8 replies to this topic

[cl1234]

Alrighty, I need some advice from you guys. I'm tired of asking the makeup consultants because of course they're going to say anything to get you to buy their product. I know you guys will be honest with me! A little bit of my history with makeup: I had bought the Studio Fix POWDER Foundation about a year ago. I used it all summer, although I try to use make up as sparingly as possible. Fortunately for me, most of the summer I felt confident enough to go places without makeup on. I never felt that it broke me out, and since my acne wasn't terrible and I had a decent tan it was pretty good coverage for me! When I had a bad breakout near the end of the summer I went to a different dermatologist and she said she wouldn't use Mac and to switch to Clinique. I went and got the Clinique Acne Solutions Foundation. I was actually very impressed with the coverage, however by the end of the day my face looked very dry and peely with it. At first I blamed it on the makeup, and even though I know it was a more drying makeup, I'm pretty sure a lot of my the problem was because I had gone from using Differin to Retin-A Micro. Anyways, I wasn't a fan of the new derm, so I went to a DIFFERENT one in January (the one I'm seeing now who put me on Spiro). SHE said that most make up these days are noncomedogenic so not to worry about breaking out from it. I also NEEDED new makeup anyways because my other makeup I had gotten when I still had my summer tan and now I'm back to my pasty winter self haha. SO since I've always heard about the great coverage from Mac and liked the last product I tried, I went again to get a liquid foundation. The consultant helped me get a color and we decided on Pro Longwear SPF 10 Liquid Foundation and a Mineralizer Powder to put over it. It ended up costing about $60 all together and I must say I am very disappointed in it. Not only does it not match my skin, but I feel the coverage isn't very good. I also feel like there is a SLIGHT chance it is contributing to my breakouts.... I've been HIGHLY thinking about getting Bare Minerals since I've heard it praised so much. My idea was to maybe get the foundation and also the concealer? I've heard that the coverage isn't the best, which is a bit of a concern of mine. How bad is the coverage? I've heard good things about the coverage for that Makeup Forever stuff, but was leaning towards to Bare Minerals for my skin's benefit. Plus, once the acne clears I won't need to worry about amazing coverage as much. I'm also in a pickle, because I want to get new stuff now, but I know in a couple months my color is going to completely change since I'll be getting tan this summer. Although, I'm absolutely sick of wearing this MAC stuff, I've found the foundation to be sort of buildable, but when I do that it makes my face WAY lighter than my rest of my skin. I try to only use a small amount now so that I don't have a face that's way lighter than my body, however the consequences of that is minimal coverage. I have sensitive skin with pinkish/red undertones. I'm pale right now, but usually get a decent tan in the summer. I'd say my skin is combination skin, but more oily than dry. ANY advice is welcomed! Please! When it comes to makeup tips I am CLUELESS!

[tracy521]

i used to wear mac studio fix power foundation and loved it. i never broke out from using it but my skin tends to be oily in some parts and dry in others so i then tried bare minerals and wore it for years but its so powdery looking on me in that i feel it settles into my fine lines and makes my skin look drier. i am currently using makeup forever hd liquid foundation and i love it. it covers so well that i think my skin looks fantastic that is until i wash it off. i dont even use a separate concealer i just dab extra foundation on my red areas and it covers them. they do sell a green tinted primer you could use as well if you have really bad red marks. i cant say enough about the makeup because the best part is that it stays on and doesnt make me greasy during the day. love it!! i want to try their powder next i hear its really good too. its over $40 but i get mine at sephora and if you dont like it for any reason they will return it. i think ulta does this as well which is nice.

[crystal_willow]

I would reccomend starting out with a non comodogenic primer (and yes its worth checking whether it is non comodogenic as many brands are not... its costs money to research whether a product is non comodogenic so many companies will not bother to check.. the ones that do bother deserve our money x)

I use loreal professional studios primer the only one I could buy from the shops here in the UK that was non comodogenic.
I don't know whats available in the USA but research it online before parting with cash.

Then I would get a non comodogenic liquid foundation, clinique is good but maybe not the acne solutions one.... it contains salicylic acid which will cause your skin to peel and get extra dry as it is an acne medication and you are already using a topical... so maybe get superbalanced or perfectly real... their selection of tones is very good so you should be able to get something that works for you.

Then get a non comodogenic concealor... again clinique do some good concealors

Then set it with a non comodogenic powder like a mineral powder

this should give you excellent coverage and not cause breakouts.....

try and select a foundation with an spf aswell so save hassle and wrinkles

this is full coverage.. if you have a problem with redness then you can get green colour correcting primers online

good luck, primers really are awesome btw.. i am a recent convert.. i wish i knew about them before!

Edited by crystal_willow, 07 March 2012 - 01:15 PM.

[HapaMommy]

I've been using BareMinerals for years and it does a good job. If you want more coverage you could use a primer. You don't need it if you find the right concealer and shade for yourself. If you are worried about it not working out you could buy it at a place like Sephora that takes returns as long as you don't use more than half of the product. What I do is use the foundation all over and then spot conceal with the same foundation using a concealer brush. if I need additional coverage I use a concealer power like summer bisque (also BareMinerals). I suffer form PIH and the make up does a good job on hiding it. When I had moderate acne barely anyone noticed. The key is to make sure you have exolofiated and moisturized otherwise the make up clings to dry flaky skin.

[crystal_willow]

I definately agree with Hapamommy about exfoliating, very important, especially when using powders.

but I will say that adding primer to any routine will improve coverage and the general healthy look of the skin.

Using the right shade of foundation/concealor will work wonders for the even tone of your skin but it won't replicate the effect of a primer although you can apply layers of foundation... kind of using foundation as its own primer. layering will produce fuller coverage but a primer will do it slightly differently so the finished "look" you create will be different. Each product has its own designed purpose but different skin will respond better to different routines/uses so start with a basic "kit" paying attention to what each product is designed to achieve i.e.

primer/colour adjuster (optional extra to smooth over your skin to smooth over uneven texture creating a smooth "base")
foundation liquid* (evens skin tone and as Hapamommy says it can be used as concealor aswell but will need to be layered and allowed to "set" between applications)
concealor (created thicker to allow for more coverage than your foundation can achieve in one application)
mineral powder

then adjust the techniques/amounts to work for your skin xx

[cl1234]

Thank you guys so much! I was seriously clueless before. I think I'm going to head to Sephora. I went to the Bare Minerals website and looked at their products and saw they had a primer. It seemed to have excellent reviews... If I go with Bare Minerals how necessary is it for me to get a liquid foundation too?

[HapaMommy]

SInce I've been using BareMinerals I haven't gone back to liquid foundation at all. For weddings and special occasions I use primer and the maximum coverage brush (for everyday I use the baby buki brush- has better coverage than the regular foundation brush). Good luck!

[cl1234]

Well I went to Sephora and ended up getting BareMinerals! I went with starter kit. Only used it once so far but I like it! It matches well! I got a sample of the makeup forever hd and their primer but I haven't used it yet. Thanks for all the great tips guys! You helped me out a lot!

[Tworley08]

Well I went to Sephora and ended up getting BareMinerals! I went with starter kit. Only used it once so far but I like it! It matches well! I got a sample of the makeup forever hd and their primer but I haven't used it yet. Thanks for all the great tips guys! You helped me out a lot!

I have pretty severe acne and recently I've been using Hourglass Veil mineral primer, it works amazing it goes on soo smooth. Then I use Makeup Forever Mat Velvet, it has good coverage, but I put a layer on and then go back and do another layer of it, I let it dry in between layers, then I use Smashbox Halo over it then after all that I use Make Up Forever Hd Microfinsh powder. I have also used Make Up Forever Hd primer I like it pretty well also... I know that seems like a lot but it actually looks really good. It don't look Cakey at all.. I'll post a pic later and show you. I have A TON of acne scars and red marks all over my face and when I out my makeup on you can't see it at all. Of course you can still see the bumps but no scars but good luck with the BareMinerals, I've herd a lot of good reviews in it, just never tried it because I need full coverage lol.