Make Up How To with Bren: Faking Flawless Skin

How to Fake Flawless Skin:

We all look through the pages of magazines, and see models and celebrities with perfect, pore-less skin. We all want that airbrushed look, and while pretty easy to achieve in a picture (hello, photoshop!), not quite as simple in real life. With the right products and application, I’m going to teach you how to get that flawless look.

What you’ll need:

Primer for your skin type

Liquid Foundation

Full coverage cream foundation or concealear (choose one that’s the same color as your foundation)

Translucent Powder

Tools: Foundation brush, Beauty Blender or wedge sponges, small concealer brush, fluffy powder brush and velour powder puff.

1. Start by prepping your skin with a primer. This will give your foundation an even surface to sit on, and also help your makeup last throughout the day. If you have oily skin, look for primers that are mattifying. If you have dry skin, try something more moisturizing. On Jamie, I used Smashbox Photo Finish, which works well for normal to combination skin types.

2. Apply your foundation using the least amount of product possible. You’re just trying to even out your complexion here, not trying to cover every imperfection in one swoop. (Don’t worry, we’ll get to that in the next step.) There’s several application methods that you can use to apply foundation, but the two that I’m loving at the moment are a dampened foundation brush or Beauty Blender. Using them damp means you’ll use less product and still get good coverage without looking like a mask. Of course, you can always use regular wedge sponges in the same way, or your fingers to apply.

3. Now that you have evened out your skin tone, you want to go back and address any problem areas. If you’re covering a blemish, use a concealer that matches your foundation. This is not the same concealer that you use in your under eye area, as that is typically lighter than your foundation. If you put something lighter on top of a blemish it will just highlight it, which is the opposite of what we’re trying to achieve.

To make a blemish recede, use a small concealer brush to apply concealer only to the problem area. Using your fingers or the sponge you used for foundation, gently press into the skin to blend. If you’re addressing a red spot or that area around the nose, using a concealer that is yellow based will counteract any redness.

4. Once all of the problem areas have been concealed, you want to make sure that they stay that way. I like to apply powder using a velour puff, dusting off any excess with a clean powder brush. Keeping shine away from imperfections like blemishes, or large pores, will minimize their appearance and make your skin look perfectly airbrushed.