WHAT’S THE BEST ORDER TO APPLY YOUR MAKEUP?
The idea that there’s a right and a wrong way to apply your makeup is kind of dumb. After all, makeup is about finding your own journey – one that works for your lifestyle, suits your time schedule and makes the most of your skin and facial features.
At Woosh Beauty, however, we truly believe one thing. And it’s that your foundation should be one of the very last steps of your makeup routine. Sure, we know many experts believe foundation should come first – before concealing, applying eye shadow and so on – and we’re not saying they’re wrong… buuuuut, our way makes much more sense.
Hear us out.
Applying foundation first is all well and good for creating a canvas for the rest of your makeup and, sure, if you’re using a liquid or cream foundation you can’t successfully apply this over the top of any kind of powders (contour, blush, bronzer) anyway. It just doesn’t work.
But this is the one and only good reason to apply your foundation first. Truly. And there are far more reasons NOT to go down the ‘foundation first’ road. For starters, if your foundation is already in place before you do your eyes, what happens if you screw up and get eye shadow fallout or mascara smudges on your skin (c’mon, we’ve all been there)? OK, so it won’t be a total disaster, but having to clean up eye mess-ups AND having to reapply your foundation? Waste. Of. Time.
We also subscribe to the notion that makeup should work ‘with’ your skin, not just on it. And the best way to put this into practice is to blend your concealer, contour powder, blush and/or bronzer into your skin by finishing with foundation. It’s an undeniable fact that dusting and buffing powder foundation over the top of the rest of your makeup gives a much more natural-looking result.
And that is exactly how it should be.
On that note, read on for the best order to apply your makeup. It’s not the only way, of course, but if you’re using powder foundation (and, er, why wouldn’t you?!) you’re going to love the results you get from these simple steps…
1. Start With Your Best Skin
It goes without saying that your makeup will never live up to expectations if your skin isn’t duly prepped. We’re not here to mess with your skincare routine because we’re positive you’ve got that down by now. Just remember that makeup should always be applied to clean, moisturized skin. Also, as skin ages, it’s wise to add a little extra hydration to the mix with a hyaluronic acid serum. Apply this before moisturizing to help reduce flakiness and give your makeup the perfect base to cling on to.
2. Apply Primer FTW
Sure, you don’t ‘need’ primer, but boy does it amp up the smoothness of your skin and the longevity of your makeup.
Our Pre.Face Primer, for instance, helps level out redness, boosts your makeup’s staying power, prevents creasing and smooths out fine lines and rough patches. It’s also super easy to use. You simply smooth a small amount on your skin after moisturizing. We can all do that, right?
3. Do Your Eyes
Once your skin is prepped it's time to get the party started. So, what comes first? Eyes get our vote. Applying your eye makeup first makes total common sense because it means you can clean up any mishaps afterwards without messing with your under eye concealer, screwing up your foundation and having to start all over again.
The other way? No such luck.
4. Then Cover-Up
Once you’ve applied your eye makeup, you can then see how much or little Concealer you need to apply under your eyes. Grab a brush and go lightly – less is ALWAYS more where concealer is concerned – then dab a little on any pimples or red areas (around the nostrils is a common area for redness).
IMPORTANT NOTE: our concealers are creamy in texture, so they must be applied before powder.
5. Next, It’s Time To Contour
Contouring isn’t for everyone – and that’s totally fine – but if you are a fan now’s the time to get involved.
Use a soft, slightly angled brush to help you work seamlessly with the angles of your face and use Contour Powders that are no more than two or three shades darker or paler than your natural skin tones to create shadow and light.
6. Color Your Cheeks
After you’ve sculpted your favorite features, don’t forget to add a little warmth to your skin with Blush, Bronzer or hey, why not both? We love to apply cheek color before foundation because the foundation sets it into your skin, making your cheeks look naturally flushed rather than wearing obvious makeup. Also, if you get too handsy and apply too much color, you can easily buff it out with your foundation powder.
7. Perfect Your Foundation
Finally, it’s time to apply your Foundation. Start small and build in places where you need it most, using a large, soft brush like our vegan-friendly Complexion Brush to stroke and buff it into your skin. And don’t forget to blend it lightly down your neck for a natural, even-looking finish.
Our Fold Out Face® Refillable Palette comes with two different shades of foundation powder to work seamlessly with your skin all your round. You can even mix them together to create the exact match for your complexion.
8. Give It Some Lip
What’s a gorgeous face of makeup without lip gloss? Kind of unfinished, don’t you think? Don't be that person. Top off your look with your favorite shade of Spin-On® Lip Gloss and enjoy glossy, hydrated lips for hours.
The good thing about gloss is you can reapply it as often as you like and it’ll freshen up your entire makeup up almost instantly.
What’s not to love about that?
