Daily “Foundation” Routine
By Alina Avery
I haven’t worn an actual foundation in months.
Lately, I’ve preferred to create my own skin perfecting combination of products in the morning. It’s not an exact science, but the strategy is to really look at my skin, decide what it needs to look its best given its current starting state, and do that.
Depending on if I’ve self tanned, or am suffering a breakout, or dryness or discoloration, I’ll mix together various products to try to balance and perfect my skin. A typical formula looks like:
1 part tinted moisturizer or BB cream
This is where you get your skin-loving benefits. Depending on how my skin is looking (dull, broken out, tired, etc) I’ll choose something different. They’re supposed to treat skin issues instead of just cover them up. Maybe it’s a placebo effect, but I find that it works for me! I love the Armani Luminessence CC Cream, shade 4, for illuminating and glowing, the Guerlain Terracotta Healthy Skin, in nude, for smoothing and perfecting, and the Kiehl’s BB Cream, in light, for evening skin tone and clarifying.
1 part liquid concealer
This is the ingredient that gives you extra coverage and turns your tinted moisturizer into more of a foundation. While they definitely provide skincare benefits, TMs don’t always cover blemishes and uneven tone unless you build them up, which kind of defeats the purpose in my opinion, so adding a bit of concealer in there takes it to another level. My picks are the Armani Maestro Eraser, shade 3, (Sorry mine looks a bit grubby here! I do use it just about everyday…) and the Clarins Instant Concealer, shade 2, both because they have lightweight, fluid, super soft textures and provide great coverage with skincare benefits.
1 part illuminater or mattifier
I reach for the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal when I’m paler (please excuse it’s naked appearance in the photo, the cap broke!) , Armani Fluid Sheer #3 when I’m a bit more tanned, and sprinkle in a bit of W3LL PEOPLE Altruist Powder, shade 15, when I want to be a bit more matte.
I mix them together with my index finger on the back of my hand, then use that finger to apply to my face, starting with the areas where I have the most trouble: blemishes, under eyes, redness. Then I take a damp beautyblender and bounce and blend it in to my whole face. Then I’ll apply a bit more concealer to spots if I need it, but I don’t usually need to, and then set it all with a translucent powder.
It does take a bit longer than just applying foundation as usual, but I find that it looks amazing and is worth the extra effort. It’s also super easy!
P.S. If you’re curious, my nail polish here is Dior Lady!
