Foundation Routine

Most days, I keep my face makeup simple with some tinted moisturizer or concealer. But when I'm going for a full-coverage, budge-proof base, these are the products I reach for. The result is flawless, but still natural-looking skin. Keep reading to see my favorite face products and how I use them!

Step 1: Moisturize

Dry skin and full-coverage foundation definitely don't mix well, so I always make sure to have a layer of lightweight moisturizer underneath my makeup. For daytime, I prefer something with SPF (like this), and for night I love this one that I received as a part of my Sephora birthday gift. Because my skin is combination/oily, I definitely can't get away with anything too thick or rich. Glowy is great, but greasy isn't cute.

Step 2: Prime

When I really want things to last, I find that this setting spray (you might recognize it from a recent haul) works really well underneath my makeup as a primer. Other traditional primers I've tried haven't really made a difference in my makeup's longevity, so I usually pass. But this All-Nighter spray is a great double duty product, and I can definitely see myself using it for special occasions or in the humid summer months as both a primer and setting spray.

Step 3: Apply Foundation

In the past, wearing foundation made me feel less confident, because I felt like people could totally tell that I was wearing a layer of makeup on my face. But the combination of this Make Up For Ever foundation and Beauty Blender is a dream. While the matte aspect might turn some people away, don't let it scare you! The foundation is pretty thick, but when thinned out and applied with a damp beauty blender, it becomes super lightweight and really does give a "velvet" finish, and because it doesn't cling to any dry patches, I can wear it year-round. I also find that the coverage is enough for me to skip concealer on most days, but if my under-eyes are particularly tired, I add some of my go-to Maybelline Age Rewind.

Step 4: Set

To ensure that nothing slides around, I use my favorite powder (less than $4 from the drugstore) to set everything in place. I follow that with a couple more sprays of All-Nighter, which helps the powder sink into the skin better and give an even more natural look (without sacrificing coverage).

Step 5: Finishing Touches

Lastly, to add a bit of color and dimension, I use the work of art that is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette. I was lucky enough to receive this as a birthday gift from my sister, and I'm in love. I alternate between the first and second colors (Dim Light and Incandescent Light) as highlighting powders for under my eyes and on the high points of my face, and the last color (Radiant Light) is the perfect bronze shade for my cheeks (no blush necessary). The powders are really "finely-milled" (lol I've always wanted to use that phrase) and aren't overly-pigmented, so you don't have to worry about things looking too heavy or unnatural.

And that's it! My current go-to base. I hope you enjoyed this little beauty post :)

xoxo Lizzie