How to avoid too-heavy foundation

Too-heavy foundation is never a good look. Here's how to get good coverage from your foundation without it looking thick and cakey.

Preparing your skin before applying foundation makes a world of a difference. Skincare is the key to a polished looking finish on your foundation. For your skin to look healthy wearing foundation, you need to first make sure that you have prepared it to be a suitable canvas. Good preparation means choosing great skincare that will control oil and smooth dry patches in your skin. Excess oil will cause foundation to separate and slide on your skin. It will also mix with the foundation and change the colour of it over time. If you have dry patches, the foundation will cake into them and discolour around the dry area. Both issues lead to too-heavy foundation that is uneven and patchy looking.

Avoid matte finish foundations

Matte foundations are the ones most likely to look too heavy on your skin. Matte foundations are usually geared towards oily skin and tend to be full coverage. While there is a time and a place for matte foundation, it is not the ideal choice if you want a natural-looking foundation that isn't too heavy. When you're striving for luminous natural skin, opt for a foundation with a luminous finish. The ones you're looking for will usually have words like 'luminous', 'moisturising' and 'sheer' in their names.

Get a kabuki brush

Another way to avoid the too heavy foundation look is to apply it really well. It's a fact that perfect application takes time. You just can't slap it on without a mirror in 30 seconds and presume it's going to look ok. By time, I don't mean hours but give it a couple of minutes out of your makeup routine. Often we spend the time on the more technical areas like eyes and brows. I always say beautiful skin is the foundation of any good makeup. That means it's important to give it a little bit of care and attention.

To help you buff the foundation to an airbrushed finish, get a really good kabuki brush. A kabuki brush will have densely packed bristles that will buff and blend your makeup onto your skin easily. I love a kabuki with a large flat head. A large head makes it quick to use because it covers a large surface area at a time. Use your brush to work the foundation in around your nose and chin area and around your mouth and eyes. It will give you an even and thin distribution of the product to avoid your foundation looking too heavy.

What's your favourite foundation for natural looking skin?