Make the line a no-show
We’ve all seen it. Some may even have fallen victim to it -- the awkward, mismatched foundation line that draws a distracting distinction between the face and neck.
You can have impeccably long eyelashes, perfectly shaded cheekbones and pink, pouty lips, but if the base color is a mismatch in shade and application, the rest won’t shine the way it’s all supposed to.
Tim Quinn, artistic director of Armani Beauty, is a foundation pro, having consulted on the development of the brand’s popular silicon-based face makeup. He knows what to choose, the best way to apply it and definitely what not to do when it comes to getting a flawless spring canvas.
“Most people’s biggest mistake is that they try and pick a color that is the opposite tone of their skin,” Quinn says. What they should do, he says, is use something that is the same tone. “And many women tend to think that their skin is worse than it really is, when it’s actually quite good, but they try and cake on a lot of foundation” to cover insignificant flaws.
When choosing a foundation, whether at the department store or drugstore, Quinn says to skip the old dot-on-the-edge-of-the-hand trick -- it doesn’t work. “The skin on the hand is darker than the face,” he says. People generally put sunblock on their face and not their hands, so the hands get darker. Same with the décolleté -- it picks up more sun than the face. So try the color right at your jaw line and blend in. Look at it in a full-length mirror, not a hand-held, it’s a more accurate perspective.”
If you find yourself trying to decide between two shades, always err on the side of darker, Quinn says. Something too light will look aged and cakey. “I always recommend that women should have a ‘wardrobe’ of foundation,” Quinn says. “You can blend or switch depending on season and need.”
A bright face starts with the right color and properly applied foundation. From the new Armani store on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, Quinn gave us his detailed tips for doing it at home.
Step 1:
Starting with a clean face, dab a lightweight eye cream under the eye and on the brow bone to hydrate the area, then apply a daily moisturizer over the rest of the face.
Step 2:
Use a pearl-sized drop of foundation primer and smooth it all over the face. “Primer works on a dry complexion to prevent makeup from pulling down into the skin. On oily skin it creates a barrier so the makeup doesn’t slip,” Quinn says. “It also prolongs the wear of makeup throughout the day and evening.”
Step 3:
“The deepest part of the eye area” -- underneath the inner eye, closest to the bridge of the nose -- “is the most telling after a late night because the skin is the most translucent there and the veins are apparent,” Quinn says. He recommends color correcting to even out this area. Using a concealer brush made with synthetic hair, apply color-correcting concealer to the deepest part of the eye. Use under-eye concealer on the outer eye and lids. Blend it all in with the brush. Those with more wrinkled skin should stick to a thinner and more lightweight concealer so the under-eye area stays hydrated. Tap a light eye cream under the eye throughout the day to “reactivate” the concealer, rather than layering more makeup, which will just result in a caked-on look.
Step 4:
Put a drop of foundation on the edge of your palm, along with a drop of what Quinn calls an “embellisher,” in this case Armani’s Fluid Sheer, which is a champagne-colored highlighter that gives a glow to the face. With a natural-hair brush, such as the sable brush that Quinn uses, mix the two fluids together. Start applying them to the face, starting from the center of the cheek. Brushing in short, quick strokes, what Quinn calls “feathering,” brush out and away from the center of the face all over. Go back and forth to your hand, as you need more foundation. By the time you get to feathering your jaw line, there isn’t as much makeup left to apply to the area, thus preventing that dreaded line. The jaw area should have a sheer finish like the rest of the face.
Next, define the cheek and brow bone by dabbing a tiny bit of highlighter on the top of cheekbones and brow bone and blending in. For more mature skin, skip putting highlighter on the brow bone if you are low lidded; it will only enhance the crepey look.
Step 5:
Sweep a loose powder with the same luminous sheen as the foundation you used -- nothing too matte or heavy -- onto the face. “Keep powder away from the edges of the eye where there may be crow’s-feet or wrinkles,” Quinn says. “Only brush powder over the smooth planes of the face. Otherwise it will settle into fine lines and wrinkles.”
The result isn’t drastic and the look is anything but severe. It’s luminous, flawless -- and free of a telling line at the jaw.
