Over the next few months I will go over various stages of make-up beginning with foundation and going through the entire regimen of applying your daily make up.

Great Skin: The BEST Foundation

First things first, pay attention to your skin!

Girls, I cannot tell you enough how important it is for you take care of your skin, no matter how much makeup you put on to cover bad skin, it's still gonna be bad skin!

When you go on a modeling job, the makeup artist is going to stare at you from the moment you walk in the door. They want to see what your skin looks like. Makeup artists are like painters and painters need a clean canvas to achieve a flawless finish. Your face is a makeup artists canvas and you are the only one who can make it clean. The better your skin, the easier her job will be.

A good skin care regime, (cleansing, toning, and moisturizing) targeted for your skin type is essential in achieving great skin. If you need any help choosing a skincare program, feel free to contact me personally I will give you complete unbiased advice. This process can be frustrating and I am here to help.

If you don't drink water you had better start. Now! You should try to drink one of those 24oz. of bottled or filtered water every hour! I know, I know everyone else says 8-8oz glasses a day… phooey!

You need more than that to actually flush out toxins and other garbage in you system. If you have a hard time with this try it just when you know you have a shoot coming up, then I suggest you do this at least 2-3 days prior to the shoot. Just be prepared for multiple bathroom trips until your system is used to it.

Foundation: Choosing and Applying

How many times have you gone to the drug store to buy a concealer or cover up only to find a million confusing choices? Continuous coverage, matte coverage, oil free, pancake, stick, yellow corrector, ivory, tan, beige… It's enough to drive a girl crazy!

Were you tempted to just leave and not buy one at all because you had no idea what you are buying? Or to just pick one out you thought was your color only to find out the next day at work or on a date you are orange or pink?

I can tell you it's happened to me many times and I got tired of it! And I want to be here to help you to go to the store and be able to buy the right colors for your skin tone and type! If you live in the Los Angeles area, I can even go with you!

Function: Foundation acts as a primer. It smoothes your skin tone so other makeup goes on evenly. Foundation creates an illusion of smooth perfect skin texture and acts as a support for other make up products. It also protects your skin from free radicals and other elements such as wind, sun, and dust.

Textures: There are different types of foundation, liquid, cream, wet/dry, pancake and corrective. They vary from light to heavy coverage and have different types of finish matte, semi-matte, satin, porcelain and dewy. Your skin type, lifestyle, and needs will dictate the perfect texture for you.

Foundations come in different formulas. There are ones made for dry skin, oily skin, normal, and acne. You should definitely take the time to read the bottle.

If you have dry skin or you are getting older in age you would probably do well with a liquid or cream, cream to powder with a semi-matte, satin or dewy finish.

Oily skin would do better with foundations formulated for oily skin: liquid and wet/dry in matte and semi-matte finishes. Depending how oily your skin is, and if you have an oil slick on your face, try those cool pressing papers (or toilet seat covers work too - tip from Michelle).

If you have acne prone skin, you probably have grown up with it and your doctor or dermatologist has probably gone over with you what you can and can not put on you face. If you have scars from acne and need extra coverage you would do well with a formula made for your condition with a full coverage. You can use liquid (Revlon Colorstay is a full coverage) Physicians Formula is also good for your skin which is a corrective but also protective.

Color: Finding the right color for your skin tone is very important. Your foundation should match your skin tone and disappear on your face.

There are three color groups:
Warm: golden, yellow, orange or olive tones
Neutral: beige, cream and ivory tones
Cool: red, pinky or rosy tones You can mix to create a perfect foundation as well.

Remember, you do not have to use a pre-made product. If you are willing to spend more money, you can mix colors to get one to match you skin tone. Anne's tip is to keep one shade on hand for the palest winter days and one on hand for those summer days when she uses a sunless tanner. She then mixes the two shades to create the perfect color for the rest of the year.

If you don't want to go it alone, you can go to a specialist and have one specially created for you. Perscriptives, a line found in department stores, is well known for this service.

Application: To apply your foundation you should use a makeup sponge (not your fingers). Using a triangular synthetic sponge works well. Start with application at the hairline and work your way downward and out toward your ears (never go "upward" it will get in your pores and cause them to clog creating ugly white and blackheads).

 Join me next time for part 2: concealers!

photograph of Taylor by Dano (http://www.drdano.com/)