Top tips for a flawless foundation base

Here are Liberty Belle's top tips to make your foundation look like skin and last all night.

Have you ever stared at someone in awe and wondered how their makeup base looks as

smooth as porcelain and like a second skin? A good foundation and the steps for a glowing canvas go hand-in-hand.

New to makeup? There’s nothing to worry about. Read on for a fool-proof guide on how to achieve a perfect base.

Cleansing and moisturising your skin is a no-brainer. If you have extra time, exfoliate to unclog pores and create a smoother base for applying makeup. But to really take your base to another level, start with a hydrating face mask. Do remember to use a toner after cleansing or exfoliating, as it will tighten your pores and maximise the effect of the mask.

Choosing a suitable mask for your skin type is paramount. If you're oily, you want to go for sheet masks with ingredients such as rose to combat it. For uneven skin tone or dark spots caused by acne, a brightening mask with vitamin C is your best choice. Ingredients help soothe the redness in your skin. If you’re not sure, simply go for a moisturising mask and you’ll see a difference in the smoothness and longevity of your finished look.

After that, you want to devote a bit of time, say five to 10 minutes, to gently massaging your

face. This will truly let your skin absorb the goodness of the mask and define facial features. There are tons of tutorials on YouTube, some involving using ‘guasha’, a traditional Chinese massaging tool. But don’t be intimidated if you don’t have it, using your knuckles will do the trick. Try massaging one side of your face and you’ll see the difference. You're sure to be less bloated and have a natural flush. Simply wash your face and continue with your usual skincare routine.

One thing to bear in mind is to not overuse products. Stick with your toner, cream and

suncream — a step often forgotten but crucial to reducing skin ageing. Worried about it

being too oily? Grab a piece of tissue and lightly dab it on your face to remove the excess

product that wasn’t absorbed, and you’ll be good to move on to the next step.

Primer — especially an anti-shine one- will help reduce oiliness and smoothen any bumps on your T-zone. Despite these ‘problematic’ areas seemingly having larger pores, applying minimal amounts to the rest of your face helps create that smooth and silky base.

A trick that many MUAs have mentioned is to apply foundation from the centre and move

outward. If you want a more natural look, only apply foundation where it’s really necessary, and use the remaining product on your sponge or brush to blend towards the rest of your face. You want to use concealer after your foundation. If you do it the other way, you may risk the concealer being smudged when blending your foundation, leaving blemishes uncovered. If you’re worried about the colour difference between your foundation and concealer, simply mix both of them on your hand and use that as your new concealer.

One extra tip is spraying setting spray after this step. This is part of a viral makeup hack in mainland China called the ‘sandwich makeup hack’. Influencers set their face with setting powder after the first spray dries off, and they spray again after the whole makeup look is done, hence the name. From my personal experience, doing this extra step makes my makeup last so much longer — especially on a night out where you’ll be sweating a lot.

Edited by Tia Xiourouppas