I’ve been asked lots of great questions about applying mineral foundation over the years.  Mineral foundation is not like typical drugstore compact that you use to blot your t-zone with a sponge.  If you’re new to beingTRUE mineral foundation — or new to wearing makeup, period — you may find this helpful.   Spend just a few minutes sweeping, swirling and misting in the morning and you’ll have a glowing, even complexion all day!  

~Maureen

1. Prep

Your face should be freshly moisturized, giving the powder something to adhere to.  If it’s been over an hour since your a.m. moisturizer/SPF routine, it’s a good idea to put on a little more moisturizer or Skin Tints before putting on your mineral foundation.  Your skincare has everything to do with how your foundation looks!  Using the Clarisonic brush smooths and tightens skin, and the right serum and/or moisturizer will fill pores and plump fine lines.  I find that Epicuren’s CXc (Vitamin C complex) keeps my foundation matte better than any foundation primer I’ve tried.

2. Dip

A small step, yes, but it is important to emphasize that you need very little powder.  The idea is to build thin layers to achieve desired coverage.  If you’re using the pressed powder, swirl your brush a few times and tap off excess powder.  If you have loose powder, swirling the brush in the lid is usually sufficient.  You should never have so much powder on your brush that a small mushroom cloud forms when tapping the brush!  When your loose powder is brand spanking new, rather than peeling away the clear sticker on the sifter, poke 4-5 holes in the sticker/sifter hole to better control the amount of powder coming out (thus minimizing powder spills all over your bathroom counter!) – a tip we picked up from PRIORI.

3. Sweep + Swirl

Apply the foundation with long, sweeping strokes (across the forehead, down the nose, across both cheeks and chin) to distribute the powder evenly, then swirl the brush in small circles over the area to buff and blend foundation over the entire face.  If you were to dip the brush and immediately begin working in circles, most of the powder would deposit in one spot and appear patchy.  Reapply to reach desired coverage… dip, long sweeping strokes, then work in little circles.  Normally 2-3 light applications is sufficient (if you’re wearing Skin Tints, you should only need a single application).  Feel free to apply to your neck and decollete as needed.  The TRUE brushes feel so good, people usually lose themselves in the “swirling” part.  It’s okay.  We get it.

4. Mist / Set

Okay, so now you’ve got the level of coverage you like and it’s time to seal the deal, literally.  You’re going to spritz the Transforming Mineral Mist all around your face 4-6 times (like the face of a clock at 3, 6, 9, 12), and use the TRUE sponge to lightly press-and-roll all over to set the mist and foundation together.  The sponge is not used to blend (the brush swirling took care of that).  Please, don’t skip the mist!!  This is the step that makes your foundation last day-to-night, and keeps skin hydrated thanks to the hyaluronic acid in the mist.  The mist is also key in correcting a heavy-handed dry or powdery finish.

Conceal

If you have a blemish or mark (or redness in the nose folds, etc.) you’d like to conceal:  fold your sponge in half, dip the tip of the sponge into your mineral foundation, roll it over your hand ever so lightly to “load” the powder onto the sponge and prevent loose powder “fallout”, and tap the tip of the sponge over the area you wish to conceal.  The key here is to use a very light touch.

Please comment if you have questions or additional tips to share, or just to let us know you stopped by!