beauty gif

How to Make Your Foundation Last Forever

Trying to scoop the last remnants of $62 foundation out of a jar is not unlike the struggle Winnie the Pooh faces with a honeypot. Foundation-caked fingernails are not what they mean when they talk about nude nails. It turns out makeup experts have a trick to conserving foundation while still providing full coverage. The next set of GIFs illustrates the best way to make the most of your foundation and demonstrates why you should drag (and not click) when comes to brushing it on.

Step 1: Do the opposite of Drake: Don’t start from the bottom. Dot a small amount of foundation (in this case, Shiseido’s Dual Balancing Foundation with Shiseido’s Perfect Foundation Brush) in the areas of your face where you usually have the most redness, around your cheeks and nose. A pea-size amount is usually enough for your entire face (really). You generally want to move in a downward motion, so you don’t go against the hairs on your face, which can stand straight up if you brush in an upward motion.

Step 2: Drag, don’t click. Meaning, draw foundation out from the areas from which you dotted. For example, if you need more coverage near the right side of your forehead, brush out from the middle. You should be following a larger cross pattern (from down the nose and cheeks) to spread out coverage for your face.

Step 3: People often cake on too much foundation under the eye, which gives a powdery and uneven effect. Under the eye, use larger strokes to distribute the foundation evenly.

Step 4: For the area under your your eye where you tend to get darker circles, use smaller stippling and buffing motions. This makes the foundation act more like a concealer.

How to Make Your Foundation Last Forever