Why can't I ever get my foundation to look nice?

[cheeseisthebest]

I've tried everything I cleanse, tone and moizturise, I exfoliate. I use a foundation brush which I clean regularly. It goes claggy on and around my nose and on my chin, both chin and nose feel rough and have blackheads and blocked pores. How can I sort this and sort my foundation?

All foundation is the same on my as well except Doublewear, the only foundation that works on my skin.

Do you wear a primer under your foundation? I found it made a difference to the way mine looked!

Yes I use elf primer.
I've tried double wear, no different!

I posted a similar problem , foundation looking light poker dots on my nose and chin, I tried this, lightly put loose powder on before foundation then applied my foundation with a beauty sponge dabbing lightly, I must say it works, the foundation still wears off my chin after 6 /7 hours which I can live with, but definitely didn't see the poker dots.

Do you stroke the foundation in with a flat brush or buff it on OP?

A really good primer and using a sponge I find works best

Have you tried applying with a slightly damp beauty blender sponge?

No I've not used a sponge can someone recommend one, and recommend a powder? Thank you.

What brand of foundation are you using? I use Dior Forever skin glow and it goes on nicely, lots of others go similar to what you’ve described.

Its not the cheapest but you hardly need to use any so it lasts absolutely ages.

You need to sort out your skin. Whatever cleansing products you're using don't seem to be working for you.

I think the issue is your base so sort your skincare routine. Caroline Hirons's website is great for cheat-sheets. Some serums, acid exfoliants etc might really help you. I find if my skin looks good, my foundation will look great.

If you want any product recommendations for skincare, let me know.

I would also recommend a CC cream rather that a foundation. I love IT Cosmetics CC cream.

I just a no7 powder but I'm sure any loose powder would work.

use

What products do you use? Which brand of moisturiser, primer and foundation?

Have you ever tried with a sponge?

I’ve never found a brush works for me. I use my fingers to dab it on then smooth it over the rest of my face working outwards from my nose and mouth.

Are you leaving time between moisturising and applying primer? You should aim to leave at least 10 mins after moisturising before starting to put makeup on.

Also, the more products you use, the more layers there are to work against each other. Silicone and SPF are among the worst for this, along with glowy/dewy primers.

The blackheads and clogged pores need sorting first - have you tried steaming and squeezing? Very satisfying!

If you have rough patches then your skin is not reacting well to whatever you are leaving on it all day. Change your moisturiser to something ultra gentle for sensitive skin.

If you have open pores the most important step is primer. Then with foundation use the absolute minimum possible. Maybe even just a cc cream.

There is no way to hide bad skin with layers of foundation and powder if you are in the real world/not under studio lights/not being filtered. The make up tutorials all over the internet are selling you an absolute lie.

Oh yeah, and use a light dusting of translucent loose setting powder.

Yes I agree it's a skin issue. Am open to any recommendations

Yep a skin issue I think.
What do you use currently to wash for face?

I'd swap to only cleanse at night, then pixi glow tonic then night oil.
In morning just a vitamin c serum and SPF.

Can you get a facial to sort the skin out, a peely one?

Also make sure you primer matches your foundation, so they are both either water based or oil based. Otherwise they tend to split and look weird.

A light setting spray helps a lot, I have oily skin, use the urban decay all nighter

I had this problem in my 20's.

I tried lots of things and this is my routine:

Evening:

Cleanse and moisturise (using The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid range as it adds hydration and plumpness to skin)
(In winter I also apply Charlotte Tilbury magic cream right before bed but this is because my skin gets drier in winter - it's expensive though)
Every second night i use Tropic Drops of Youth Liquid peel (it's like an exfoliator but i much prefer it to a rough exfoliator)

Morning:

cleanse and moisturise (same as evening) - leave moisturiser to soak in whilst doing hair/teeth/having coffee.

Prime: tried so many as I have visible pores but settled on Benefit Porefessional Matt Rescue.
Leave to dry for a few minutes.

Apply Double wear foundation with a RT miracle complexion sponge (damp not dry), conceal and then use Charlotte tilbury Airbrush Flawless finishing powder over where I conceal.
I also have CT airbrush flawless foundation which is good but doesn't have the staying power that double wear has.

It took me years to find the right combination and it was 100% my skin care and primer that made the difference to how my foundation looks and lasts.

I also set my makeup with a setting spray.

Damp beauty blender for applying and build it up in small amounts
Use a sticky primer on your nose, or a silicone based one. Elf do a couple - power grip or their putty primer. Maybe try both, I prefer the sticky ones
Use a hydrating foundation and set it with powder just where you need

Hi @cheeseisthebest ,

I've found my Clarisonic Foundation Brush to be a game changer, the makeup application is flawless, every time.

I moisturise with coconut oil (vita coco raw), apply my primer (Benefit pore professional), colour corrector (Nars), concealer (Bobbi Brown) foundation (Bobbi Brown - liquid), top-up concealer, powder (Bobbi Brown), and then Blusher (it's actually a Bobbi Brown lip gloss!)

The Clarisonic is an investment purchase, you'd need the wand, plus different brush heads, depending on how you intend to use it. I use mine twice per day. I use it to wash my face, apply serums, massage around my eyes, jaw line, neck and declotage, apply my foundation and apply my blusher.

My husband regularly tells me that my face looks wedding day flawless. We've been married 10 years...