Reader Simone contacted us to ask us to source her a new foundation. She's been using a Body Shop one for years and fancies a change. In addition, she's expecting her first baby and this has resulted in hormonal changes which her skin isn't taking too kindly.
Well firstly Simone, big beaut.ie congratulations! Now, with my limited experience of pregnancy (i.e. none) it's taken me a fair old while to get around to this particular AS&YSR because I wanted to give you a good answer. And I think I've found it finally. I've been reading a really great article on a UK website called BabyCentre.co.uk where famous makeup guru (and mother of 3 boys) Bobbi Brown has been interviewed about her recommendations for the best sort of makeup you should be wearing at this time.
She says that pregnancy is a great time to re-evaluate your beauty routine, and recommends you to experiment a little. "One of the biggest beauty mistakes women make during their pregnancy is using no make-up and also changing their hairstyle dramatically. Make-up can do wonders during your pregnancy. It can be used as a tool to feel pretty and in control".
She also recommends that keep your beauty routine simple and easy. Her list of essentials includes a concealer for blotchy or uneven areas and dark undereye circles, a pink blusher, and your favourite lip colour. Now, here's the bit you're most interested in - she recommends a yellow-toned foundation which she swears is best for all skin types. While I absolutely bow to her superior wisdom I always thought that yellow toned products were best for olive and Asian skins - and a quick Google seems to confirm that. So perhaps look for foundation shades with rich cream tones.
For best results, she recommends first putting on concealer (one shade lighter than your foundation) just where it's necessary - so put it on all those new blotches and blemishes! Then apply your foundation, but only on the areas without concealer. Apparently doubling up just cancels out the effect of the concealer. And there was me using the whole more is more approach when it comes to concealing blemishes. A day in which you learn something new and all that, eh?
With pregnancy can come tiredness, so she recommends that on these sort of days, the way to pep yourself up is to use blusher. "Blush is the best way to give yourself a boost," says Brown. She recommends that you apply a bronzer or skin tone blush across the whole cheek as a base and then a splash of pink right on the apple of the cheek for a fresh and natural look. That sounds easily doable! Bobbi Brown has also written a book called Bobbi Brown Beauty: The Ultimate Beauty Resource
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Now, what actual products would be good for you? We've just discussed concealers, so have a look at that post, and I've also just personally road tested Barbara Daly for Tesco concealer and it is indeed MAGIC. It posesses hitherto unknown properties of concealability, goes on crazily easily, comes in 3 shades, and costs a fiver. Here, what more could you want?
So with concealing all wrapped up, and that's probably doing the majority of the job you want done, a foundation with light coverage that's easy to apply would be great. While we can recommend products and brands, you'll really need to do a bit of legwork and ask for samples and try shades out - because only you can estimate your own skintone in the absence of us getting a good goo at you! For simplicity, you could think about a product that adapts to your skintone, like No7's Colour Adapt, and I also hear great things about Maybelline foundations. Their Wonder Finish foundation is a light liquid that transforms on contact with the skin into an almost weightless, powder finish and gives a flawless yet natural look.
But I think you should treat yourself! If I was you I'd splurge on Chanel's Teint Innocence which is billed as a 'perfectly natural fluid foundation' with a naturally luminous finish. So you'll get a gorgeous finish without looking made up.
Bobbi Brown info from: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/
