Maybe its because I have been cursed blessed with skin so pale its nearly translucent, but foundation has always been my favorite makeup product... weird, I know. But to me, there's nothing more gorgeous than perfect, even skin.
When you're so pale you can see almost every vein in your entire head, there's obviously a lot of trial and error. My foundations and I have been through a lot over the years, but these guys are the top of the lot. Even if you aren't pasty like me, most of these come in a variety of shades. I do believe this lot is better suited to dry skin (another "blessing"), but play around and see what works for you!
Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua came into my life via the all-knowing and all-powerful Lisa Eldridge, my makeup deity. Once I saw she used it on my favorite person ever in the entire world, Gemma Arterton, I knew it had to be mine. Gemma and I have similar coloring (though I haven't been blessed with her gorgeous freckles), and my skin is quite combination, so I had high hopes. This is tied for my #1 favorite... super light, super blendable, and perfect for no makeup-makeup. It looks like you're wearing absolutely nothing and simply have lovely skin... yes, please. This is best applied with fingers as its water-based, with a quick shake-up before slapping some on. Just be warned-- the color range on this one is incredibly limited, so those with darker skin are better off with Perfection Lumiere.
The very first foundation I ever bought was Clinique's Even Better Makeup. I was fifteen and my mother refused to let me wear makeup without first taking me to the counter and being shown how to correctly apply. ... THANK YOU, Mom! Since then I've repurchased more times than I can count, and given how light this little bottle is getting, I foresee a trip back to the counter in the near future. Clinique's Even Better is quite a "traditional" liquid foundation, I think-- medium coverage, quite thick out of the tube, though I've found it tends to settle in fine lines if I haven't blended well enough. This is a great "everyday" foundation as its a bit more affordable than the rest, and my poor pale skin appreciates the SPF 15. There is a massive range of shades with this baby, too. Double win!
On the very rare and magical occasion I'm having a good skin day-- or, let's face it, if I'm feeling incredibly lazy-- Smashbox's Camera Ready BB Cream is locked and loaded. Like most (all?) BB Creams, Camera Ready blends perfectly into the skin. Its a great simple, minimal base with sheer but buildable coverage... perfect for Sunday mornings at the grocery store or and exhausted coffee run. I'll apply a second layer of Camera Ready to the parts of my face that need a little extra help, usually my chin and my nose, but even then its sheer enough to let my freckles and natural skin show through. Also perfect for gross summer days! This only comes in five shades but they seem to be quite versatile, and if you can't find a shade that suits you perfectly these are really easy to mix with other bases.
Vichy's Dermablend Corrective Foundation is another Lisa Eldridge-suggested buy. Last winter I had an unfortunate run-in with some sort of face cream that left my skin covered, and I mean covered, in ugly little bumps and red all over. After watching an acne-covering tutorial by-- you guessed it-- Lisa Eldridge, I hunted down some Vichy to try to look less like a victim of leprosy. I finally found a few tubes at my local pharmacy and picked up the lightest shade... which, pathetically, ended up being too dark for me. Its not that noticable for spot concealing, but when used all over as a true foundation, I had to mix it with a bit of the Smashbox to get the proper color. Vichy Dermablend definitely covered all my spots, but did tend to emphasize the dry bits. This one is FULL coverage, so good if you have a breakout or acne, but a little too heavy for everyday use. Its good to have waiting in the wings, just in case of another tragic skin day. Color range is a little pathetic and best suited to medium skin tones, unless you mix like I have to.
The most recent addition to my foundation- and tied with Vitalumiere for #1-- is Diorskin Airflash SPRAY foundation. Yes, ladies and lads, spray foundation. This was a formula I had never considered until one day, while weak and browsing Sephora's teasing display of new foundations, I gave the back of my hand a quick spritz. And then angels descended from the sky, everything started to glow, a harpist appeared and started playing romantic melodies-- it was me and Diorskin Airflash, alone together in a room, in love. Without a second thought, I picked up my shade and marched right up to pay. A whopping $62 USD-- but so worth it. Airflash- like Chanel's Vitalumiere- gives me seamless coverage. I'm still working out the best way to use this one, as spraying directly on my face dispenses way too much makeup, but I feel like using a brush makes it settle in pores and fine lines more. I know lots of people love using sponges like the Beauty Blender for spray products, buuuuuut Ms. Eldridge says no way, so I say no way. Airflash has incredible staying power, comes in a really respectable range of shades, makes my skin feel like velvet, and gives me that perfect glow I'm always searching for. If you have this little guy and have any tips to help with application, though, help a girl out!!
What are your favorite foundations? I'm always excited to check out new reccommendations!
xoxo, Molly
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