Is it too much to hope that all our foundation needs could be met with one product? Light to the touch, invisible, but consistent and long-lasting when it comes to coverage? Well, technology has now caught up with our demands.
But the best foundations are complexion enhancers; not tinted moisturisers, nor “full-on” foundations, nor are they BB or CC creams. They are a little bit of all of the above. They have the colour-correcting capabilities of a full-coverage foundation, but the weightlessness and mattifying capacity of a powder.
To wear them is to understand their techy savoir-faire and to see how well they can multi-task. But the perennial question of shade matching still applies. And in the current market where – thankfully – options abound, finding the perfect match can still be complex; nevertheless it is imperative, so take pride in the prep work. “You really need good light,” explains make-up artist Lisa Eldridge. “Take off all your make-up, go to a cosmetics counter, find what you think is your shade and then go for a walk outside. Let it settle, let it oxidise, look at it in natural daylight. Don’t feel obliged to make your decision there and then. It’s OK to go back.”
And the perfect part of the face to shade-match? “On the jawline, one inch inwards from your ear lobe,” explains Eldridge. “Further back, skin has been protected by your hair, further forward, it’s been more exposed to the sun. In this sweet spot, you will find the nuance of skin tone that will work for your whole face.”
Check out Vogue’s edit of the season’s new crop below…
