Who doesn't need foundation

Jul 6, 2011

Crystina D.

So my friend asked for some makeup tips and I gladly proceeded to tell her everything I know.

I tried to explain to her the importance of foundation but she insists that she doesn't need it.

I tried to explain that while yes, your skin is almost blemish free and almost even, a small amount of foundation, tinted moisturizer, primer (SOMETHING!!!) sometimes does a world of good.

So when I did her make up sans foundation it looked like her eyes, cheeks and lips were done but the look wasn't pulled together.

By reading this, you should know how I feel about a foundation of some sort but what do YOU ALL think? What are some of your foundation pro's and con's?

To each their own I say. I'm for what makes you feel comfortable but I'm also for having everything pulled together so that the look your going for is acheived. Know what I mean?

Jul 6, 2011

Tamara R.

Skipping skin is a pretty common thing when people are just getting into makeup, especially if the skin is pretty good. A bit of sheer powder or tinted moisturizer does pull a look together in my opinion, this scales up with the intensity/drama of the look.

My pro & con list would be quite long.. so I'll just sum it up by saying it's called foundation for a reason. LOL This becomes quite apparent in photography. Trust me when I say I cringe at some old photos when I just realized my love for eye shadows.. and didn't think to use much else. Hotmess'tacular.

For most people, the skin should balance with the rest of the face. If you're going natural, a light touch will do. The more dramatic and intense the makeup, the more room you've got to ramp up the skin.

Jul 6, 2011

Crystina D.

I agree with you! Like, just because the dirt is hard it doesn't mean you start throwing down bricks! Something should go down first. Your point on photography is dead on.

Thanks for posting!

Jul 6, 2011

Anna S.

I feel like Foundation is essential because, just that. The word Foundation.
Like let's just talk about the word. You wouldn't wear a tight dress without a foundation garment on to smooth out whatever bump shouldn't be there, would you? Foundation is there just to make your skin look hella flawless.
I understand not wearing foundation in the summer time, because sweating while wearing foundation can make you look streaky, like you've been crying. But yeah. Foundation is one of the most important parts of makeup to me.

Jul 6, 2011

Raelee X.

If i wear a look with bright/dramatic makeup or if i'm going out/taking pictures, then i wear foundation, but if i'm just going to school or the store or something I rarely wear foundation, while I think it does tie everything together and makes the rest of your makeup look even better I don't think its completely necessary

Jul 6, 2011

Caity B.

I do think foundation ties everything together - like in my profile picture I don't have any on! It doesn't look complete. For me, during the summer, I can't wear foundation. No foundation will stay on my face with or without primers...no matter what kind of foundation it is. I normally just wear it during the winter.
I do think it's a must though. Even though I am nay-saying myself. hahah!


Foundation also helps clean up any eyeshadow messes and what not...ya know?

Jul 6, 2011

Akruti A.

Eek I'm guilty of not wearing foundation! Partly because (sounds a little silly) I feel a little suffocated! & I'm worried it might rub off onto clothes etc. Also a bigger reason is that I haven't managed to find a good foundation that matches my complexion! I quite like not wearing it, I think I have decent skin and if I do get a blemish I use a little concealer. Also I find serums (body shop vitamin c serum) and benefit's dr feelgood are quite good at giving me a fresh even tone, but I'm aware they don't give the same effect as a foundation!

Having said this, I do love to party and look fabulous hence why I'm going to still search for a good foundation for those special occasions!

Jul 6, 2011

Melanie G.

Some people have really amazing skin and can get away with not wearing foundation. I work with someone who told me she doesn't wear foundation, and I was pretty surprised because it looked like she did! Most people, though, do have blemishes here and there or dark undereye circles. Maybe she could start off just wearing a little bit of concealer in those places with a little bit of translucent powder over to control shine. Or maybe she'd be okay with trying a mineral foundation as opposed to liquid...its much lighter and most of the time its such a light coverage that you can barely tell you have makeup on =)

Jul 6, 2011

Courtney A.

In one of kevyn aucoin's book he says that the words always and never are the sure death of creativity, and that there are no rules when it comes to makeup. And ironically, in his book face forward he doesn't even use foundation in most of his looks! Don't get me wrong, I love the way foundation looks, and I agree with you that it ties a look together. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe she likes the way she looks better without foundation, and if so, more power to her =]

Jul 6, 2011

Andi F.

I don't need it, but I put mositeriser and then set that with powder foundation just to neaten it up.

Jul 6, 2011

Courtney M.

I dont wear foundation. I don't really care for it, my face is pretty clear and I just have some freckles on my nose and under my eyes. Sure if I found a really really good one I would wear it but nope, not right now. I do want to find a good concealer for undereye though!

Jul 6, 2011

Amy L.

Ex-foundation wearer and I’ll never go back. I wore foundation (probably every brand and type you could imagine) through middle school, high school and college. I wore it to hide my terrible skin and that was a terrible mistake. After college I was fed up with putting my “face” on every day and since my skin had cleared up a little, I decided to break free from foundation. I haven’t wore it since and my skin has become 1000x better. My skin has always been super oily, I’m a slave to blotting papers and foundation just made the mess worse. I’ve tried tinted moisturizer since then and I am just not feeling it. I still wear eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner, and lipgloss or lipstick every day with no foundation and people say I look 10x better than when I used to wear foundation. I don’t think I look incomplete or unfinished without foundation. Just natural and free.  

Jul 6, 2011

Arie C.

I normally only wear foundation on my cheeks to cover my roseaca, and a little under my eyes. I agree with most people here, that foundation ties a look together. However, there are those rare cases (like myeyeshadowisodd on youtube) where they don't need foundation at all.

Jul 6, 2011

Keren K.

I honestly think that if someone feels comfortable enough with their skin to go without foundation then more power to them. I cake on a ton of foundation and complexion makeup every morning simply because I'm embarrassed to go without it and show people my blemished, hyperpigmented skin. Makeup isn't for everyone, and I strongly believe it should mainly be used to enhance one's natural features. Just like some people may not feel like they need to apply mascara to their naturally luscious lashes, not everyone needs to apply foundation, either! If I were you, I'd commend your friend on being comfortable in her own skin (no pun intended). I wish I could possess the self confidence that she does! All girls should ideally learn to love their bodies and features. If she loves her skin, then she's quite a step ahead of many of us. :)

Jul 7, 2011

Crystina D.

@ Keren K, Mandy K & Courtney A (that rhymes!)
You all are absolutely right. The overall tone seems to be to each their own with the foundation. I agree with your sentiments (I even said so in the post). The context of the conversation with my friend is a lot more detailed however. It was a breakdown of every item I had that was met with a whatever attitude when I brought up foundation as well as concealer, color correctors ect. It would have been one thing if we tried some stuff and she later decided that it's not for her. That's always fine. However, we didn't and that's fine too. My thing is, if she is going for a certain look and it doesn't turn out the way she wanted then maybe she should experiment with some exluded steps until it does come out as she expects. Instead of complaining about dark eye circles LEARN about your options to fixing them. Be they foundation, concealer, creams, caffine serum, ice, mud whatever; open mindedness goes both ways. Get what I'm saying?

I would have initially posted all the issues I had with the experience but that would have been a rant and there is no need for those :)

Thanks for posting!

@Arie C- Cool cool!

@Amy Lynn- Good for you!

@ Courtney M- I feel you. When I worked at The Body Shop, I used their concealer stick and got pretty good results. Super smooth. Good luck on your undereye concealer search!

@Melanie G- Great ideas!

@ Andi F- Cool cool. Sounds light.

@Akruti A- I completely understand you on the "feeling suffocated thing". I think it's cool that so many of you on here get such effective results with moisturizers. Good luck with your foundation search!

@Anna S- AGREED!!!

@Raechel L- Makes sense. That's actually pretty practical.

@Twizzie B- Agreed! In the summer, the foundation is a no go. Actually, for me, make up in general goes into hybernation lol.

Jul 8, 2011

Drea L.

It's all personal preference - but I struggle w/ acne & acne marks, so I usually cover these things to pull my whole look together. I just feel like it looks 1234567890x better WITH foundation.

I feel like a lot of people who start make up seem to think they have to skip foundation/TM because they don't need it. I wish I could tell them that their face would look neater w/ it. But hey, some people just wont budge ;D

Jul 8, 2011

Crystina D.

@Andrea G- What ever floats your boat, right?! : )

Jul 8, 2011

Crystina D.

@ Terra M- See, your wearing something though. My whole thing with my friend was like there's a lot of stuff out there to consider before just turning down everything. How does the tinted moisturizer work for you?

Jul 8, 2011

Jane A.

I too used to pile on the foundation and concealer because of my acne and scars. No matter how much I used my scars would some what show through. In the end though it felt very heavy and cakey.

So I've switched to mineral foundation and it's more lightweight and my skin can finally breathe underneath. The coverage is pretty much the same, which I love. It covers up any uneven skin tone, although light scarring still shows through it. The HUGE difference is my skin finally stopped breaking out horribly and my acne pretty much subsided.

As for Crystina, it seems like the case where a friend of yours pouts about something, so you give them advice -- then they throw back your advice in your face like they're better than it. I dislike when that happens. =|

Jul 8, 2011

Heather H.

I think it depends on the look. I don't always wear foundation, sometimes I'll use a little powder. But definitely foundation for more dramatic looks.

Kevyn Aucoin may not have used foundation for some of his looks because he had a lot of photoshop on his side. He also overly simplified how much work went into the looks he did, "a little lipstick and a little eyeliner, boom, Marilyn Monroe!"

Jul 8, 2011

Marta N.

I think if your skin is okay and you don't have discoloration, scars or blemishes then you don't need foundation. It becomes more of a choice. For example, I don't wear foundation on my face. I just use a little bit for under eye darkness and that's all and my looks look perfectly complete. Check out my photos and you'll see... So if you don't need it, don't use it. Especially in the summer time. [=

Jul 8, 2011

Crystina D.

@ Heather H- Quite a few people use foundation like you do. Thanks for the context!

@Terra M- Cool cool!

@ Jane A- It's great that you found something that finally works for you. And yes, advice that's requested then denied sucks a** lol

Jul 8, 2011

Crystina D.

@ Marta N- Cool. Makes sense.

Jul 8, 2011

Amanda K.

you know what, i used to be exactly like your friend.. "i have no zits, no discoloration, why use foundation?" then for some reason, i tried it, and its amazing what a difference it makes, even on a person with naturally nice skin. if nothing more than a base to work from, it really makes a difference!