8 Tricks to Your Most Flawless Face Ever

No one wants to be the girl with the two-toned face, but when it comes to foundations, finding the right kind to use can be near impossible. Our experts dish on how to prep your skin and pick the perfect shade so you can get a natural-looking face every day.

1. Cleanse

Putting on your makeup starts way before you unzip your makeup bag. According to Dr. Doris Day, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at NYU Medical Center, using the right cleanser for your skin will help your makeup go on much more smoothly. Read below to see which type of cleanser is best for your skin type:

Sensitive Skin: "Use a non-comedeogenic cleanser," says Day. "There are plenty of cleansers designed for sensitive skin (we like Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser), that won't cause additional dryness or redness. Also steer clear from bar soaps, since many contain agents prone to drying out skin."

Acne-Prone: "Choose a cleanser that contains salicylic acid. This will promote cell turn over and work to deep clean your pores." Try Clearasil Ultra Daily Face Wash for a gentle, yet effective cleanser.

Combination Skin: Opt for a cleansing system to cover all your bases, like Bare Minerals Skin Renewing Trio, which deep cleans skin, moisturizes, and keeps under eye skin firm.

2. Prep 

The two best ways to prep your skin for makeup is gentle exfoliation and effective cleansing. Applying makeup over excess dry skin can be unsightly and will result in an uneven skin texture.

To keep your skin glowing, Day recommends Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System, which sloughs off dead skin cells and is clinically proven to cleanse skin six times better than just cleansing alone. For optimal results, Day says to remember to change the brush head every three months.

3. Treat Overnight

There's a reason you should use your salicylic acid treatment at night before you snooze – that's when you'll get the best results, according to Day. "It's also important to moisturize your skin at night. Research shows that when we sleep our skin looses moisture from the epidermis." Day recommends a night treatment likeOlay Regenerist Anti-Aging Moisturize Night Resurfacing Elixr and to keep a look out for ingredients like niacinamide, which helps improve the skin's moisture barrier, and glycerin, which helps skin retain more moisture.

4. Picking a Foundation

When choosing a foundation shade to match your skin tone, lean towards a yellow-based formula, says Jessica Lauren, owner of Studio Tres Jolie in New York. "Since your natural skin tone has yellow undertones anyway, picking this type of foundation will help it blend better. If you're on the paler side – opt for one with a pinkish base."

The easiest way to decide between shades? "Pick three shades that are closest to your skin tone and swipe them on your cheek," says Lauren. "The one that leaves you with no line between the shade color and your skin tone is the winner."

5. When to use concealer

If you're prone to using both foundation and concealer, you might be going makeup overboard on your face. "You should always put on foundation before concealer," says Lauren. "If you apply your foundation first, you'll find you probably won't need as much concealer. Instead, spot treat the areas of the face that need it for a more even coverage."

6. Applying Foundation

Cotton swabs are your foundation BFF when it comes to getting seamless skin. "Take one and dab it into your foundation," says Lauren. "Make a dot on your forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin. Then, blend with a brush." Lauren recommends a brush over sponge because sponges soak up too much of the product. "Sponges are great for fix-ups, but a brush will help you blend your foundation into the neckline."

7. Fix a Cakey Look

If you find your foundation is going on too heavy or giving you a cakey appearance, Lauren suggests using a sponge like theBeauty Blender — dab it into water and then work the formula onto your face.

Try dusting with a correcting powder likePhysicians Formula Mineral Wear Correcting Powder to get coverage, without going overboard on liquid foundation.

8. Blending the Two-Toned Look

If you're still using the same formula from the summer, you're bound to run into this problem. Your face is shades darker than your neck – making it obvious that is not a natural glow. If you fall into this category, Lauren recommends using a tinted moisturizer (like e.l.f. Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20) on the neck and blending into the face to get a similar shade. If your foundation is lighter than your neck, apply some bronzer over top before putting on your blush.

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XOXXO

 Angie