I get the bus to work every morning and this morning I was sitting opposite a girl in her early 20’s I think. Many women use the morning commute as a chance to do their make-up and this girl was one of them. She was beautiful, amazing pale skin and striking features and as I watched she proceeded to start applying her foundation. To my horror this stunning girl turned from pale to orange in a matter of seconds… I was probably staring but I couldn’t help it! She layered and layered the foundation on so it was like a mask covering her whole face. I might understand her wanting to do this if she had problem skin but she didn’t!

Anyway, it got me thinking of how many women just don’t use foundation the way they should and are probably wearing the wrong colour as well. I know in the beginning, when I started training as a make-up artist it was the one thing I wanted to know, how to find the perfect foundation. So here I will just give a few pointers that I think every woman should know about foundation.

Firstly, foundation should only be used to even out your natural skin colour and tone. It should NOT be used to make you more tanned or cover any major flaws or blemishes on your skin. Concealer should be used to cover these and then your bronzer and blusher used to add colour and contour your face. One of my favourite foundations and one I use a lot is the MAC Face & Body. Its a lightweight foundation that goes on very easily and gives a lovely flawless cover. Perfect if you don’t like wearing anything too heavy or just for daytime. I use a sponge when applying it to get a seamless look.

If you prefer something a little heavier the MAC Studio Sculpt is very good and again goes on quite easily but another favourite of mine is the NARS Sheer Glow. It’s like velvet going on your skin and gives a gorgeous finish. Perfect for brides! You can get this in a matt version also. It’s a little pricey but will last you ages as you shouldn’t need a lot. For older skin the Armani foundations are lovely and have that extra coverage you might need.

With all foundations though, you can use as little or as much as you like to get the coverage that you prefer but I would always say less is more. You want your skin to breath and look it’s best, not look caked or overdone. I think every woman wants to look like the best version of themselves so just keep this in mind when applying your base. And remember, if you have your foundation right you shouldn’t have that line around your jaw line that you see so often.

Clare xox