How to Find the Best Foundation for YOU! Part III

 I swear I'm not trying to make this difficult.  I'm not trying to drive you nuts, and I most certainly don't want you to give up and just say, "screw it!". I DO want you to take your time when choosing a foundation.  I don't want you to end up with multiple useless bottles of foundation cluttering your counters, drawers and medicine cabinets.

I wish it was as simple as; if you have skin type x and color y, and you want xy coverage then you need to buy foundation 2(xy). Hee hee!  I knew algebra would come in handy someday! It doesn't work that way.  Even if you are the same color as me and are looking for the exact same coverage, the foundation I'm using will likely not work for you in the same way.

 Skin chemistry is different from person to person.  Some people have trouble with their foundation oxidizing, I have almost never had that happen.  What you do during the day and where you live plays a part in the success of your foundation.  There is no one size fits all in foundation.

There are some general rules of thumb though...

• The younger you are, the lighter your coverage should be.  If you have severe skin problems (acne), foundation will not and should not cover it.  If you have acne you need to focus on skincare not finding a foundation to hide it.
• Oil free foundations are great for oily skin.
• Matte coverage is good if you have problems with shine.
• For dry skin stay away from foundations that require you to buff it in.  Buffing will only emphasize the flakes in your skin. 
• Mature skin and dry skin needs moisture and illumination.  Look for foundations that use words such as glow and dewy.  Mature skin should in general stay away from matte formulas.
• Foundations with SPF will often cause flashback (white face) when photographed.  If this is a concern for you, look for low or no SPF in your foundation.
• Liquid foundations are the most forgiving formulas and usually look the most natural.

I am not a fan of powdered foundations in general.  Mineral powder foundation is an exception to this.  I do not think mineral foundation is the one size fits all solution that the cosmetic industry tries to sell it as.  It works well on young skin, normal to oily skin and relatively even skin tones.

So now you are armed with your list of of what you want from your foundation, you know what color you are and have a general list of guidelines it's time to go shopping.  Finally!