To give up trying to find a decent foundation

[PookieDo]

I bought a new foundation stick today and have turned myself orange. DD’s think this is hilarious

They are impossible to bloody match to your actual skin, even if you get the No7 matching done this doesn’t help you find a shade in a different brand. I’ve been to make up counters before and they never seem to get a good match either. I’ve done Findation online for colours that match but in L’Oréal foundations I don’t like the formula and it gives you a list of colours so at least I have that now

I need full coverage as I have a lot of melasma (butterfly shape across eyes and forehead also upper lip) but I find that liquid foundation slides off, goes weird and patchy. So I tried a fixing spray but this just makes it worse.

Cream foundation kind of seems to stick to my melasma patches strangely but does seem better coverage. I used to buy powder foundation but couldn’t find much of any today in any shops, is this no longer a thing?

My skin is kind of dry, do I need a primer? What one?! They feel greasy

What am I doing wrong? I have heard good things about MAC studio fix and Estée Lauder double wear but I don’t know if these are worth trying at £30 a go

Or give up and just go to work make up free (I do not want to do this, I want to wear make up!

And I CBA with lakeside as dartford is always shit!

@PookieDo CYO is stocked in boots if you wanted to try it. I've not found anyone that dislikes it yet

Asking on aibu will lead to many replies from many who aren't well versed in this department.
You need a good skincare routine, facial acids and have you tried facial shaving? Hear me out, only the peach fuzz! This helps the foundation lay better and it scrapes off the build up of dry skin. I do it on my nose where there are dry patches. I would recommend no primer and using Charlotte tilburys magic cream, as instructed on the box.
Go to the counters and get samples of the foundations to try at home. This is key! You can then see how it looks in real lighting. Retail lighting blows out the horrors poor shade choice and formula choice real lighting makes obvious.
Double wear can be drying, on dry patchy skin you will hate it.
Too faced born with way Foundation and concealer is very good.
Try a sample of Kat Von D's, vaccination believes aside her foundations are FULL coverage and she does a powder.
Avoid Vichy - very orange.
Avoid Mac studio fix - too thin

Fenty foundation goes darker after application, many do this it is called oxidising. Another reason to test at home.

Spend the 25-35 and get an amazing one. This is something that will help you get over your insecurities and is worth investing in.

Tools to apply also make a massive difference.

I recommend the iconic London base brushes- these stop you from applying too much and spread the foundation well and quickly across the face. Also, the Morphe beauty sponge with a flat rounded bottom, this is great for blending your blush and bronzer in after the brush and pulling everything together seamlessly. You should use a setting spray after all foundation applications, and this followed by the beauty sponge to pat it out will lock in the look along with powder. Any powder will do, RCMA is good and cheap for the amount.
If you want to avoid looking cakey and matte try the hourglass ambient lighting powders, they give a natural glow and really upped my game.

I hope you find what you're looking for.

"Avoid Vichy - very orange."

That's so weird! It doesn't oxidise on me, in fact I have Armani as well and that does oxidise on me so it's taking up expensive space in my makeup drawer

I am at the counter now! Lovely lovely boots lady is helping me

I'm very pale and I got the lightest shade online (first mistake) and it was orange, like fake tan disaster orange. I've tried giving it to at least 5 other people who sample it and it's orange on them too.

The ops main concern is the dry patches. No foundation will work how she wants until this is resolved. I used to have awful, truly awful dry patches! Nose, chin, between the brows.

Toner and cleanser (Garnier aloe), Pixi glow tonic, super facialist vit C cleansing oil, Charlotte Tilbury magic cream, keto diet and drinking nothing but water along with facial shaving, bravura London acids, and ordinary products to suit skin type and issues cured this for me after 20 years of suffering.

Sorry bit disjointed I was going through my makeup table and bathroom for my products.

My live review - Estée Lauder woman from Debenhams has caked me in a completely different double wear colour than the boots lady! So actually WHAT SHADE AM I

I am now lost in Debenhams 😂

Estée Lauder did my whole face and she used primer and moisturiser. So it looks nice

Ok so I have just bought Clinique moisture surge for £26
Although it has no SPF
Charlotte Tilbry is all oil based so a no from me

I have got to disagree with pps here and say that when I bought a foundation recently for my dd's wedding, I tried loads of samples and the best was No. 7 Stay Perfect in Cool Ivory. Lasted well and gave a flawless finish to an over 50's lady.

Tried Dior, they did a match and clearly decided I was an oompah loompah. So orange, completely wrong for my cool skin tone. No, 7 counter gave me a too dark colour in a different foundation but my local branch got it right.

Both my dd's wear double wear and have hissy fits if you suggest they cut back and try other perfectly good brands. I find the local EL counter lady to be incredibly rude and has a reluctance to let you try a sample. So then I don't buy.

Whoever said facial shaving is right I do need it so I have bought a derma-planer in boots (on order) only £7

ELDW has held up really well so far and I did get really hot and sweaty earlier

EL said I was sand but boots said I was dusk. They are very different. I am going to go to local boots to get a sand sample as the EL woman didn’t actually give me a sand sample but she did my whole face

I have Clinique mask and 7 day scrub testers
MAC studio fix in 2 shades
IT in one shade CC Illuminator and some IT pink moisturiser

No 7 isn’t full coverage enough for me, it’s lovely though

I swear by EL DW its the best.

I took the ELDW off and put IT CC Illiuminator on
Man it’s SHINY 😂
I feel like a sparkly fairy

For context this is some of my melasma on my face. No make up on VS a photo of ELDW

I have quite dry sensitive skin so I struggle to find foundations that work well for me. Mehron celebre HD foundation is really good. It comes in loads of shades, has good coverage and it's quite cheap. I wore it on my wedding day and it looked great in the photos too.

If you're not fully satisfied with the options you've been given, I recommend trying korean cosmetics. My skin is very pale and sensitive with big red blotches, nothing worked quite as well as the korean stuff. I use Innisfree foundation, it's translucent but still gives decent coverage on my red spots and gives you a nice dewy effect. Their moisturizers are really nice too, very soothing.

www.yesstyle.com/en/home.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpavpBRDQARIsAPfTwizeBT3pSDkyJ6TfJkqctOsx_RyL62dM6u5uOTHdJPwRSFLyIcPZe60aAm9REALw_wcB

I make my orders via the link above. I'd also recommend the peripera ink lip glosses, they are almost indestructible. I was wearing some on a day out at a waterpark and it survived multiple dunks on the waterslides.

Wow, thanks for posting those pics. I have skin pigmentation like this on my face and I never knew it had a medical name! This thread has been extremely helpful and I'm itching to try some of the foundations recommended.

If you go on IT cosmetics I have found they have some good links to tutorials for coverage I have also learnt loads

I had a job before where I only saw my colleagues and I didn’t really care as much about my face. I now am in a job where I have to see the general public and it is making me feel self conscious. At the same time it is just what I look like so I don’t really want to hide it. I’m single anyway so don’t have to worry about a man suing me for deception when I take my make up off!

I got sunburnt accidentally last year and it made it 10 times worse. Stay out of the sun

Thanks @PookieDo. I will look into that. I have to admit that my most problem area is the upper lip which looks like a moustache of freckles . I had a feeling it was linked to sun damage as I was a sunbed user in my youth. I also find that it is more prominent during summer months. I try to take care of my skin and avoid sunbeds, I ensure there's an spf in my moisturiser now but I think I should really invest in a large floppy hat and stay well out if the sun.

PHOERA foundation on eBay is brilliant! Very full coverage and not greasy. Costs about £3.50 for 30ml.

In the past I've used Chanel...double wear....no seven...but this is Def best one for coverage and stayability!

Worth a try for a pittance!

After wearing foundation since I was about 17, I stopped last year, I'm 52. I use a good moisturiser and sometimes a luminiser/primer. I think I look ok. I have a constantly runny nose now & I was always wiping my makeup off and ended up looking ridiculous by afternoon, even with expensive long wearing foundation. Maybe try it slowly & see how you feel. I was a bit self conscious for a while, now I couldn't care less.

I don’t feel comfortable not wearing any my melasma is also looking like a moustache! (Which is where it started). People do stare or ask something

I am going to buy some benefit erase paste today as I recall it’s great and peach tones hide melasma well

I have ELDW on today although I am not sure it’s the right shade and I can barely see any melasma and it’s not caking on at all, I used Clinique moisture surge this morning and last night huge difference

On the matter of primers, I may have discovered a dupe for Benefit's Porefessional.

I couldn't face going into (hideously busy big seaside town with horrendous traffic and extortionate parking) and I'd run out of primer, so while I was in Superdrug I grabbed a cheapo one (Revolution Pro Pore something primer). It looks and feels just like the Benefit one and works just as well, if not even a bit better, but was about £6 or so. I think the Benefit one is well over £20 now.

I don’t like Benefit primer myself
Boots tell me The Ordinary will be releasing an amazing £5 primer this week or next into store

Op apologies if already been said but go to boots and get testers.

You don't need primer if you use moisturizer just before you put on makeup (5 mins or so), foundation, powder and setting spray.
A lot of primers are drying, and if your increasing moisturizer usage there is no need. You don't have massive pores to fill and moisturizer is tacky so is a good base.

Please look into facial acids, they will resurface the skin and lighten pigmentation.