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Men's Make Up – How To Choose and Wear Foundation

Updated on October 13, 2009
Lauren Hutton Weightless Foundation
Lauren Hutton Weightless Foundation
Random Stock Foundation
Random Stock Foundation

Foundation is the perfect make up for men, and it is the 'base coat' upon which the rest of your make up (should you choose to wear any) sits. There is a certain science to wearing foundation, these tips and hints should help you along the way to a lovely smooth, clean appearance.

Choosing the Right Type of Foundation

For men, I would recommend starting out with a powder foundation. It will give you a lighter, more natural finish and appearance. Liquid foundations are incredibly effective, and feel free to experiment with them, but because they tend to have a thicker finish, you risk a more 'drag' appearance than you might perhaps wish for.

Liquid to powder foundations are also available on the market, and they give you the coverage of a liquid foundation with the lightness of a powder. I'd advocate this type of foundation for men who find that powder simply doesn't cut it alone.

Mineral powder foundations are excellent for people with sensitive skin, so if you find that other foundations are too oily or cause you to break out, try some mineral foundation.

At the end of the day however, the best type of foundation for you will be quite specific to your skin type, so be prepared to shop around a little, and enjoy the process.

Choosing The Right Color

When choosing a foundation color, using the skin on the inside of your wrists can give you a fair idea of how it will appear on your face. Most stores have tester samples available. Lightly apply a little of the tester onto the inside of your forearm, near the wrist and wait a few minutes to see how the color sets. If the store has particularly unnatural or colored lighting, go outside into natural light to see if the color works for you.

Applying Foundation

Before you apply foundation, it is a food idea to cleanse, tone, and moisturize your skin. You can use any cleanser, toner and moisturizer you prefer. Once your skin is cleaned, toned and moisturized, you are ready to put on your foundation. Remember, the steps you take prior to putting on foundation can have a profound effect on the end result.

Liquid foundations are applied with a make up sponge, powder foundations are applied with a brush.

If using a powder: Lightly brush the foundation over your forehead, chin, nose and cheekbones then lightly over your cheeks and the rest of your face, being sure to blend it well. Less is always more when it comes to foundation.

If using liquid: Much the same as above, but instead of brushing lightly, dab little dots on the aforementioned areas, then blend them well. Your fingers are excellent blending tools, because the warmth assists the foundation in blending properly. Blend, blend and blend again.

Check yourself under natural light to see how your foundation looks. If it is splotchy, blend some more.

Pay attention to your hairline and ensure that the foundation is well blended right up into your hairline. Having a thin strip of 'normal' skin between your foundation and your hairline is a dead giveaway that you're wearing make up and doing it badly.

Be careful to blend it down to your jawline. If you have chosen the right shade of foundation, there will not now be a noticeable difference between the tone of your face and the tone of your neck. If it looks as if you are wearing a mask, your foundation choice was too dark. If it looks like you've gone pale from fright, it was too light.

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