My Powder Foundation Routine!

Hi there!

I love wearing makeup, but due to my low energy levels I'm always looking for easy products that make the whole process easier, and less energy consuming. One of my favourite products to use for a quick and polished base is a powder foundation!

I know powder foundations are not for everyone, and a few years ago I was one of those people who swore by liquid foundations. But I discovered the Makeup Mekka Hello Pretty Powder Foundation when I went to try some of their new products out, and I fell in love instantly.

It gives medium, buildable coverage. It doesn't cling to dryness or emphasise texture. It gave me a beautiful, near flawless base in seconds! When I have limited time to do my makeup, or little energy this is my go to base. It's quick, effortless, and makes my skin look great!

If I want a more natural looking base, I only use this over a primer, and that's it! It gives me medium coverage, and lets some of my skin show through. I have a lot of redness on my cheeks, and if I want to save some time, I skip concealer and let it show through and give a slight blushed look. If I want more coverage I layer a concealer under it in the areas I want more coverage. For me that's usually under the eyes, on the redness I get on my cheeks, chin and noses, and on any spots I might have. The foundation sits beautifully on the skin, and over other product so I never have to worry about it looking caky or heavy. 

This product has 2 downsides to me. 1 is that it doesn't stay matte for very long on my skin. I have dry/combination skin, and tend to get oily throughout the day when wearing makeup. This product isn't one I would put on if I would be wearing makeup for 10+ hours. It looks great for 3-5, then I start looking a little oily on my nose and forehead. It's easily fixed with a bit of powder, and the foundation never breaks down from the oil, even when I've worn it for 8-10 hours. I don't mind a dewy finish on my skin, so I don't mind getting a bit oily. But I keep some powder on hand if I know I'll be wearing it for longer, just in case I want to take some of the shine away.

This is my current one, can you tell it's well loved?

The other downside to this product is the shade range. I wear the shade Marshmallow, which is their lightest. It's a slightly warm (yellow) toned colour, and it's a shade or 2 too dark for me. Their whole shade range is most suited toward light to medium skin tones with warm undertones. And with only 7 shades, they don't have a lot to offer for deeper skin tones. I have both the lightest shade Marshmallow and the darkest one Cinnamon. I have very fair skin with a neutral undertone, and when I can use the darkest shade they offer as a bronzer, it's not dark enough.

Cinnamon on the left and Marshmallow on the right.

Marshmallow on top, Cinnamon on the bottom. These are swatched pretty heavily so they show up. My arm is also a bit darker and a little more pink than my face, but you can see the warm undertone of the powder.

The product itself is a bit powdery, so when you dip your brush into it, it kicks up some powder. I 
don't mind this, and I just use the kicked up powder the next time I dip into the product. I like to apply this with a denser brush. The one I use in the video is the Isadora Face Sculptor brush. It's my go-to brush for powder since it's dense enough so that it doesn't take away coverage if I'm using with liquid foundation and powder, but it has enough give in the bristles so that I can use it to stipple and buff the powder foundation into the skin. Another brush I like using is the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush. It's a little more dense so I can get a little more coverage out of it, but it still has some give so I can buff the product out. Both these brushes have angled bristles, and I find that works well for my face.

Products used:

Smashbox Primer Water

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Primer

Urban Decay Primer Potion - Original

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer - Fair

Makeup Mekka Hello Pretty Powder Foundation - Marshmallow

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray (not my favourite)

Isadora Face Sculptor Brush

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

-Anja

#Makeup #Beauty #Foundation