Another day, another foundation fail

[DriveVerySlowlyPastNumber23IWantThemToSeeMyHat]

Early 30s.
Skin tone very uneven - white with red blotchy nose/cheeks.
Prone to a couple of spots pre menstruation.
Some days dry, some days oily.
Foundation NEVER stays put and either flakes off or disappears by 10am.
Loreal, Rimmel, Maybelline, Body Shop, Benefit - you name it, I've probably tried it.
Tried various primers, setting sprays to no avail.
Bought some azelaic acid today to try and focus on skin care instead of foundation.

Any tips, tricks or miracles?

I used to have the same issue and levelling up my skin care made a huge difference.
You have a different skin type to me but I would focus on hydration and exfoliation. The Ordinary products are great and inexpensive and you can google interactions to make sure you’re not inadvertently mixing products that don’t work together.

Active ingredients wise the azalaic acid is a good shout. I’d look at an exfoliating toner, hyaluronic acid, niacinimide and moisturiser. You could look at something like dermatica or skin & me for a bespoke formula with the right ingredients for your concerns (I have dermatica and can share a referral code if it’s useful).

Gentle cleanser on a morning (I rate the ordinary glucoside foaming one) and add in an oil or balm to double cleanse on an evening (boots ingredients oat cleansing balm is great).

As your skin is more hydrated and happy you won’t be absorbing / flaking off your make up as much.

Then you need to figure out your primer and foundation combination. Sometimes the ingredients don’t work together and again worth a google.
I rate the Primark moisturising primer in the little cream pot - it’s a dupe for the Bobbi Brown face base. I then use IT cosmetics cc+ or the Primark perfect finish foundation is surprisingly good and a bit fuller coverage.

A light dusting of setting powder will help, and I’ve had to go really sparing on this as I’ve got older as is it makes me look dry. I rate the Laura Mercier translucent loose powder. Then setting spray, again quite individual but I like the Maybelline lasting fix matte, it’s not actually that matte but seems to work for me.

I used a Dior one -oil based , applied with a soft brush. Worked a treat. Anything else just didn't work, look right or stay on.

For foundation it's worth spending more if you can as it's decent and will last ages.

Good skincare. Moisturiser twice a day.
I've tried loads of foundation but bizarrely i got white/colour matching foundation from Luxe . There are others. And it actually works.

Estee Lauder DW if you like full coverage or the sheer version of you like it lighter. Get yourself matched properly,use sparingly and apply with a buffer brush. Expensive but you won't waste money on mediocre foundations so it's worth it.

Agree with Double Wear, you can customise it by adding in a serum to sheer it up or glow drops to make it less matte, it still doesn’t move until you take it off!

It's not clear from your post that the problem is with foundation. Your skin care might be altered to fix this. But also, I came on to say my foundation sits very after I've done my skin prep, I top it off with a balm moisturiser and that's the best base for me for foundation.

Ive learned expensive lessons over the years that primer makes my foundation worse. Ive tried cheap ones, and hugely expensive ones. They dont work,, look awful

At the moment I use Merit foundation, just brush it on, hardly any though. Just over lidl moisturiser.

I dont know how people use so many different lotions and balms on and under foundation, it just makes it crease, pill and fall off.

I'm not familiar with the ones you mentioned, and I don't think someone just recommending what they are using will help.

Look at your application. I find that most people use too much.
Try a lighter foundation, skin tint even in thin layers.

Do you also let your moisturiser sink in? Otherwise anything will slide off.
Do you exfoliate? If not, then that might explain the flaking.

What balm moisturiser do you use @dudsville ? Thank you

This may not be relevant, but my red, blotchy cheeks and nose turned out to be rosacea. The GP prescribed strong azaleic acid which made it much better, and now over-the-counter azaleic acid is enough to keep it in check now it’s under control.
With that sorted, a bit of erborian cc cream is enough foundation for me- it certainly would not have been enough before getting diagnosed!

My foundation (all of them) were flaking of maybe piling I’m not sure. Mostly my forehead and hairline. I started exfoliating, just with a decent face wash and a face cloth in the shower. Then I bought Rosehip oil which has just worked wonders. I wore foundation on Saturday night for the first time in a while and it went on really well with none of the usual issues. I’m using Boots No.7 Stay perfect and applying it with a damp beauty blender. The rosehip should help with skin tone as well as giving lots of moisture.

@Onefortheroad25which rosehip oil do you use please?

I have oily skin and my foundation comes off quickly when I'm dehydrated (usually after a day out where I haven't drunk as much water as usual, or being ill). Do you use any serums? I would add in a good hyaluronic serum (I use Beauty Pie but there are loads) and see how that goes.

If your skin is oily one day and dry the next you need to look at your skincare, rather than your foundation, as something is off.

I use Elizabeth Arden night time miracle. It's comes in a small pot, but lasts ages. I also use it for a lip balm. It's a Vaseline type product, so Vaseline probably works just as well. I get mine from amazon as they often have it on sale. A small amount goes on easily so long as I apply while my face is still damp from the other things, if I apply it to dry skin then I have to use too much, and it leaves me with a "glow". I can use any sort of moisturizer and my foundation sits badly and goes into my poor and like patchy, but a balm layer sorts that.

It’s Trilogy Rosehip oil, I bought it in Holland & Barratt. Think it was about €22 ish.
Was recommended on here a while back.

Armani foundations are brilliant. £40 but last months.

Beauty from within….. focus on minimising inflammation

plenty of water, at least 2-3 litres per day ideally more and cut out fizzy drinks
cut down alcohol to bare minimum if you drink / same with smoking vaping
take a multivitamin and good does of vitamin c
work on sleep quality
healthy vegetable and fruit heavy diet

double cleanse, use acid toner every other day, avoid overly rich cream moisturisers

make sure you’re getting plenty of exercise and fresh air

thank you! There are so many different brands, it’s good to have a solid recommendation

Up your skincare routine !
Wash face la Roche posay wipe with fresh cloth everyday
Tone la Roche posay
Liquid exfoliation Paula's choice
La Roche posay hydraulic acid B4 serum
Paula's choice azelic acid
La Roche posay green tint moisturiser
Day and night and I use Dior perfect foundation and set with urban decay all nighter spray my face looks the best it has in ages I'm 49 Hope this helps I have super sensitive skin red and acne prone but super clear now with this routine x

I'm wondering if you might have rosacea. If you do, that would be the first thing to tackle before looking at other skincare options.

Up your skincare routine !
Wash face la Roche posay wipe with fresh cloth everyday
Tone la Roche posay
Liquid exfoliation Paula's choice
La Roche posay hydraulic acid B4 serum
Paula's choice azelic acid
La Roche posay green tint moisturiser
Day and night and I use Dior perfect foundation and set with urban decay all nighter spray my face looks the best it has in ages I'm 49 Hope this helps I have super sensitive skin red and acne prone but super clear now with this routine x

Estee Lauder all the way, once you know your shade you can get the various coverage types. I have them all, not for showing off purposes I promise, but sometimes I want more coverage than the day to day. I stock up when Boots are doing extra points or money off, and it’s never a waste of money.

Thankyou all so much for your replies 😊

Last Sunday, I bought Ordinary Azelaic Acid and their SPF too. I've been using the acid morning and night and the SPF in the morning. I've been cleansing my face with Waitrose own cleanser. It has already made such a difference 🥰

I've not worn make up all week and have really enjoyed my face feeling 'free' from foundation.