Foundation

What is foundation and how do you actually use it?

That single idea fixes most foundation mistakes. If a foundation is doing its job, it should be almost invisible — the skin looks like better skin, not like a different colour. The moment someone can see where it stops, it has failed.

Coverage is a choice, not a quality ranking. Sheer to medium is right for most days and photographs beautifully. Full coverage is an event and photography tool, and on a face that does not need it, it reads as a mask.

How to use it, step by step

1. Prep first. On dry skin, a thin layer of cream and three minutes to absorb. Foundation over unabsorbed cream will slide.
2. Shake water-based formulas properly — five full seconds. Separation is why the first pump comes out too thin.
3. Start at the centre of the face and work outward. That is where you need coverage; the edges just need blending.
4. Damp sponge for skin-like sheerness, dense brush for coverage. Same bottle, different result.
5. Take it down the neck and onto the chest before the outfit goes on.
6. Check in daylight before you set. Artificial light hides a mismatch that a window will show instantly.

The mistakes that cost you

• Matching on the back of the hand rather than the jaw.
• Applying full coverage everywhere when three spots needed it.
• Powdering a radiant foundation flat, which undoes the reason you chose it.
• Forgetting the neck — a bronzed face on a pale neck is the most common visible error in wedding photography.

In Morocco specifically

Moroccan skin is generally warm-toned, and olive-leaning complexions go orange in foundations that suit golden ones. If you have ever looked orange in a shade a friend loved, you are probably a neutral, not a warm.

The foundation in this kit

Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation

Full specification, how it is used, and where to buy it in Morocco.

Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation

Full specification, how it is used, and where to buy it in Morocco.

Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Foundation

Full specification, how it is used, and where to buy it in Morocco.

Kryolan Supracolor

Full specification, how it is used, and where to buy it in Morocco.