The purpose of foundation is to protect the skin from every day pollutants and environmental damage, it helps to even out your skin tone and make your skin absolutely flawless and fabulous. When purchasing the correct foundation you need to address your needs, do you need light, medium or heavy coverage? Are you going for a ‘day look’ at the office, an ‘evening look’ to go out on the town with friends ‘glamour look’ you want to look spectacular. This will help to determine what your coverage needs are.

Purchase a foundation with the same undertone as your skin for a day or evening look. For a ‘glamour look’ use a shade or two lighter to achieve the wow factor.

However many times I find clients using the wrong foundation colour and under tone and it isn’t their fault. Department stores and drug stores are to blame for picking the wrong foundation. The lighting is atrocious. Fluorescent lights suck the natural colours and undertones from your skin. Have you ever gone home with foundation that looked different and didn’t match when you went home? It is most likely the cause from the lighting.

There are other considerations when choosing that right colour and the correct undertone - cool or warm.

• If you are Scottish or Irish descent you are more likely to be a cool color. Cool colours tend to have a blue under tone.



• If you are of a Mediterranean descent you a warm color. Warm colours have a golden undertone.



• If you are of Asian descent you are most definitely a warm.



• If you are lady of color you must find a color that is exact to your natural tone and you cannot deviate from that or you will appear to have a greyish ashy color.

These days of digital cameras and advanced technology it is essential to be more diligent when choosing foundation. Every flaw or line of demarcation is very noticeable in pictures. Make your memories great memories in your photos.

The season changes to summer and you have not purchased a new shade for the summer months, regardless if you stay out of the sun or not, your skin color changes in sunny weather. Using the same color as you do for the middle of winter will not work for the summer months.

If you are looking for a foundation that is the perfect match please give me a call and I am more than happy to help you make the correct choice. This service is available to people who live in the west or east end of Vancouver. To choose a foundation just call and ask for Raigen D'Angelo regarding make-up.

Contouring is the use of highlighting and shading to create the desired shape or form.

Highlighting is the application of a color which is lighter than the surrounding area. It makes the area appear larger, more prominent or emphasized. Highlighting works because it reflects light. It can be a matte finish (a flat finish), a shiny finish ( wet look like a lip gloss), a frosted finish (subtle slightly white), or a pearlized finished (multi coloured, quite shiny).

Shading is the application of a color which is darker than the surrounding area. Shading makes the area appear smaller, deep set or more sunken, also less emphasized. Shading works because it absorbs light. Shading is more effective if it is a flat finish (no gloss, no shine. A flat finish.). Contouring can balance out the body features as well as the facial features.

With the proper make-up brushes and a cosmetic bag filled with fabulous make-up. Concealer and contours that will help to bring out your natural beauty. Applied correctly you will become absolutely beautiful.

I believe that brushes are the most important items to have. Good quality well bound long handled genuine hair brushes are the best. Good quality brushes will last the test of time. Just wash them once a month with a mild detergent and allow them to air dry.

Foundation: To apply foundation use a sea sponge, wedge and an artist pallet. Pour a little foundation onto the pallet. Dip your sponge into water and then squeeze the excess out of the sponge. Dip the sponge into the foundation. Dab the sponge on your face from the top center to the bottom center. Using your wedge blend your make-up from the center of the face. This will bring the attention to the center of your face.

Powder: Apply the loose powder with the powder puff. With a powder brush, brush downwards to blend the powder evenly over your face. The downward motion is to mimic the direction of superficial hair growth. Pressed powder is for make-up maintenance through the day or evening. If you have oily skin use perm papers to dab excess oils instead of caking on the make-up.

Basic Eye Shadow Application: Choose three shades in the same color family - light, medium and a darker shade for contrast. Apply the lightest shade on the entire lid from brow to lash line. The medium shade is going to bring out the color of your eyes. Apply from lash line to just above the crease. The darkest color is going to be applied close to the lashes. Dampen the brush and then pick up a little color. Smudge it in around the lash base. If you have bags beneath your eyes, you might want to only line the top lashes.

Smokey Eye: The crease is very important to the smokey eye and it needs special attention. With a taupe colored shadow, or a mixture of grey and brown, using a small amount (to begin), and work it into the crease area. Continue until the area is well defined, with lots of attention to the blending process. Using the same color, sweep it around the corner and beneath the lashes to bring attention to this part of the eye. Taper off as you move closer to the inside corner of the eye.

Smudge your liner deeply into the lashes to the outer corners of top and bottom area. With your favourite mascara, coat lashes so that they play up the darkness of the eye area. Several coats might be necessary.

Cheeks: Dust a little dark powder along the cheek hollows. this can be just a darker shade of your shadow. Apply blush to the "apple" of your cheeks. Don't go too close to the nose. Apply a highlighter to the area above your cheekbones. Just a few dots will do and then blend well so that it isn't noticeable.

Lips: Using lip liner lipstick and lip gloss will help to emphasize your lips. You first draw the outline of your lips and then fill in the rest of your lips with liner. After this procedure you follow it with an application of lipstick. Use a tissue to blot the excess and to set the lipstick. Then apply a final coat.