From blotchy skin and blemishes to acne scars, pigmentation and oily skin – we all have some problems that make us pick up those makeup brushes. To help you arrive at a clearer complexion and even out your skin tone, it’s important to get your base right. In fact, it is the most important step of your makeup routine. When it comes to your base, it’s important to get the right products to get the right look. We’ll help you with everything you need to know about base makeup and will also help you pick the best base makeup for every kind of budget – so whether you’re on a fixed budget or ready to spend a little extra, you can find just the right products for you! Let’s get to it, shall we? Foundation Concealer Translucent Powder Base Makeup According Skin Type Preparation For Applying Makeup Makeup Process Makeup Tips
Foundation
It helps even out your skin and gives you that dewy finish. Make sure to not go overboard with it and blend it in seamlessly for a more natural look.
If You’re On A Fixed Budget
Best Base Makeup Lakme Invisible Foundation: It’s ultra lightweight, blends easily and also provides SPF protection. Plus, it comes in 8 different shades. Price: Rs 182 Revlon Touch & Glow Moisturizing Makeup Foundation: It hydrates your skin while giving you that perfect, dewy glow. Price: Rs 349 Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation: Non-greasy, lightweight and helps control oiliness with a matte finish. Price: Rs 225.
If You Feel Like Spending a Little Extra
Best Base Makeup Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation: It’s oil-free, minimizes the appearance of pores and gives you a natural radiance. Plus, it’s suitable for sensitive skin. Price: Rs 873 L’Oreal Paris True Match Liquid Foundation: A feather-light long-lasting foundation that will give you that gorgeous luminous glow. Price: Rs 619. lnglot YSM Cream Foundation: It provides buildable coverage, is super-hydrating and long-lasting. Price: Rs 1,663
Splurge-Worthy
Best Base Makeup Lancome Teint Miracle: It provides perfect coverage while hydrating the skin and brightening up your complexion. Price: Rs 2,800 MAC Mineralize Moisture SPF 15 Foundation: It gives a natural satin finish while diminishing imperfections and providing SPF protection. Price: Rs 3,250 Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Foundation: So lightweight, you may as well be bare-faced! It gives you an illuminated finish and is loaded with anti-wrinkle ingredients. Price: Rs 2,921
Concealer
Concealer is every girl’s magic wand for covering up spots, blemishes and fine lines. It’s not to be used on the whole face like a foundation, but only on the problem areas.
Fixed Budget
Best Base Makeup Miss Claire Concealer: It’s highly pigmented and can hide anything from acne scars to even tattoos. Plus, it’s waterproof. It’s no wonder it’s a favourite amongst professional makeup artists. Price: Rs 210 Colorbar Full Cover Concealer Stick: Super-creamy and easy to blend, it provides full coverage that is long-lasting. Price: Rs 559 Oriflame The One Illuskin Concealer: It evens out skin tone, is suitable for acne-prone skin and is super cost-effective. Price: Rs 225
Spend a Little Extra
Best Base Makeup The Body Shop All In One Concealer: It’s lightweight but high-coverage, easy to blend and is loaded with Vitamin E to nourish your skin and cover up those spots and dark circles. Price: Rs 895 L’Oreal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Concealer: It’s super lightweight and looks oh-so-natural, no matter how many layers you put on. Price: Rs 1,223 Revlon ColorStay Concealer: Easy to blend, lightweight and long-lasting without giving that cakey finish. Price: Rs 699
Splurge-Worthy
Best Base Makeup Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place High cover Concealer SPF 35: It provides oil-control and is water, sweat and humidity resistant. Price: Rs 2,100 Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit: It consists of a creamy high-coverage concealer as well as a setting powder to make sure it stays in place and lasts all day. Price: Rs 2,950 Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Radiant Touch: An easy-to-use pen brush, it covers up lines and shadows with a radiant touch. Price: Rs 2,742
Translucent Powder
Once you have applied your concealer and foundation, dust some translucent powder on top to set it and ensure it stays fresh all day long. Plus, it gives your skin a smooth finish.
Fixed Budget
Best Base Makeup Lakme 9-5 Flawless Matte Complexion Compact: It controls oil and gives you a matte finish all day long, as well as a well-blended look. It comes in shades that are great for Indian skin tones. Price: Rs 320 Maybelline Clear Glow All In One Fairness Compact Powder: Perfect for oily, combination and sensitive skin, it keeps greasiness in check and provides SPF protection. Price: Rs 335 Oriflame Pure Colour Perfect Powder Light: It gives your skin a silky-smooth finish without the made-up look. Price: Rs 205
Spend a Little Extra
Best Base Makeup Chambor Silver Shadow Compact: It is easily absorbed by the skin, leaving it with a velvety-soft finish, and is perfect for those with acne-prone skin. Price: Rs 995 L’Oreal Paris Infallible Pressed Powder: It’s easily blendable, helps even out your skin tone and provides a luminous radiance. Price: Rs 999 MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation: A powder and foundation in one, it can help speed up your makeup routine and provide a smooth, flawless finish. Price: Rs 2,450
Splurge-Worthy
Best Base Makeup Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Fresh and Hydrating Cream Compact: It blends like a dream, gives your skin a dewy finish and won’t cause you to break out. Price: Rs 3,200 Clinique Even Better Compact Makeup: A creamy, powder compact that evens out skin tone, covers up blemishes and provides a smooth, natural finish. Price: Rs 2,100 Smashbox Photo Set Pressed Powder: It minimizes imperfections while keeping your skin feeling fresh and flawless. Price: Rs 3,300
How To Find The Best Base Makeup For Skin Type?
In order to pick the perfect foundation and concealer foundation formula for your skin type, it’s important to know your skin type first. Depending on your skin’s texture and needs, you’ll be able to make the right choice.
Sensitive Skin
If you spot any foundation or concealer product that contains alcohol, fragrance or minerals, it’s best to stay away from them. These ingredients can cause allergic reactions and give rise to breakouts. Foundation: The Body Shop Fresh Foundation (Rs 1,695) Concealer: M.A.C Studio Conceal And Correct Duo (Rs 2,050)
Dry
Any base makeup product that has moisturising properties is good for your skin. A hydrating liquid foundation or powder will keep skin moist and offer fab coverage. Foundation: Maybelline New York Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation (Rs 500) Concealer: Inglot Cream Concealer (Rs 1,100)
Oily
A powder foundation and concealer are able to absorb oil and give your skin a lovely matte finish. Even an oil-free base makeup products will work just fine with this skin type. Foundation: Lakme 9 to 5 Naturale Foundation Drops (Rs 475) Concealer: Milani Conceal + Perfect Shine-Proof Powder (Rs 1,450)
Combination
If you have combination skin, you’ll have to play a scientist in discovering the perfect base makeup formula for your skin type. You’ll have to mix and match between hydrating products and powder-based ones. Foundation: Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Foundation (Rs 2,990) Concealer: Kiko Milano Skin Tone Concealer (Rs 850)
How To Prepare For Applying Base Makeup?
Step 1: The first thing you must do is to cleanse your face. Make sure that your hands and face do not have any makeup residue, dirt and dust on them. A mild cleanser or a makeup remover can get the job done just fine. Avoid using soaps or fragrant face washes because these tend to be packed with chemicals and could damage your skin instead of cleansing it. Once that’s done, apply a bit of SPF moisturiser to your face so that your delicate skin is protected from the sun. Step 2: Exfoliation is the secret to healthy and radiant skin. There are plenty of scrubs in the market that help remove dry skin and deep cleanse pores. You must do this 10 minutes after washing your face with a cleanser. If you don’t believe in using commercial products, why don’t you make one at home from scratch with the help of natural ingredients? It’s pretty simple! Mix half a cup of brown sugar with grapeseed oil and stir till you get a thick paste. Add a dash of lemon juice and use your fingers to apply the natural scrub to your face. Don’t forget to scrub in circular motions! After 5 minutes of exfoliating, you are free to wash your face and neck with lukewarm water. Step 3: The next step is to use a primer. Consider it to be a lighter version of a foundation. To prep your skin and give it a smooth finish, a primer gets the job done effortlessly. There are different primers out there for different skin types and colours. Each of them is meant to rectify a different issue. For example – a green coloured primer sorts all the redness on your skin. Pink, on the other hand, brings life and brightness to dull skin. If you have dark circles or patches on your face, a peach coloured primer will do your skin good.
Let’s Get To The Main Part Now
Start With Foundation
Liquid foundations or tinted moisturisers – you pick! Either of these products will help set the foundation for a perfect base. Use a beauty sponge or a makeup brush to blend the product. When choosing a foundation, make sure that you go for one that matches the colour of your jawline. In order to get a shade that’s closest to your skin colour, feel free to try out many foundations from several brands. If you can’t find your shade, you can mix and match too. Also, avoid applying too much foundation, because you want your skin to breathe and not look like you have a face pack on. Keep it minimal and natural.
You Can Also Use A Foundation Stick!
In our opinion, foundation sticks are less messier than liquid foundations and save so much time! Think of the foundation stick as a giant marker for your skin. Draw two lines on your temple, three lines on your cheeks, two on your chin and a big line on your nose. Use a brush or a blender to blend in a circular motion. To give skin a bronzed finish, you can layer the foundation with a lighter foundation or tinted moisturiser.
Hello, Compact Foundation Powders
If you don’t want to use a cream or liquid foundation, compact face powders are always welcome. Pick a brush that’s able to pick the right amount of product to deliver to your skin. Dust the powder all over your face and continue to do so in circular motions. That’s all there is to it!
Follow It Up With A Concealer
Even after you apply foundation, you may still find spots. This is where concealer comes to your rescue! Dab a bit of liquid concealer on the spots and do a double check to see if your foundation matches your skin colour. For your dark circle region, pick a concealer with orange tones. This will neutralize and balance the colour of your skin. Instead of using a beauty blender to blend the product in, you can use your ring finger. The latter is a better approach.
Loose Powder Is A Crucial Step
With foundation and concealer, your base seems complete. However, that’s not true. You need loose powder to set your base. We urge you to do this because that way, your foundation will stay on longer and it’ll give a lovely matte finish to your skin. Since it controls shine, make sure to apply loose powder to all areas of your skin that get oily quickly. That’s your T-zone area and forehead.
Blush Or Bronzer?
To highlight your cheekbones and make them pop, you can use either a blush or a bronzer. If you’re going with bronzer, then you need to focus on your chest, neck and face. If you choose blush, then you must know how to apply it. Begin with a smile. Apply the blush on the apple of your cheeks and use a makeup brush to blend it in an upward direction. Once that’s done, you can slowly brush the product down to your jawline. Avoid applying too much of blush. A natural flush of colour should be your aim. If you’re new to applying foundation, concealer and powder, we’d like to share some makeup tips with you. 
Foundation
- After moisturising your face, don’t immediately apply foundation. Give it a few minutes. Allow the primer or moisturizer to soak and get absorbed into your skin. After some time, apply your foundation like you normally would. The foundation will sit better on your skin.
- When investing in a foundation, be patient. Don’t just buy a bottle on a whim. Take half a day and spend time visiting makeup stores. Try on different shades and do not shy away from asking an expert for help. Read up on reviews and figure out if your skin tone falls under warm, cool or neutral. Once you know that, finding a foundation shade that matches your skin tone will become an easier process.
- Less is more when it comes to using a foundation. Apply a small amount of foundation first and later on, start to build it using more product. Applying too much foundation at one go is a waste of product and can clog your pores in the long run.
Concealer
- If you have fine lines and dry skin, applying concealer in your under eye area can turn out to be a living nightmare. Apply a humble eye cream to prep your skin. After 5 minutes, apply a thin layer of foundation and follow it up with concealer.
- After applying concealer, you can give your skin a dewy finish by dabbing your skin with a damp beauty blender. It works like a charm ALL the time.
- For women who have pimples, applying concealer using a finger is a big no-no. It could spread more bacteria around the infected pore and give rise to more pimples. To conceal a pimple, use a pointed makeup brush and dab it directly on the zit. Set with translucent powder after.
Setting Powder
- Before applying setting powder, you must tap your makeup brush so that you don’t apply too much product on your face. For a smooth and easy application process, pick a brush that’s soft and thick.
- If you do land up putting on more product than required, use a thinner makeup brush to wipe off any powder particles.
- Also, your makeup brush technique needs to be at the top of its game. No strokes, but circular motions will do justice to your makeup.
Now that you know the A-Z of base makeup, you can get the perfect even complexion and look selfie-ready in every picture. So ladies, what are you waiting for? Grab your makeup essentials and try your hand at mastering your base makeup skills. All the best! Images: Shutterstock AWESOME NEWS! POPxo SHOP is now Open! Get 25% off on all the super fun mugs, phone covers, cushions, laptop sleeves, and more! Use coupon code POPXOFIRST. Online shopping for women never looked better! This story was updated in January 2019.
