What the heck is going on? My face has decided it won't keep foundation on properly.

[Laiste]

I'm late 40s and i am blessed with fairly smooth wrinkle free skin. But bugger me if my foundation is not suddenly finding lines and pores which aren't there before i put the make up on and then it just slip slides right off ...

I've tried using less moisturiser, i've tried using less foundation. I've tried a primer. I put it all on so carefully, but when i peer closely at my face in the mirror it looks like clown make up that's half worn off before i've even left the room. Chalky and greasy at the same time My forehead feels so greasy, but if i powder it it looks dusty.

I used to use Estee Lauder DW but cannot afford it so for the last year i have been using loreal 24 hour matt foundation and it's been ok but this is a new level of awful. I think i need more coverage than a BB cream gives.

I exfoliate and i de fluff. What am i doing wrong?

My pores look horrid now with foundation. It doesn't cover them it just sits in them making my face look all dotty I'm currently trying out different types of bb/cc creams to see if that's any better - my verdict so far seems to be 'yes'

It’s because you’ve used Estee Lauder DW! Trust me. I’ve used Estee Lauder DW for donkeys years (when it used to be £21), and agree the price is ridiculous so I have tried and tested many other foundations and I keep going back to Estee Lauder (so actually wasting money in the long run testing other brands). What I do now is just mix Estee Lauder with a cheaper brand so it makes it last a bit longer!

Or, try a primer before the foundation? If I’m using a cheap foundation which wipes off easy I always use primer before the foundation and a setting spray that I dab in with a sponge on top of the foundation.

If you have good skin, could you definitely not do with something lighter like a tinted moisturiser? I think less is more if you can get away with it when it comes to skin, at all ages actually but particularly ageing skin.

I think less is more if you can get away with it when it comes to skin, at all ages actually but particularly ageing skin.

This has definitely been my experience. @Laiste Sounds like you have good skin to start with, so perhaps go for sheer coverage and try something that doesn't have a matte finish.

'iT Cosmetics' has a CC cream called Nude Glow which has been working really well for me.

Noooooooo i just typed a post answering each of you and it's gone!!

Short version is i'm wary of a sheer BB cream because i feel i need something a bit heavier.

Yes, i wish the Estee Lauder fairy would just just deliver me a bottle damn it!

Re: going for a dewy finish instead of matte - i was just scrolling through a couple of older MN threads about foundation help and folks were suggesting using Fenty Body Sauce as a primer or to mix in with your foundation. Gives a glow plus a bit of dew.

Anybody tried that? (i think it's Rihanna's range)

I also said i'm a bit lost with my moisturiser as well - but again can't afford £££. I tried the Asda one which is supposed to be a dupe for Charlotte Tilsbury. I used it all but it didn't seem any different to the usual Loreal ones i buy in Tesco when they're on a deal.

Regarding moisturiser I just buy whatever is on offer in Tesco 😅usually Garnier or L’oreal. However, I know it’s bad to keep changing moisturiser and the skin isn’t going to benefit to whatever that moisturiser is supposed to do!

WhoSaidWhat123 😂
The gulf between what i would LIKE to be using and what i do use is so big it's funny! I've given up loads of good stuff over the last coupe of years and i feel i'm at the stage of life when i should be upping the quality of what i spray, spread and scrub myself with not lower it 😂😭

The other thing i was on about in lost post is primer. I used to use Hourglass and now use ELF (tenner form superdrug) and it's not as good obvs but it's ok. I''s better than no primer lets put it that way.

I'm at the stage where i'm wondering:
Is it best to spend very little on 99% of toiletries and a vast amount on one (or two at most), or best to go middlin on everything.

I'm doing the later at the mo and the bod and the face is suffering!

If you're sure that the issue isnt with your skin/skincare routine then I think you might be layering products that don't mix - water based, oil based and silicone based products layered on top of each other will produce a patchy cakey mess.

https://www.makeup.com/en-ca/makeup-tutorials/expert-tips/breakdown-of-foundation-ingredients

@Iknowthis1 oooooh. I'm going to have a read of that thank you.

This happened to me the last few years. Needed to go for a lighter coverage otherwise it looks shit. This one is quite good. Bodyshop gave me a sample.https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/makeup/foundations-concealers/fresh-nude-foundation/p/p076000

Oh I have been there. I couldn’t work out what was going wrong. Turned out it was a combination of too heavy base and my skin not being moisturised enough, even though I thought it was.

Like many others have said, older skin needs a lighter touch with makeup. I found that layering my skin with thin layers of skincare product gave it lots of moisture too. And I’m a big fan of a facial oil but top it with moisturiser.

For a nice base I do the following:
some Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood flawless filter dotted top of cheeks, forehead and nose and blended (apparently Elf do a total dupe of this. I use so little that one bottle has lasted me for about two years though)
Some Nars concealer lightly dotted and blended over cheeks and any blemishes or marks.

That gives me a nice glow and my skin looks pretty good and not like I’m wearing lots of base, which I love.

I also find a spray of fake tan (Bondi Sands works well for me) evens out a lot and means I don’t need much.

I have wasted so much money on cheaper concealers and they really don’t work the same but using a few dots means the Nars one lasts for months and months

I started to have this problem too, I think after 40 my skin became dry and as it became flakey during the day so did the foundation.

The only solution I found was to use a liquid foundation on the advice of a boots advisor.
It covers really well and I use a mak blush which although powder seems to stay nice over a liquid foundation so perhaps a powder over the top would too, I don't find I need both.

Oh dear that's a shame! It sounds like your skin is ready for a less matte foundation, or one that is less visible on skin. Highly recommend Bourjois Healthy Mix for this, it's standard drugstore foundation price and is really undetectable on skin

Quick light dust of powder after primer but before foundation!

I have the same and just tend to do a very very light cover of a foundation that sets like revlon colourstay but the one for dry skin. It doesn’t seem to go patchy at all. Also worth making sure your skin is really well moisturised as dehydrated skin can produce more oil (bafflingly!). I’d add in a really watery hydrating serum ( I think one of these is called a toner!) like this or this then a good moisturiser like elf holy hydration or I use cerave. Also apply moisturising products to damp skin.

I have had this problem over the years, it seems to come and go, I notice at the moment my foundation isn't lasting as long, I find a powder foundation helps when this happens, I alternate a powder foundation then the next day a liquid, today I'm wearing it cosmetics cc cream but it always comes off my chin and nose by mid afternoon.

I like skin in motion foundation - it gives a light coverage which can then be built up as and where you want. It really stays in place - I ran a marathon yesterday and it was absolutely fine at the end.

Sounds ridiculous but - when did you last wash/replace your make up brush or sponge or whatever you use to apply foundation?

I’ve noticed when my foundation brush is due for a wash it starts making my foundation settle weirdly and then slide off my face - I assume because it’s not blending properly even though it looks blended to start.

Might be a quick and cheap thing to try to see if it makes a difference.

Me too,anything else is a false economy. There's quite a few offers about ,I stocked up when it was £20 from Boots.

Thank you so much for all this info.

Some great tips. Glad i'm not alone in the struggle to be honest!

Really interesting how each of us gets around this issue depending on what the specific problem is.

Re: 'under moisturised skin becoming more oily' i remember this from my teenage days and not understanding it at all! But it's true. I started moisturising my then oily skin (with an non oily moist) and it did improve.

I think though that maybe i'm going too heavy handed with my moisturiser. My skin isn't oily any more by a long shot, but i think i'm going in too hard with the anti wrinkle gloop.

I'll try less today and try the powder before foundation trick. I will update.

CONFESSION:
I've spent about 30 mins searching the backwaters of the internet and found EL double wear for £31 inc delivery.

There was some on ebay a little bit cheaper but not in my colour (pale almond).

I've taken it out of my little savings stash for the holiday 😳
I have nothing to say in my defence.

Wayne Goss the makeup artist says that sometimes moisturiser and foundation don't compliment each other, but it depends on which you use and their ingredients.
That could be the issue xx

Dermalogica primer spf 30 is brilliant!
It is tinted so I use this instead of a foundation.It's natural looking but I also use it for nights out too.
It's about 50 pounds but will last me a year.