Starting Off: Foundation

Hello again!
This is the third installment of #theSOproject and this week i'm going to be talking about foundation!

To start off I should probably get back to basics and explain what exactly it is. Foundation is a skin-coloured make-up that is most commonly used to cover up blemishes, even out any redness or discoloration of the skin and generally give a more flawless finish to the face. It differs slightly from concealer, which is more heavily focused on eliminating particular problem areas or obvious blemishes. To find out more about concealer you can read my post all about concealer here.

If you're a teenager just starting out in make-up, you may still have perfect baby-faced skin, in which case, you really don't need to worry about it! I didn't start really wearing foundation until I was in about year 11 and to be honest there are still many occasions now when I just can't be bothered and a little concealer is enough. However, puberty often results in hormone-induced acne, which can make girls self-conscious. Ultimately though, women of all ages have problems with their skin from time to time and simply want some extra coverage, just to help with their self-confidence.

Luckily, the cosmetics industry has come a long way since our mothers and grandmothers were teenagers and there is an unbelievable range of foundation products on the market, ranging from BB creams and tinted moisturisers, mineral powder foundations and whipped mousse foundations to name just a few. However, all of this extra choice can be a little confusing, so i'm going to go through a few products that i've tried personally and hopefully it will help you to decide which kind of product you are looking for.

Tinted Moisturiser:
If your skin is in pretty good condition, with few blemishes and little oiliness, a great, lighter alternative to a classic foundation is a tinted moisturiser. What it will do is help with any dry skin you may have, whilst offering a subtle tint of colour, which should be enough to help even out your skintone, whilst still resulting in a very natural look. Personally I love MAC's Studio Moisture Tint as it has SPF 15 in it which is great for protecting your skin from the sun and it provides just enough coverage to make me feel confident with my skin. It's a little pricey at £21.50 but I love it a lot and i've repurchased it numerous times.

BB Cream:
BB (Beauty Balm) creams have been popular in Asia for ages, but are a pretty recent addition to the Western cosmetics market. BB creams are pretty similar to tinted moisturisers, but tend to be multi-functional, offering not only coverage but various skincare properties. They offer a subtle coverage, not completely eliminating imperfections, but evening them out and giving a very natural finish.
I have the Simple Kind To Skin + Perfecting Beauty Balm which retails at £8.99. It is only available in one universal shade, but from reading reviews online a lot of people with different skintones have said that it has adapted well to their individual skin colour. It's cheap, it gives a light, natural coverage and contains SPF15, Vitamins E and A and no artificial perfumes or colourings.

Liquid Foundations:

Liquid foundation is probably the most commonly used type of foundation as it is easy to use and there are so many different types available. It can be applied using a sponge, such as a beauty blender, a brush (personally I use my Real Techniques buffing brush) or can simply be applied with your fingertips. I've used many different types of liquid foundation over the years but at the moment my favourites are:
Benefit Hello Flawless (for a full review click here) £25.50 from Benefit
Bourjois Healthy Mix (for a full review click here) £9.99 from Boots or Superdrug
and Revlon Colorstay £12.49 from Boots or Superdrug
The main advantage of liquid foundations is that you can build them up to your desired level of coverage.

Powder Foundations:

Powder foundations, when worn alone, tend to offer a naturally matte looking finish and a soft, barely-there coverage. However, some powder foundations give this illusion of flawless bare skin, whilst actually offering quite high coverage. Brands such as bareMinerals specialise in loose powder foundations that can be built up to your own preference, from a sheer finish to a virtually full coverage. Powder foundations are also great for setting other products, such as a BB cream or a liquid foundation, making them last longer.
I love the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, which I use everyday to set my liquid foundation, or I wear it alone on days where I don't feel like wearing a whole face of make-up.
£22.00 from MAC Cosmetics.
I also like the Original Foundation SPF 15 from bareMinerals, as you can build up the coverage without it looking caked on and as their website states it "looks like a powder, but feels like a cream", so you don't feel as though your face is covered in layers of powder.
£25.00 from bareMinerals.

There are many other types of foundation out there, for example I was an avid fan of the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse when I was younger, but now I find mousse foundations far too drying, so I tend to avoid them.

Anyway, apologies for the extremely long post but I hope it has been informative and helped you in some way!

What is your favourite type of foundation?