Foundation Routine that lasts you the entire day

A good foundation and blush routine can be the differentiating factor between a natural look and looking like Canio (the clown) form the opera "I Pagliacci."

In this blog post I want to focus on foundation , contouring and blush techniques for plus size women or women with round faces.

While I show you some failproof techniques, i'll also tell you what products work best (in my humble opinion).

So first lets talk about the 5 steps of prepping your face before applying your makeup.

1. Cleansing
2. Toning
3. Moisturising
4. Lip  balm
5. Sun screen

Once you're done with the above 5 steps, you should apply a face primer. This will help your foundation stay longer and give you a smooth surface to work on.

Some great face primers are:
MAC Prep + Prime

 

Benefit the Porefessional

Application technique: You take a little bit of the primer and dot it all over your face. In small circular motion gently rub it all over your face. Make sure it is evenly applied all over.

Foundation Routines: When choosing your foundation use the below mentioned steps.
1. Look at your face in the mirror. The lightest natural colour on your face is what you ideally would want to match the foundation with. You also want to the foundation to match the colour of your neck.
2. Take a little of the foundation and apply it to your forehead or cheek and see if it blends well.
3. Apply the foundation all over your face and set it with a powder. Usually the counter staff can help you with that. See how the foundation behaves on you for the next half hour and only when youre satisfied do you buy it. It takes foudnation 20 minutes to settle on your face.

After you have picked the perfect foundation. If it is a liquid foundation, you would want to shake it well and pump it to the back of your hand to heat it up with your body heat. This helps it apply better.

The fastest and best application technique I feel for any non makeup artist is with your fingers.
Dot your cheeks and rub gently in curcular motions. Make sure you only apply foundation on the area which you're working on immediately. DO NOT APPLY ALL OVER YOUR FACE AND THEN START WORKING ON IT. Because sometimes these foundations dry fast and you might not be able to work it well enough if its too dry.

In this manner apply the foundation all over your face.

Now to highlight the best areas Use a concealer that is one shade lighter than your foundation.

I have a detailed post on highlighting your features.
http://aasheianaa.blogspot.in/2012/12/let-there-be-light.html

Now that You have highlighted the area lets work on concealing problem areas.

Now usually if you need to conceal any area on your face you would want to do that before you start highlighting. Lets review concealing techniques based on generic facial problems.

To properly conceal imperfections you need to color correct it.

Dark Circles: If you have brown discoloration under your eye, the best product to use is a orange tint/apricot colour concealer.

Best Apricot Concealers: Bobbi Brown Correctors
12 Shades of apricot tinted color correctors for every skin tone. Suprisingly even though Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is specifically aimed at Indian Skin tone, it really works well on us.

Application technique: Dab it on the dark discoloration under the eye. With your ring finger continue to dab it in to blend into your skin. Do not swipe as that takes the product off rather than blending it in.

Acne Prone or if youre skin is very red:
You should use a mint green color concealer to cover the acne spots. If your skin looks very red you can also apply a thin layer of the mint green color before applying your foundation.

Best Mint Green Concealers: Makeup Forever Color Corrector Pallete no. 5

You can also kill 2 birds with one stone by buying color corrector primers. You get them in most cosmetic brands like NYX , Smashbox etc.

MOST COLOR CORRECTION HAPPENS BEFORE YOU ADD YOUR FOUNDATION. There is no set rule, with trial and error you will know what works best for you. For me I apply the appricot concealer on my dark circles after apply my foundation.

For other color correction techniques please click on this link

Now the last step to a perfect foundation routine.


Loose Powder: This step is to set your foundation so it doesnt move all day. This also helps mattefy your face and take away any shine.

Use a powder puff

Dampen the powder puff a little with a water spray bottle.

Then dip it in your loose powder and rub a little ont he back of your hand to spread it equally and remove excess. Then in a pressing motion applt it on your face, especially the T-Zone.

Gr8! Loose Powders. Christian Dior, Maybelline, MAC, Makeup Forever, Kryolan.

You cna get tinted loose powder or a mattefying powder. I personally dont like the HD powders because in pictures they tend to give you the ghostly white look.

Once you have applied the powder and set your foundation. Take a fan brush and dust of the excess from your face.

Your foundation routine is now complete.

Now lets move on to my favorite part!

Contouring.

Is simply the play of dark and light. When you want to hide something, that is when we apply a matte bronzer to the area.

For plus size women it works wonders.

There are generic areas where all face shapes should contour and those are shown int he picture below. NOW IF YOU HAVE A LEAN FACE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO AVOID CONTOURING.

 

The Jaw line and temples are where most women would want to apply a little bronzer. And remember start with a little and you can build on teh intensity depending on yoru taste. If you wish to get a straight line while contouring, you can use a credit card or business card as a guideline.

 

For plus size women or women with round faces, while contouring your cheekbones you want to start from the top of your ears and downwards towards mid cheek. This gives the illusion of a longer and slimer face and also higher cheekbones.

 

CHECK OUT ADELE'S CONTOURING.

 

 

Best Bronzers : MAC Bronze (For anyone who uses MAC NC 40 and up.) MAC Golden (NC 30 and up ) MAC BLUNT for everyone! Love these bronzers. Remember for contouring you want a matte bronzer.

 

Now to add the color to your face. Your Blush routine.

I feel cream blushes work best in the heat that we have all year round. For round faces you want to go from the apple of your cheeks upwards. However start with a little and then build. You dont want to look like a 19th century lady of the night.

 

Application: Applying a cream blush is fairly easy. You apply it with small circular motion blending it upwards from the apple of your cheeks towards the top of your ear. The blush would go above your contouring and in fact you can blend the edge of your blush with the end of your bronzer for a more seemless.

 

Now you can start with highlighting. To know more about highlighting please visit my blog post.

 

Your makeup will last you the entire day and all you have to do to refresh it is use the MAC Fix plus spray anytime during the day.

XOXO



















 

The Starter Kit

I realised that in India women start applying makeup a little later than other places. I personally think that's absolutely fine. However, that makes us a little late on the uptake.

Ever since i started my blog and youtube channel, one question consistently occupies my inbox, "What products should I use?"

I thought it would be great to help all my readers create a pocket SMART and Skin protecting makeup kit.
Now keep in mind you can only know how effective a product is for you once you use it. And the list below is the minimum number of products for a complete personal makeup kit.

The first thing you need for a good makeup routine is skin products. I start with cleansing my face with my favorite face wash. Now here is where the extra care bits come in.

1. After cleansing, I use a toner. A good toner really helps in minimizing face pores. This helps in protecting your skin from trapping dirt as well as your makeup, as the pores dont create a lot of oil once minimized. I use the Clinique Toner. The reason i recommend a high end toner is, you should never compromise on skin products. The most expensive products in your kit should be the ones to protect and enrich your skin.

2. After toning, moisturing is the key to prep your skin for makeup. A well moisturised skin helps the foundation and concealer glide on your face. There is no flakyness. And if you feel you have too much on you can always use a tissue or muslin cloth to dab it out. The moisturizer I use Sheshaido White Lucient. However, any good gel, water or oil based moisturiser will do depedning on your skin type. The clinique moisturiser is probably the best for all skin types and you also get small tubes that you can easily carry with you.



***** Now this product is my ace in the sleeve. BB CREAM. In India as of now we only have the Maybeline BB Cream. Its a moisturizer, spot remover, SPF and also provides slight coverage. After the toner you can use the BB Cream and directly get to the foundation routine.

3. Another trick or miracle product is Clinique's City Block. it's a tinted moisturiser with SPF and can also be used as a light primer for your face. A primer is applied before your foundation and it works like a glue. It smoothens lines and fills pores which helps foundation go on smoother and last monger.

4. Now we start with the actual makeup routine. You will need a great foundation to begin with.

The Revlon Color Stay foundation is cost effective as well as full coverage for someone with oily skin. It also has quite a few skin tones so there is a good chance you will find the tone perfect for you.

The Lakme Perfect Radian Skin Foundation is perfect for someone who doesnt need full coverage. It evens your skin tone and lasts pretty long. Those who have oily skin will have to reapply or powder you face half way throught the day since it's a light foundation.

The Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse is a great foundation for those who need a little more coverage but still like to keep it light. It gives you a very nice smooth finish. You get a variety of skin tones , however if using a brush or you fingers to apply, you have to work a little fast because it tends to dry fast.

And now the Holy Grail of Foundations. MAC Studio Fix Fluid. Priced at almost 2k, its a full coverage foundation with skin tones that closely match the indian womans colour. It can be applied lightly to even skin colour out and if you dont want full coverage. It's builable so that you can get the coverage you want. Again its best if you work fast with it. Applies well with a brush or your fingers.

5. Next product that you would need for your starter kit is concealer. Your concealer should be a shade lighter than your foundation to brighten and conceal your under eye and highlight areas like your cheek bones, the bridge of your nose. If you have dark circles that are dark brown nearing black or similar pigmentation anywhere on your face, then its best to use a concealer thats teh same shade of your foundation. Otherwise if you use a lighter concealer that area will start looking grey.

Mac Studio Finish Concealer is perfect for heavy converage, especially for dark circles and pigmentation.

For light coverage Revlon Photoready Concealer Stick is a good option. It really reflects light and looks great in pictures.

6. Now to make sure your foundation and concealer lasts you the whole day and doesnt slip and slide on your skin. You should use a powder to set it.

Revlon Aqua Mineral Powder is my favorite because while applying it , it feels wet however it blends into your skin very well and keeps the foundation and concealer wells et on your face. It also provides coverage so if youre using it as a finishing powder to set your foundation, it should be used sparingly.

Kryolan Anti-Shine Powder also helps set the foundation and concealer. If you have oily skin , this product is your best friend as if applied over a shiny T-Zone it really immediately mattifies it. It adds no colour to use foundation in case you dont want anymore coverage.

7. Next a great eyeshadow pallet that can double up as a eyebrow filler (if needed). I do alot of looks for myself and others professionally and I always find myself reaching for one eyeshadow palette.

NYX Runway Collection 10 - in Champagne and Caviar.

8. Eyeliners that you would love to use is,
Maybelline Colossal Kajal for a nice dark black liner.
Lakme Shadow Artist Shimmer Stick in Starry night
Lakme Glide on Eye Color in Peacock Green and Plush Purple.

9. My absolute favorite Gel Liner is the
Maybelline Drama Gel Liner in Black, It comes with a brush and applies really well. it can also be used in the water line.

10. Sometimes just using a mascara can make all the difference. My new favorite mascara is
Faces Lush Lash Mascara. It applies well, not to heavy and I love that it coats every lash strand.

11. Blush. Adds the color to the face, also helps in acheiving a healthy glow.
Lakme Absolute Cheek Chromatic Baked Blush. It comes in to shades. One for lighter skin and the other for darker. It works well as a contouring color as well as a bronzing color.

Girlactik Cream Blush in Pink is perfect for all skin tones. and a little on the apple of your cheeks looks so lovely.

12. ColorBar USA Lipliner in 007 is best for skin color lipliner.

13. Faces Lip Palette has all the usual suspects, Nude, Pink, Brown, Maroon, Red, and Coral.
This is a good palette to have because you can mix the colours and create a lip colour perfect for you.

14. LOreal Colour Juice Peek a Boo lip gloss is perfect for you to add that extra ommph to any lip colour.

The above products are perfect for your Starter Kit. This list is for your entire makeup kit. You can use the products to add to your carry on makeup kit for daily use.

My Wish List -Putting it out there in the universe

For the past couple of weeks I have been fortunate enough to see quite a few beauty and beauty related products that I will evenutally get or have already received. I thought it would be great to do a top 10 list of beauty products I would love to own.

What do u give someone who has everything?

Something to keep it all in

I recently went to The Beauty Bar in Lokhandwala and fell in love with this beauty. I did a detailed blog post about my experience at their Doll Me up Class
This vanity is called the Leggy Vain Pro Makeup Station with Legs goes for approx 16,500/-


On average women and MUA tend to use 20% of shadows from any particular pallete and not surprisingly the colours used the most are your natural warm colours along with highlighters. I love this product because all the colours are very pigmented, have great staying power and all the colours are ones id wanna use and they also have additional colors to create unique smokey eyes.. I definitely want this product.

The Urban Decay Naked Palette is for about 4500/- and you can get it at The Beauty Bar.


Since im overweight and my heart shaped face is round due to the poundage, i have started contouring my face. However this product is perfect for contouring for most skin tones and I defintiely will go out and pick it up

The MAC Blunt Blush is for about 1150/- at the MAC store.

The one eyeshadow palette that is modern and classic at the same time.

Makeup Forever Flash Palette cost around 5000/-  I love the yellow and the pink next to it. It applies like grease paint, very pigmented.


What is an artist without his tools?
I own quite a few mac brushes and hope to own all these very very soon

Mac professional makeup brushes start at around 2000/- 
You do have cheaper brands with decent brushes, however with MAC the brushes are long lasting and very high quality bristles which ultimately shows in you makeup finish.


No matter how well you can apply your makeup, the best tool anyone can have is good skin. This next skin care product is one i cant to incorporate into my weekly skin routine.

A good Dermabrasion kit can cost anywhere between 5000 to 1000 rupees. However salon treatments are pretty expensive so buying a kit makes sense in the long run.


If you have this combo  5 set of 4, youre literally set for life. It has all the colours you could ever imagine and all the textures possible in an eyeshadow. They are pigmented and last very long especially if you apply an eye primer. I would love to own

Coastal Scents Set of 4 Palettes for $69.95 on their website. Thats around 3700 rs. I think they are worth every penny.
The palettes are
1 Ultra Shimmer Palette ($19.95)
1 Metal Mania Palette ($24.95)
1 Warm Palette ($24.95)
1 88 Original Palette ($18.95)


This next product makes any woman feel lush and youthful and seductive. And you only have to clip them on.

Specifically the ones from luxyhair.com. They have amazing quality and for 160gms its a $140 with free shipping. I think its a deal and plan to get them at the end of the year.


I want to graduate to using this next beauty product to achieve the flawless look

The ones im told are the best airbrush make kits come from Dinair. And they have an amazing range of different colors.

And last but not least the ultimate in beauty for any person...their SMILE!

The Crest 3D White Strips apparently work wonders. And gives you professional quality whitening. However it is a bit costly. Its about $500 in the US. Pretty freaking expensive.
I hope you like this list and please comment below with the products you desire.

XOXO

This is my wish list and no brand has sponsored this post. This is purely what I wish to write about.