The Basis of Makeup Foundation

The market is flooded with a large variety of cosmetics which are easily available for the asking. It does not require any skill to buy a product, but it does require a thorough knowledge of their different properties. In fact, very few women really know the art of using beauty aids dexterously so as to gain maximum effect with minimum efforts. Foundation creams or lotions play an important role in giving smoothness to the face. Foundation is applied on the facial skin as a basis of makeup so as to heighten the glow on the cheeks.

How to apply foundation?

Foundation is applied before makeup. First, clean your face with deep cleansing milk. Foundation is not only the base of your makeup, it is also the protecting agent of your skin, as well as an effective medium to hide your pimples, shadows and other spots. The face looks clean, soft and fresh.

Foundation is usually available in the form of a thick cream in a bottle or tube. Take a small quantity on your left palm and apply a little on your face with the fingers of your right hand. Instead of fingers; you can also apply it with a cotton wool swab after dipping it in rose-water. Use it profusely on your neck also, otherwise your neck will look darker than your face. Foundation is applied with an upward motion from the chin onwards with the tips of finger. Thus, it gets absorbed in the skin. Let it dry for a while before starting your makeup. For dry skin, it is necessary to apply glycerine with a cotton wool swab before using foundation. If your skin is oily, use astringent lotion mixed with a drop or two of rose water or lemon juice. Now, apply foundation and make it even by rubbing the face lightly with tissue paper. Also, clean your eye brows and eye lashes of all the extra foundation sticking on over them. This cleaning should also be done with tissue paper.

The shape of your face can be changed; some extent by the use of foundation. If you have a round face, use a dark shade foundation; for square and diamond shaped face, use a dad shade over the jaw and the chin. If the skin below your eyes has a subdued color, you can heighten it by using darker shade on the spot. Similarly shadows and black spots below the eyes can hidden under a coating of light shade foundation. A broad nose can be made to look thinner darker shade is applied on each side of the nose.

If you have double-chin then by applying dark shade foundation on its underneath part it can be made to look balanced. You can make your chin prominent by the use of light shade foundation. If your cheek bones are raised, apply dark shade foundation below them.

Take care that you do not use foundation profusely in large quantity. Wash off your makeup before retiring to bed otherwise the particles will clog your skin-pores preventing the skin from inhaling fresh air.

Using Foundation

• Use foundation only on clean skin. Do not try to give a 'touch' to a stale make-up with foundation.
• If you have dry skin, choose a lanolin mixed foundation cream.
• For oily skin a foundation cream without lanolin is useful. You can also use a vanishing cream as foundation.
• For oily skin "cake' foundation is good.
• While choosing a face powder, take care to use the same shade or a lighter shade.
• Do not use a shade darker than the shade of your foundation.
• Foundation should be a little darker than the shade of your natural complexion.