Foundation.

[Emma H.]

Hey, it's Emma
I'm here to ask (and ramble on) about foundation. I went to Target, bought myself some makeup, and among that makeup was a bottle of True Match foundation by L'Oreal. Cheap makeup, but you gotta start somewhere before you go up to the more expensive foundations (Sephora, MAC, etc.). But here's the situation: I didn't have any of my GG friends with me, so I naturally went with the lightest shade available, which was the N1. I'd like to get the pale dewy look, so I thought that would be ideal. But little did I know that this foundation has like, little gold sparkles, or something in it. Not quite what I like.
Anyway. I'm headed to Toronto for a class trip in a few days. I packed my makeup, and my brush, and stuff. How can I apply this foundation without my face looking scary? Lol. Should I just use less than usual? Thanks

[Davita]

If I use too little I'll scare me with my own shadow. The wrong shade of makeup is still the wrong shade. Less of it could mean more you shows through it and so may or may not help because of any shadow. If you have a change take your makeup with you to a dept store and ask the cosmetic counter if it will be okay. You don't have to buy anything to ask questions. As for the sparkles... will you be putting a powder on the foundation? that would reduce the sparkles. Myself, I have a powder with the sparkles because the sparkle are supposed to reduce the look of wrinkles (as long as you don't over do it.

If I remember correctly, if you have the wrong shade of foundation, Target will let you return it.

[Anthony Simon]

My makeup technique leaves a lot to be desired, but still...

I don’t think L’Oreal is that cheap a brand - like kind of mid-price (?). Most of the stuff I use is L’Oreal and Revlon, which seem quite decent quality and comparable in price. I do actually use the powder version of this foundation (see my Uncertain Foundation http://crossdressers-forum.com/forums/v ... 38&t=13219 for how I came to use a powder foundation. I still haven‘t managed to apply liquid foundation with success…) and quite like it. It has quite good coverage, though the durability is not as good as some. The "sparkles" don't seem particularly noticeable.

Most men will need something to cover the bearded area - I use Dermablend - like a thicker foundation or concealer for the beard area particularly - that‘s a thicker foundation than is standard for women. I think you’re quite young, so maybe your beard growth won’t be quite such a problem yet. After that you apply the standard foundation across your face as needed. Both go on as thinly as possible. And on top of that, to set the foundation, powder using a brush.

Generally you’re supposed to get foundation to match your skin tone. The idea being that it looks as natural as possible in combination/contrast with the rest of the visible skin. Like you can match it against the skin on the inside of your forearm. With L’Oreal I think “1” is generally a colour match for people with blond hair and light skin. I use “3”.