5 steps to the perfect skin!

The main question I always get asked is “How have you made my skin look like that?!” So, I thought I’d share some easy tips to help you get perfect skin every day! Hope they help! X

PREP! – ALWAYS remove your makeup before bed.
Your skin regenerates at night – so anything left on the skin will go into it overnight. This goes for toxins and excess oil that’s produced over the day too. You can’t get a flawless base if you don’t have an even canvas underneath, so make sure your skincare is up to scratch.
Add a cleanser into your night time routine to properly rid the skin of make-up and dirt. You should double cleanse to remove makeup every night, followed by a toner if you’re oily or try MAC softening lotion for Normal/Dryer skins and then moisturise. Exfoliate weekly to remove dead skin and blemishes.
For oilier and dehydrated skins, use a water-based moisturiser such as MAC Charged Water Lotion. For dryer/mature skins, use something a little heavier such as NIVEA Soft or Kiehl’s Ultra Face Cream.

2. FIND THE RIGHT FOUNDATION! – This is like finding the perfect pair of jeans… it’s a hard one! There are so many options out there, so consider what you actually want your skin to look like when it’s on (dewy or matte) and also what your skin is like without make-up on.

For example – if you’re oilier but want a dewy finish, you might find a dewy foundation moves or separates on the skin throughout the day. So use an oil-controlling primer or moisturiser underneath.
Drier skins may appear textured and dull – skip the primer and up your exfoliation and mouisturiser! Use illuminators as a base to brighten skin.

See below for my favourite foundation recommendations…

Foundations for Normal/Dry skin: Liquid foundations will be your new BFF!
Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder (Sheer – Medium Coverage)
MAC Mineralise Moisture (Medium Coverage)
Bobbi Brown Skin (Medium Coverage)
MAC Studio Sculpt (Full Coverage)
These foundations have a dewy finish, so if youre not a fan of the shine try mattifying slightly with a light powder such as MAC’s Careblend or Mineralise Skinfinish, these will nourish the skin and wont dry it out.

Foundations for Normal/Dehydrated skin:
MAC Face and Body (Sheer-Medium Coverage)
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk (Light – Medium Coverage)
Nars Sheer Glow (Medium – Full Coverage)
MAC Studio Fix (Medium-Full Coverage)
Dehydrated Skins tend to feel quite tight and dry in the mornings/after cleansing, but often get oilier throughout the day. Keep a compact powder in the bag to mattify oils during the day!

Foundations for Combination/Oily skin:
-MAC Matchmaster (Sheer – Medium Coverage)
-NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation (Medium-Full Coverage)
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation (Medium-Full Coverage)
MAC Studio Fix Fluid/Powder (Full Coverage)

3. FIND YOUR COLOUR –
Again, a hard one! You might not be the same colour in every foundation so make sure you always try before you buy. You also may find you need a winter shade and a summer shade.
Choose the tone – most foundations come in ‘cool’ and ‘warm’ tones. A good trick to work out which tone you are is to look at the veins in your wrist – if they appear more green you’re probably more of a yellow ‘cool’ tone. If they appear bluer, you should be a rosy ‘warm’ tone. Some brands do differ, so make sure you ask at the counter or try a ‘foundation fitting’.

Always test your foundation on the face, your wrist is not the same colour and neither is your neck! Look for a colour that is almost invisible when applied and it should be perfect!

Concealer for the under eyes – this is a little different. Generally we use concealer to eliminate dark circles and brighten under the eye. Therefore we are colour-correcting. Dark, bluey tones under the eye will usually want a ‘pink’ based concealer to correct and brighten.
Yellow toned concealers will brighten under the eye on those with more olive/dark skin tones.
You can of course use a pink based concealer then apply something such as Estee Lauder Touché Éclat or MAC Prep and Prime Light Boost pen on top to brighten if you need.

4. APPLICATION –
A lot of people tell me they want full coverage but don’t want to look ‘cakey’. Combating the cakey look is all about application. Choose the right tools and apply the right amount. Skin only looks cakey when it’s either been applied wrong, or where there’s an overload of product!
Think logically when applying. Your foundation doesn’t need to give you total coverage – don’t forget it’s the first thing you apply. Concealer will add coverage, so will powder, bronzer, blusher, highlighter and so on…

5. TOOLS –
INVEST in your brushes/applicators! There are so many brushes/beauty blenders/applicators on the market these days and when you think you’ve just found the one, there’s another one released!
Choose brushes/tools that work for you – it’s all about personal preference and what you feel comfortable with, however these steps below should help you choose the right tool for your foundation.
Water-Based foundations (such as MAC Face & Body, Bobbi Brown Skin, and Armani Luminous Silk) do not work well with sponges. These should be applied with duo-fibre or ‘stippling’ brushes for a really airbrushed finish.
Fuller-cover foundations (such as MAC Studio Fix Fluid and Nars All Day Weightless) are best applied with denser brushes like the MAC 170s or Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. Flat foundation brushes and sponges such as beauty blenders are great too!
Loose Powders are best applied with large, fluffy brushes and pressed powders can be used with sponges for fuller coverage and a brush for lighter coverage!
ALWAYS and I mean always clean your brushes! You should be washing once a week in warm water with Fairy Liquid to remove build-up makeup and most importantly, bacteria! Dirty brushes can leave you with unwanted spots and I think we can all agree we don’t need any extra!

Hope these tips help you with getting your ultimate base! If you have any further questions you’d like answered, please feel free to contact me via the contact section below!