Necessary Foundation

PS. This is also for the girls who don't like foundation or powder either.... sum'n for every body.

Necessary Beauty

So, I’ve always been asked for makeup advice from my family and friends and random strangers who admire my different looks and thought why not just write a blog and give advice there …(I don’t think I do anything that special but apparently some people like it)….. well it didn’t exactly click in my head like that but nonetheless here I am writing a blog about makeup. The plan is write on my little makeup tricks and my favourite products and provide insight on to what I think is necessary when enhancing one’s natural beauty so here goes…blah blah blah

My first topic starts with the foundation for good makeup… literally…. Necessary foundation (a nightmare for many black women)

How many of us have pics where our neck is a different colour to our face and hairline? Or your face is so “chalky white”, you look like a ghost?( avoid face products with talc powder, same thing tha’s in baby powder). Or you have this crazy oily shiny face? Or you look like your wearing a mask? --------------------------------> GUILTY!!! Point in case , my 6th form grad pics.. i look like Michael Jackson after the plastic surgery. i will post a pic of the evidence later

I’ve tried every type of foundation known to man from powder to matte to cream to mousse to airbrush to gel to liquid to skin to loose powder and I know I’m not the only one esp. if you’re a makeup lover. Then I’ve tried every brand from Iman to covergirl. Since the age of 17, I’ve been through foundation like a fat kid with birthday cake. At first I started wearing foundation to hide blemishes and acne scars… my friends also didn’t understand y I wanted to wear makeup (foundation or powder)… it wasn’t a very popular trend in my group. We would do the lip gloss thing (lips so greasy looking like we were eating fried chicken) and get our eyebrows done maybe even a lil eyeliner or shadow but as for foundation they saw it as unnecessary. But then later on when I hit my 20’s I started appreciating the properties of a good foundation some of which can actually help your skin instead of making it worse. Foundation as the word suggests is the basis of all good makeup routines. It is meant to enhance your skin’s’ beauty, camouflage your flaws and perhaps help to give you a distinctive je n’ai sais quoi. (that glow)

So here’s my guide in picking the right foundation and other fab skin tips.

ANALYZE YOUR SKIN AND FIND OUT YOUR SKIN TYPE

My skin tone has a golden reddish undertone (FIND OUT WHAT YOUR TONE IS) which makes it difficult to find the right shade so I end up mixing shades or using bronzer or powder to make up for the difference. But every black woman even if you have perfect skin should get a skin analysis done by an esthetician or dermatologist. I had one done at a drug store using a machine that analyses your skin and the damage you've done to it over the years. This way you know what your skin lacks or what you should stop using too much of.

I've also been to my dermatologist for acne and got prescribes some very powerful medication such as Retin-A (works wonders after 2 or 3 weeks when your skin stops peeling). I also visited a spa where I did a peel and I think my skin type is A which means I have thick skin.( sticks and stones lol) I found out that I have combination oily to dry skin also. You can go to www.ultimate-comestics.com/guides/skin-types/ and it will tell you how to find out your skin type.

Most black women also have skin type A which means our skin is slightly thicker so we won't get too many wrinkles but we might get drooping/ sagging skin ( some how wrinkles don't sound so bad after all). So again before you get your foundation YOU SHOULD:

1. Find out your skin type

2. Get a skin an analysis

3. Find out your undertone whether its golden or red or yellow..

4. Find out what you want from a foundation. Whether you want full coverage, medium coverage, you want extra sun protection, extra moisture during the cold season.

5. Do you research on the market for brands that cater to women of colour. The market is huge right now from expensive brands like Iman and Fashion Fair to cheaper one such as Black Opal and Sacha. There is also Covergirl Queen Collection (Queen Latifah) Black Radiance, Kiss.. just to name a few

6. Trial and Error stage. That's when you taste all the different brands and types of foundation to find out which suits you best. Always test your foundation on your jawline and blend downwards to your neck that way you can see the difference or it will make between your face and your neck. Also alot of black women aren't the same colour all over their face.my chin is a different colour to my cheeks and so on so you would have to take that into consideration.

7. Choose one foundation and stick with it so you get used to it on your skin.

So I think I'll stay here for now as to not confuse or bore any one. The next post would continue on the actual types of foundation now that you've analysed your skin and considered your brand options and what you want from a foundation. Any questions you can just post them here and I will try to answer ASAP. Also I will post some links for the different brands so you can check out their websites when you are foundation hunting.

So girls or guys :) u never know.. Good look building a solid foundation and thanks for reading my first blog ever about my secret obssession with make up.

Remember , make up is about enhancing your real beauty but it can't hide and ugly personality so Keep Shyning and stay beautiful.

Over on the side is a pic of the one black woman I think has the most flawless skin. She made me by into the whole neutrogena thing after I saw her in the commercials... Gabrielle Union