Lesson 1: Skin and base

every face sits on skin. get this wrong and nothing on top looks right. get it right and you'll need like half the product you're using now.

prep

cleanse. moisturise. in the daytime, SPF 30 or higher as the last skincare step. then wait two minutes. base on wet skincare pills, slides and separates. that two-minute wait is half of why your foundation looks patchy, i promise.

primer, only if you need it

primer fixes a problem. no problem, no primer.

• big pores or texture: a blurring silicone primer, pressed in only where you need it.
• base that slides off: a gripping or tacky primer.
• dry skin: a hydrating primer, or just a richer moisturiser.
• oily T-zone: a mattifying primer on the T-zone only.

the right shade

most of us wear foundation a shade too dark or too pink, then wonder why our face doesn't match our neck.

1. swatch three shades in a stripe on your jaw, not your hand or wrist.
2. look in daylight, by a window.
3. the one that disappears into your face AND your neck is yours.
4. undertone: if gold and peach shades vanish, you're warm. if pink and rosy ones do, you're cool. if neither clashes, neutral.

apply it thin

start with less than you think. a pea-sized amount for the whole face.

• damp sponge: bounce it in, don't wipe. sheerest and most skin-like.
• dense brush: buff in small circles. more coverage.
• fingers: fastest, best with skin tints.

start in the centre of your face, where most redness is, and blend out. build a second thin layer only where you need it. your hairline and jaw should barely have any.

concealer

• spots and redness: a concealer that matches your foundation exactly, tapped on with a small brush or fingertip, edges blended.
• under the eyes: a shade or so lighter to brighten. a little in the inner corner and outer corner, tapped in. not a giant triangle unless you want to look like a filter.
• dark circles on medium to deep skin: a peach or orange colour corrector under the concealer cancels the grey.

set only where you need it

powder goes where you get shiny or creasy, usually the T-zone and under the eyes. a fluffy brush for a light dusting. for a crease-proof under-eye, press translucent powder on with a damp sponge, leave it a couple of minutes while you do your brows, then dust it off. then stop. a whole face of powder looks flat.

tomorrow

brows. they frame everything you just did ✨