How I Finally Made My Foundation Last All Day!


I hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas!

pink flowers with a text overlay that says "How I Made My Makeup Last All Day!"

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I had another post planned for today, but last week, I got completely fed up with spending an hour getting my foundation perfect, only to look in the mirror 3-4 hours later to see it sliding off my nose and chin. My nasolabial folds sat there like little drainage ditches to collect the makeup run-off. Not only does that show your age, it makes you look even older!!

Here's the deal. As some of you may know, I'm 55, and have fairly normal skin that can occasionally get oily in the T-zone, especially in humid conditions. My skin is very pale, sensitive, and has a few lines - mostly between my eyes, above my upper lip, the nasolabial folds - and my undereye area is starting to look crepe-y. The typical areas skin starts to show age. Ugh. (More about my skin.) I sometimes have to switch my foundations around with the seasons, but lately it seems that nothing I do works. None of my foundations stay on well. My skin seems to be the same, my skincare routine is the same, so I can only assume it's hormonal.

For the past couple of months, I've noticed that my makeup would look good when I applied it, but about 3-5 hours later, it would start to "wear off" in areas. I've tried different primers, different foundations, different setting powders, setting sprays, different combinations of the above - but nothing has really helped.

That led me to start watching YouTube videos - something that I rarely do. I figured there had to be other people who have this problem! Of course, a ton of videos just recommended using a setting powder and/or setting spray and a long-wearing foundation. Really? I would've never thought of that. *Eye roll* Um, okay. No help.


Then I watched the above video by Harley Bird. She recommends spraying a beauty blender sponge with a setting spray and setting each layer of makeup with that rather than waiting until the end to just spray your face. That actually made sense, and I had never thought of doing that, so I gave it a try. It helped some - my foundation lasted a bit longer, and there wasn't as much settling into lines - but it still wasn't giving me everything I wanted.

So back to YouTube I went, and I watched a bunch of other videos. Well, I watched the beginning of a bunch of videos, and I watched two all the way through...but those two gave me some ideas to try, and I went back to the drawing board. The thing is (and you more "mature" ladies know what I mean) - mature skin doesn't act or react like younger skin - so I knew I couldn't do everything exactly as they suggested. I decided to make up my own routine, using the "tricks" I felt would work for me.

Here's what I ended up doing (updated June 2018):

I know that sounds like a lot, but it really doesn't take much longer than my regular routine. It just sounds like a lot when you're reading it. I promise! Also, below is a photo of the Kat Von D Lock-It Setting Powder Brush. I really love this brush, but I'm sure any similar brush would work just as well:

fluffy makeup brush on a pink background

One day, I applied my makeup around 9am, then we drove out of town and didn't get home until around 11:30pm. When I checked my makeup, except for a little settling into my nasolabial folds (which are my deepest lines), it looked pretty much like it did 14 hours earlier! Now that's what I'm talking about!! (That day I wore IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream.)

I tried it another day with Too Faced Born This Way foundation. I don't like this foundation much because it tends to settle into lines, but I wanted to try it with this routine to see if it would wear better. And as a matter of fact, I did experience a lot less settling in lines than usual. However, there was a good bit more settling in lines than with the IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream (and at a earlier time, too), but the rest of the makeup looked perfect. I sort of expected those results. (Still not a fan of this foundation, though.)

Then I tried it with Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation (with Comfort Serum). This really worked well. I think it was because the consistency is thick enough that it allows good coverage, but you can still thin it out a bit while applying with a damp beauty blender sponge. It stays workable long enough to get the finish perfect. Once I applied the setting powder, this stuff looked great, and it didn't move all day.

I tried to take a photo, but no one was here to do it for me, and turning the camera around on my iPad or iPhone makes the picture a little grainy. So what I'm saying is that the quality isn't the greatest, and for that I apologize, because that is probably what you would like to see - my skin up-close and personal! I was sitting at my desk with recessed can lights shining down on my head, so the lighting is less-than-optimal. It was also taken late at night and I was in my pajamas. But my makeup looks pretty darn good, if I may say so! I'm telling you guys, this method definitely helps! That poreless finish is all due to applying the setting powder with the cosmetic puff!


I think the biggest surprise with this routine was the step with the setting powder and the cosmetic puff. I've been using setting power for years, but I've always applied it with a brush. It's AMAZING what it does for your skin when applied with a cosmetic puff! Thank you, Wayne Goff! It's like every pore on your face is erased. I can''t believe the difference. Just try it once and see the difference.

So I'm still on the hunt for a holy grail foundation, but this has made me oh-so-happy! I think I'll stop by Sephora and get some samples of Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation and Smashbox Studio Skin Foundation. Maybe I'll get lucky and one of those will work out for me. I would also like to try Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Foundation, but since I can't get that at Sephora, I'll have to make a trip to Nordstrom to get some samples.

Before I forget, I want to be sure to give credit to the YouTubers who made the videos that I watched. The one that I gleaned the most info from was by Nikkia Joy:


The other one was by Wayne Goss - I love how he applies his setting powder with a cosmetic puff! That seriously changed my life. Mind blown.


How have you solved your foundation issues?


Kim
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