freshness Exfoliator

Step 2 – Hydrate and Moisturise

Keeping skin hydrated is key to healthy looking skin. To maintain skin health we should consume 1 ½ to 2 litres of water a day. When the skin is dehydrated it can become shiny and create fine lines which foundation settles into making you look aged and tired. Remember to keep sipping water and herbal tea throughout the day to keep skin plump and fresh!

As well as hydrating the skin it is important to moisturise. This will prevent foundation clinging to dry patches of skin and control oil flow. It is important to use a moisturiser suitable for your skin type. With so many moisturisers on the market, choosing the right one for your skin can be daunting, so speak to your Beauty Therapist who can recommend a product best suited to your needs.

Source Marine

Step 3 – Primer

Using a primer before applying your foundation is a step which people often forget about. Using a primer prolongs your makeup, fills in visible pores and fine lines, corrects uneven skin tone and controls oil flow. It is best to wait at least 5 minutes to apply your foundation after using a primer so that it has time to absorb into the skin. I always look for a hydrating primer to plump my skin and for an added boost of hydration. One of my favourites is the Thalgo Source Marine Perfect Glow Primer.

Perfect Glow Primer

Step 4 – Tools

When applying your foundation, using a good quality foundation brush makes a huge difference. As opposed to using your fingers it allows for better control, natural coverage, reduces cross contamination and prevents product wastage. When applying a cream or liquid foundation a synthetic haired brush is best and for a powder foundation use a natural hair brush.

To prolong the life of your brush and avoid a build-up of bacteria I recommend washing your brush once a week following these simple steps:

  •  Wet your brush under warm running water.
  • Apply some shampoo (about the size of a 10 cent piece) into the palm of your hand and gently swirl your wet brush in shampoo.
  • Rinse the brush under warm water and repeat these steps until your water runs clear and your brush has no more product on the bristles.
  • Gently squeeze excess water from the brush and reshape the bristles. Allow the brush to dry lying down on its side to prevent water running into the brush handle and weakening the glue.

brushsetfan

Step 5 – Foundation

A lot of women find it difficult to find the perfect foundation for their needs. There a so many options to take into account such as do I go matte or dewy, warm or cool, sheer or full coverage, liquid or powder? This can be overwhelming and cause you to make the wrong decision and waste your money. I recommend visiting a makeup artist who can assess your needs, discuss your options & colour match to find the perfect foundation for you.

Here a few pointers in choosing the right foundation:

  •  Always match your foundation to your neck! Your face is a different colour to your neck so you want them to blend seamlessly.
  • When in doubt about the colour choose the lighter option, you can always warm your face up with a powder but you cannot lighten it.
  • If you have oily skin choose a matte foundation – this will mattify oil.
  • If you have dry skin choose a foundation with a dewy finish – this has a higher oil content and will avoid flaking.
  • For a fuller coverage choose a buildable foundation for better control and  to reduce the risk of your make up looking “cakey”. For a lighter coverage choose a sheer foundation or tinted moisturiser to give your skin a natural healthy glow.

silicium foundation

Step 6 – Setting your makeup

The final step in applying your base is setting it with a powder. During the day the natural oils in our skin can lift the foundation and cause it to move around creating a blotchy  and shiny appearance. Applying powder after your foundation mattifies any oil so your foundation stays flawless all day long!  A good idea is to keep a compact in your bag for touch-ups throughout the day. I love using the Issada Mineral Pressed Powder as it is light weight and translucent to avoid the cakey feeling.pressedmineralLarge

Jenna Gnoato – Makeup Artist

J-Glo Makeup Artistry

p 03 5327 1296