A while ago back in March I did a post on "Foundation for WOC." In the post I referenced the April edition of Essence magazine. It was a foundation special in that article for women of color on pages 48-54. From March until now that particular post is my most viewed post according to Blogger stats. Since I featured general information in that post, I wanted to revisit the topic again with more detailed information. This will be a 2 part post. The first post will be on debunking the myths a lot of women have about foundation (not just women of color) and the second post will be foundation recommendations that have been proven to work well.
*The term WOC (women of color) includes but not limited to African American, Indian, Latino, Filipino and Hispanic women.*
FOUNDATION MYTHS
1. Foundation will cause my skin to breakout -
A. Before trying foundation it helps to know your skin type first! If your skin is oily you wouldn't want to purchase an oil-based foundation. If have dry skin, powder foundation may not be the best way to go. If you don't know what skin type you have there are several ways to find out. Wash, tone and moisturize your face. After an hour or so, how does your skin feel? If it feels greasy then your skin may be oily if you didn't use an oil based moisturizer. If your skin feels tight then you have dry skin. If your skin feels neither dry or greasy then you have combination skin. Another way to find out your skin type is by getting a facial at a salon. The esthetician will be happy to tell you your skin type.
B. Know what types of foundations that are out there. Right now there are water based, oil based, powder and even gel based foundations on the market now. Once you know your skin type you will also know how the foundation bases will interact with your skin.
C. Read labels and product descriptions. A lot of foundations will tell you on their website or even on the bottle or compact what ingredients are listed. Some foundations will have "a non-comedogenic" label on it. This means the foundation is none pore clogging.
D. Wash your makeup off every night! Sleeping with makeup on only allows the makeup to get deeper into your pores along with any other dirt or oil that has already accumulated throughout the day and this will clog your skin up and will cause breakouts. I know it's a pain at times because I hate washing my makeup off every night, but the good thing is there are so many types of wipes, cleansers and cleansing pads on the market that make it easier to remove your makeup. Please, please, please make it a practice to wash your makeup off, after all good makeup starts off with good skin!
2. Foundation will make me look made up and I want to look as natural as possible-
A. For this myth I'll quote directly from the April 2010 Essence magazine. "Blend and build (is a key to looking as natural possible) begin with a formula that gives you sheer to medium coverage. Start with a light application and if you need additional coverage, then "build" by applying another layer. Remember it is equally important to blend well as you go."
B. The type of foundation you choose will also determine how natural you will look. Generally, liquid foundations provide a more natural finish.
3. My foundation doesn't last all day-
Primer is the key. Face primers prep the skin to create a smooth canvas so that your foundation goes on evenly and stays on longer. Also, face powder helps to set the foundation and make it last longer. Loreal and Mac both have great face primers for the skin.
Stay tuned for the Foundation for WOC Revisited Part II for recommended foundations for women of color and foundation tips from the pros. Follow my blog NOW, so you won't miss a post :)
PHOTO CREDIT
http://www.ehow.com
SOURCES
Essence Magazine April 2010
Comments
I'm glad you enjoyed the post. Foundation matchup was really confusing for me when I first started wearing makeup years ago as well, (it took years for me to find the right color and base I wanted)that's why I really wanted to blog about this topic.
The part II post will help with foundations suggestions and it will address the issue about matching the foundation colors because so many women are 2 different skin tones. I'm still editing that post today, hopefully it'll be out by the end of the day. Thanks again for your kind words.
PS I'm following your blog :)