From Prep To Finish: How To Apply Your Foundation Like A Pro

Want to know how to apply foundation and achieve that natural, flawless look?

Whether you are a beginner or have been dabbling with make-up for a while, we have made it easy to recreate that perfect foundation look with our essential application steps and top foundation tips.

Foundation sometimes gets a bad rep! Unless you have naturally flawless skin, it might seem like you are doomed to experience flaky, unreliable foundation forever.

But achieving a glowy and natural foundation look is easy - you just need a good routine and reliable products to give you the best results every time.

Step 1: The Skin Cleanse

How to prepare your skin can make or break your final foundation look! If your skin is already dry, patchy, or oily, your foundation won't stand a chance. Choose a good cleanser that won't leave your skin feeling dry or tight and cleanse away makeup residue or dirt and oil buildup.

If you use skin serums - such as retinol in the evening and vitamin C serums in the morning - apply these to a freshly cleansed and slightly damp face to lock in even more moisture.

Once your skin feels refreshed and clean, apply a moisturiser that complements your skin type. One common foundation mistake many of us make is applying the wrong moisturiser.

If you have naturally oily skin, a mattifying moisturiser will keep your skin supple and fresh but will help reduce excess oils that can cause your foundation to separate and slip. However, for our dry skin sisters, a deeply hydrating moisturiser will be the one for you.

Step 2: Sunscreen Queen

If you don't do it already, start including a high-quality SPF in your skincare regime. Even in the depths of our Irish winters, you can never go wrong with a quick slather of sun protection lotion before you apply your foundation.

Choose a lotion with a minimum sun protection factor of 30 to keep your skin youthful and hydrated. Hydrating SPF products may also remove the need to use a moisturiser on your skin, especially if you are prone to excess natural oils on your face.

Step 3: To Prime or Not To Prime?

Let's be honest, who needs an extra step in their makeup routine? We are all short on time and lots of us have been skipping primer but this could be where you are going wrong.

It helps create an even base for your foundation by reducing texture, filling in visible pores and providing protection against excess oils and moisture loss.

The SOSU Cosmetics Radiance Base has a lightweight formula that helps to blur your skin's imperfections, giving you a healthy, sun-kissed glow and providing your makeup with the perfect long-lasting base.

If you struggle with slipping or separating foundation, a mattifying primer can help keep your foundation looking flawless and smooth all day long.

Step 4: Choosing and Applying Foundation

Choosing your foundation can be the hardest part of achieving a flawless look! You need a foundation that is as close as possible to your natural skin tone, or if you use fake tan, choose a foundation that will blend well with your tan shade.

A foundation that suits your skin type will also help create a gorgeous finish. Our CC Me In Foundation is a versatile product that has medium to buildable coverage, perfect for a variety of skin types. The dewy finish gives your skin a healthy glow and includes SPF 45 Protection and nourishing ingredients to support your skin.

Here is a quick breakdown of how you can use CC Me In Foundation depending on your skin type;

Dry Skin: Our CC Me In Foundation is formulated with skin-loving ingredients! Its Hyaluronic Acid helps boost the skin's moisture & makes the skin appear plumper, whilst also soothing and defending the skin against moisture loss.
Oily Skin: You can remove any glow in areas that you don't want by combining CC Me In Foundation with our Face Focus Loose Setting Powder for a flawless complexion!
Combination Skin: CC Me In Foundation has a buildable coverage to allow you to target more troublesome areas!
Uneven Skin Tone: Our foundation is packed with Vitamin B3 helping to improve dull, uneven skin tone and boost the skin's strength, repair damage and improve the hydration barrier. Not only that but it also helps to improve redness!

How To Choose Your Foundation Colour

Not sure which foundation shade you should go for? Head to our CC Me In Foundation page and select "Find My Shade" where you can choose which is best for you based on other brands you've bought before! Or, try out our virtual makeup try on tool to get a feel of which shade works for you. Be sure to use it in good light and with a makeup free face!

How to Apply Your Foundation Properly

Whether you choose to use a blending sponge, a brush or your fingers - how you apply your foundation affects your final look. The goal is to be as gentle and kind to your skin as possible when you apply your makeup.

So instead of brushing your skin like you are painting a canvas, take your applicator of choice and dab your foundation on. By stippling your foundation, you can extend your wear time.

How To Use a Blending Sponge

Blending sponges have become one of the top products for applying foundation. They are easy to use and take up little space in your makeup bag. They can be used wet or dry and for different makeup products - not just foundation.

Our latex-free large blending sponge has been expertly designed to help you achieve that natural foundation finish. It even expands 3 times in size when wet to give you more blending power.

If you are using your sponge with a cream or liquid foundation, run it under water before application to reduce the amount of foundation absorbed into your sponge. However, for dry products, like setting powders or powder foundation, a dry beauty sponge is the way to go.

How To Use Foundation Brushes

Just like your beauty sponge, always use your brushes to apply foundation by dabbing gently on your skin to blend and diffuse. Also, make sure you are using the correct brush for the application. Check out our range of high quality makeup brushes that give you the tools to create that natural yet airbrushed look.

Large fluffy brushes are more suited to powders, whereas brushes with flat, wide bristles are perfect for applying a liquid foundation. Before you put your brushes down make sure you have blended your edges. Focus on anywhere that your foundation line ends and blend until you have diffused the line between your skin and your makeup.

If you have blemishes you want to hide, use our Correcting Concealer once you have applied your foundation.

Quick tip from our founder Suzanne: you can also try using concealer to highlight areas like the forehead and under the eyes for an illuminated look!

Once you have the perfect foundation base, you can shape your features with contour, blush and bronzer.

Step 5: Setting Powder Success

Setting powder is every makeup artist's secret weapon and it should be yours too. A good dab of setting powder, like our Face Focus Loose Setting Powder, is perfect for mattifying your makeup look and giving you a soft, natural finish, which will help your foundation last all day.

Using a large fluffy powder brush, focus on the areas of your face where you might experience a little more oil production and give a gentle swipe with a high-quality setting powder. Allow it to sit on the skin for a few minutes before brushing off any excess powder.

However, if setting powder feels too fussy, our setting mist gives you all the staying power you need without the fuss, as well as a healthy bronzed glow.

Now that you have learned the art of flawless foundation application, it's time to take your makeup game to the next level with SOSU Cosmetics. Explore our wide range of high-quality makeup products that are designed to enhance your natural beauty and provide long-lasting results. Make sure to tag us on social @sosucosmetics with your completed look, and explore our beauty collection now.

How to Apply Foundation Like a Pro | SOSU Cosmetics