Easy Makeup Tutorial for Everyday GlamHow To Apply Foundation: Step-By-Step Glam Guide
Building a beautiful makeup look is like building a house — you've got to have a good foundation. Regardless of whether you’re aiming for full glam or a no-makeup makeup look, your foundation application can make a huge difference in the final look.
This step-by-step guide is here to help seasoned glam fans and beauty beginners alike boost their knowledge of foundation application basics. By the end of this article, you’ll be applying full coverage foundation like a pro MUA.
1. Cleanse Your Skin
Before you start to apply makeup products to your skin, it’s important to begin with a clean base. When you wash your face, you’re cleansing away sebum and dead skin cells that could otherwise leave your glam looking… well, not so fresh.
This squeaky, clean surface will contribute to a smooth application of your foundation. Grab your go-to cleanser and gently wash your skin. Allow your face to air dry or pat it dry with a clean cloth before moving on to the next step.
2. Moisturize
The key to flawless foundation is hydrated skin. To achieve this, apply a dewy moisturizer of your choice. For peak hydration, choose a moisturizer with ingredients that best suit your skin type, like hyaluronic acid or niacinamide.
If you have oily skin, aim for formulas that are lightweight, oil-free, and non-comedogenic to avoid clogging up your pores! For dry skin, a heavier, cream-based product featuring natural oils should do the trick — and for those with sensitive skin, choose formulas that are fragrance-free and hypoallergenic to avoid irritation.
Those with more balanced skin can typically use any moisturizer, just make sure to use one! Applying foundation to moisturized skin helps your makeup blend better and stay on longer.
3. Apply Primer
After giving your moisturizer time to set, you're ready for the next step — primer! You can think of your makeup primer as a product designed to create a smooth surface on your skin for your foundation to latch onto. It can also reduce the appearance of fine lines and creases on mature skin. Our Good Grip primers are the perfect way to prep for makeup while also caring for your skin. Our green formula helps you create hydrating, dewy looks, and our purple formula is your go-to if you’re dealing with an acne-prone, oily skin type.
Take a small amount of primer onto your fingertips and spread it all over your face. Add more product to the areas where your foundation usually wears off quickly or looks cakey. For most people, this includes the t-zone — AKA your forehead, chin, and nose.
4. Apply Foundation
Finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for: applying your foundation! Before application begins, double-check that you have the best foundation match for your skin tone. Need a bit of guidance? We’ve got you covered with our full tutorial, featuring pro MUA Celestine Pearl.
A good foundation match means considering more than just the overall colors of your skin — it also means discovering your undertone. Your skin’s undertone is the natural color beneath your skin’s surface, and it plays a major role in the way your complexion looks. Generally speaking, undertones can be warm, cool, or neutral, and this impacts your skin’s overall hue — which means that finding your undertone is a key part of finding your perfect shade match!
One of the simplest ways to figure out your undertone is to look at the color of your veins. If yours are blue or purple, you probably have a cool undertone. If they appear green, you likely have a warm undertone. If they look like a combo of blue and green, then you probably have a neutral undertone.
Now that you have a better idea of what color you’re looking for, you can choose from several different types of foundation formulas.
If you love a dewy glow, try out a cream foundation. If matte, soft glam is more your vibe, reach for a matte liquid foundation or a powder foundation. It's also worth noting that your skin type can also play a role in how your makeup holds up throughout the day. Dry skin types tend to fare better with more hydrating formulas while those on the oilier side do well with something a bit more mattifying.
Suggestion: We totally get that all the foundation options out there can be a little overwhelming, so if you're not sure where to start, try our Full Coverage Foundation Balm. This product features an exclusive non-greasy formula and comes in 37 different shades, so you’ll definitely find a match. The foundation is long-wearing and made with technology that resists oil and sweat.
You can apply your foundation using either a makeup brush, sponge, or with your fingers — but each method will give you a slightly different application and finish.
With a Brush
Start by applying some foundation onto the back of your hand and grab your makeup brush. If you’re going for full-coverage, opt for a flat makeup brush, which is the best for packing on heavier foundations.
Dip the bristles into the foundation and pick up a small amount of product. Dab the foundation over your cheeks, nose, chin, and forehead. Then, blend it in by making small circular motions aiming in an outward direction.
Don’t forget to blend up along your hairline and over your jawline for a more skin-like result. Work in thin layers to build up your desired coverage.
With a Sponge
Grab a beauty blender or makeup sponge like our Ultimate Universal Beauty Sponge or Multi-Faceted Makeup Sponge. Dampen your tool of choice by soaking it in running water and then squeezing out any excess — this can help improve your makeup application by adding a little bit of moisture that helps your makeup melt into your skin.
Next, just like with the foundation brush, put a pump of product on the back of your hand. Dip the sponge into the foundation and dab it over your face. Start in the center of your face and work your way outwards. Use the pointed edge to reach trickier areas, like your undereyes and around your nose.
For a more seamless finish, work your foundation down your neck, too — this can help make your look more cohesive and prevent those dreaded foundation lines.
5. Apply Concealer
After applying your foundation, add some concealer for a more flawless look. Concealer is a product that adds more coverage to your blemishes and any discoloration. For example, most people apply concealer over the dark circles beneath their eyes to brighten the area.
If your goal is to brighten your skin, use a concealer that’s a shade or two lighter than your foundation. If your goal is to cover spots on your skin like acne or scarring, use a concealer that is the same shade as your foundation for a more natural finish.
For more intense discoloration, consider using a color corrector before you use your concealer. A color corrector is a makeup product that’s designed to neutralize the appearance of any skin discoloration.
Our Like Magic Color Correcting Concealers work great for adding an extra layer of coverage and come in seven different shades to target specific types of discoloration. Adding a color corrector can help you use less concealer which also helps prevent your makeup from becoming cakey.
Curious about what type of color corrector to use? Thinking about the color wheel can be helpful when trying to cancel out unwanted tones, but we have a comprehensive list that lays out just what each color is for below:
- White: The white color corrector brightens and lightens blemishes.
- Mint: The mint color corrector addresses redness.
- Yellow: The yellow color corrector erases dull areas.
- Peach: The peach color corrector brightens your under eyes.
- Lavender: The lavender color corrector neutralizes yellow tones.
- Blue: The blue color corrector helps to offset overly warm tones.
- Orange: The orange color corrector helps to reduce grayness and hide dark circles.
Dab a small bit of color corrector onto the areas of your skin that need concealing, then blend it in gently using a small brush. For extra coverage, add a bit of foundation over the color corrector, then add a bit of concealer on top of that.
Apply concealer over your face in thin layers. It’s better to build up your concealer than to go in with a heavy hand. Too much concealer will give you a cakey appearance.
6. Contour and Highlight
After concealer, it’s time to add some definition to your face. A bit of bronzer, blush, and highlighter can go a long way in bringing color back to your look!
Use contour to add shadows and definition to areas like your temples, below your cheekbones, and along the sides of your nose. Then, highlight the high points of your face — believe it or not, you don’t need a shimmering product to do this (though we do love some shimmer). You can also use a lighter shade of foundation or concealer to brighten and emphasize areas like the tip of your nose and your cheekbones.
Then, add a bit of blush to the apples of your cheeks for a natural-looking flush to finish things off.
7. Set Your Products
Now that your base is complete, set your products using a setting spray or setting powder. This will help your foundation and concealer to stay in place throughout the day.
Setting sprays are designed to keep your skin looking fresh and your makeup intact — and there are many different types of setting sprays. At SHEGLAM, we have both dewy and mattifying setting sprays for you to choose from based on your desired look!
If you’re using setting spray, hold the bottle about seven or eight inches from your face and spritz the setting spray over your face.
You can also choose a powder to set your makeup. Setting powders are designed to absorb excess oil, control shine, and keep your makeup in place, and most setting powders provide you with a matte finish. Our Insta-Ready Setting Powder is mattifying to help you control shine, while our Magic Veil Setting Powder is a more lightweight option that still keeps your look in place — choose the one that works best for your skin type and needs!
Press your powder brush or powder puff into the pressed or loose powder and dab it firmly over your t-zone to lock your makeup in place.
Picture Perfect
Foundation is one of the first, and most important, layers in your makeup routine — and getting it right is crucial for setting yourself up for beauty success.
With this makeup tutorial, you can learn the basics of creating a smooth, radiant canvas for your next makeup masterpiece. That said, makeup is also a creative (and fun) space — feel free to experiment with your foundation and figure out what works best for you. Test out different shades, play around with application techniques, and see which foundation looks the best on your skin type.
With a bit of practice, you'll be applying your foundation just like the pros.