Thread: Makeup Recommendations Needed: Foundation?

OK ladies, help me out on this one please: I don't wear foundation normally, but I think I need to start wearing it for performance. I could use some recommendations. What kind of liquid foundation do people like? Today I went to Sephora and had someone there give her recommendation; Makeup Forever HD. I love how light it is, but it's really expensive. Is there a drugstore brand that's light and good-quality? And how do you choose the right shade so you don't end up looking like Dee Snyder? That's my beauty nightmare.

Thanks.

- Leela

My favorite drugstore foundation right now is Revlon PhotoReady:
http://www.revlon.com/en/Revlon-Home...dy-Makeup.aspx
It's lightweight, not goopy, and a little goes a long way. I've been wearing it with a little Ben Nye Neutral Set or Sonia Kashiuk transparent powder on top and haven't managed to sweat it off yet.

The color you want is the one that comes as close as possible to disappearing on your skin, and the only way to tell for sure is to test it on your face. (I'm "Nude" in this brand -- you might be, too.) RiteAid and a couple of other drugstore chains will take returns of opened makeup as long as you keep your receipt. Nice for us. :)

The next time I splurge I might go with MAC Studio Sculpt, which also feels nice and light, but I'm really not sure I prefer it to the Revlon.

I second the Revlon PhotoReady recommendation. That's really good stuff for drug store quality. (I use Makeup4Ever though, and I really love it. It is water resistant, which is nice because I sweat a lot but never need to worry about re-applying.)

The great thing about buying from Sephora is that you can test a shade on your face and then leave the store to go check out your complexion in the daylight. That's what I do because makeup always looks different on your face under store lighting versus natural lighting. If you look good in sunlight, then it's the right color.

I like the Makeup Forever foundation, a lot. Sure, the price made me whince, but given that I get something that works (good color, stays on, looks and feels nice) and the line has an undereye circle concealer that is my best friend ;-) I consider it money well spent. I especially like that they helped me find the right color - something that I am very much not good at.

MAC StudioFx is my Favorite, but a close second is the Loreal True Match liquid that you can get in most drug stores.

not a brand recommendation (I am a DIY geek and work with my local herbal lady & my powders to make my own) but a quick note on exact matching- the color you need can change due to health, how much sun you are getting at any time or the lighting situation- I used to buy 2-3 shades of foundation for theater work, but since I only used it for stage, it felt like a huge waste whenever I had to throw it out (due to time/age of makeup)
Then I figured out you can tweak the color of your foundation with a little finishing powder, which you can get in smaller quantities and is less expensive- I still try to get the best shade possible, as close to my natural skin tone as I can find, but I am less stressed about the perfect color, knowing it can be modified at home.'

Especially good to know if you are on a big stage or filming, which ALWAYS washes you out unless you actually apply darker than you normally would.

A fellow makeup artist once told me that when it comes to cosmetics, there are two kinds of products: the products you buy (as in, don't spend a lot of money on) and the products you invest. Brushes, for example, are the former. Foundations are the latter.

I have to say, don't skimp out on getting very good foundation. For one, with drug store makeup, you can't test it to make sure that it matches. If you pick one up that doesn't match, you're SOL because you can't return it. Drug store foundation also has a tendency to not photograph well, nor does it last as long as it should.

Interesting. I don't think you can say across the board that spendy foundation is necessarily better and you can skimp on the tools you use to apply it. In my experience good brushes and other tools can really make the most of less expensive makeup.

Drugstore makeup gets better every year. There's much less difference in quality (and price) now than there used to be between the better drugstore brands and the department-store or standalone brands. If you shop carefully you can really save yourself some bucks without compromising on the results. And as I said in post #2 above, RiteAid, CVS, and several other drugstore chains take returns on opened cosmetics. This removes a lot of the risk.

I've always been told to invest in good quality (not necessarily expensive) brushes, because application is really what makes the difference. Low quality tools won't make you look good even if you're wearing the highest quality makeup. However, I tend to use my finger for liquid makeup application.

Regarding the original question, I don't know a good foundation that isn't expensive. I use the Makeup Forever HD and I love it. I know with that foundation, a little bit goes a long way for me. I think it'll last me a year with semi-regular use.

When picking your foundation, make sure you look at yourself under natural (sun) light. Lights in stores can make your skin look different from its natural shade. The other thing is to test your foundation by wearing it for a day or so. I've had foundations turn orange on me over the course of the day or irritate my skin.

Interesting. I don't think you can say across the board that spendy foundation is necessarily better and you can skimp on the tools you use to apply it. In my experience good brushes and other tools can really make the most of less expensive makeup.

Well, clearly it's not 100% the case. To better clarify, there are high quality tools that are inexpensive. Ben Nye is a perfect example of a great brand that's very inexpensive. Nine times out of ten, I'm using the $8 Banana Poudre over the $38 MUFE HD powder. Sonia Kashuk is an example of brushes that are very good and inexpensive. An eye shadow brush is $10, compared to $30 from MAC or $38 from MUFE.

Investing in foundation, isn't just spending the money for it. It's in making sure that it matches correctly, determining if it's going to last all day, particularly when you're sweating. How will it react to your skin over time? How will your foundation look under lights in a photo shoot? It's about separating the gimmick from what really works, and every company makes a claim that a product can do something that most likely will not work for everyone.

I use Makeup Forever Face and Body foundation, and it's the *only* thing I've ever used that doesn't run when I sweat. It's also reasonably gentle on the skin. Using a brush for liquid foundation makes a big difference in how even it will look when you are done; I find with the Makeup Forever foundation, I have to work quickly with the brush before it sets.

WRT stage makeup in general, if you're starting to look like Dee Snyder, then you're doing it right

Originally Posted by badriya_al_ahmar

WRT stage makeup in general, if you're starting to look like Dee Snyder, then you're doing it right

So true! When I advise students about how much to wear for stage shows, I tell them not to stop putting it on until you look like a drag queen :o)

The highest coverage stuff I have found is Estee Lauder Maximum Coverage. It obliterates every flaw. Even if I'm having a reasonably good skin day and am OK with something less opaque for all over, I may use it for under-eye concealer. My performances so far haven't been so long that I sweated it off. I stayed in costume a couple hours one night but danced only about 20 minutes off and on during that, and it still looked as good at the end of the night as when I started. I wait until the EL counter has a gift with purchase and then get it.

The folks at Ulta recommended Nepoleon foundation stick when I requested something that would hold up with sweat. I can't compare it to other foundations because I don't wear them regularly.

The foundation was expensive. But then girl there recommended an Eco Tools brush that was under $10.

If you really want to go brush shopping, hit up your craft store. There are a lot of web pages comparing paint brushes to the MAC brushes. There are high-quality natural hair paint brushes that work quite nicely.

Thanks, everyone. I ended up going for the Make Up Forever HD, only because it felt so light, and years ago when I tried the Mac stuff I felt like I had a sticky viscous mask on my face. I have a pretty nice foundation brush, though it's different than the one the Sephora makeup artist used on me the other day - I have a flat foundation brush, and she used a powder brush. I liked the light touch.

The places I dance in are often rather small, so I think Dee Snyder makeup would be pushing it...but RuPaul I could do.

- Leela

i too find that you shouldn't skimp on performance make-up.....i have very sensitive skin with acne, and aging.....thanks to the FABULOUS azhia, i was introduced to to face atalier, it's quite expensive, but the coverage is excellent, doesnt' clog my pores, doesnt react with my skin, quite lightweight, and a little goes a long way....and since it's silicone based, safe for my skin...i even use it for harsh stage productions in theater......i've never found a drugstore brand as good