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[00:00:00] Welcome to this episode of The Artist to Artist podcast. My name is Angie. I'm a full-time freelance makeup artist. If you are listening and you are in the early stages of your career as a makeup artist, or you're finally ready to get serious about your training, this episode is for you.
Today we're talking about one of my favorite things, and that is. Foundation application. I'm gonna talk about why it's so hard to get right, why I think it is one of the most important skills to master and how to finally feel confident in your foundation application, even when you're under pressure and working in all the crazy situations that we find ourself in.
Foundation application can be so hard sometimes it is definitely one of the most challenging steps to master, especially if you're early on in your career, and that is because it requires more than just good products in your kit. It requires a plan to do it right. You're working with different undertones, texture, lighting, product finishes all at once. And it's my opinion that a lot of new artists. [00:01:00] Aren't taught how to think that way. I think new artists right now are taught routines. And don't get me wrong, routines are totally fine when you're starting out 'cause it helps you remember things more easily. But on the job you can't treat. Every face the same way. That's where you start to run into problems. I wanna talk about, one thing I think is doing a huge disservice to makeup artists when it comes to technique, and that is social media.
Lots of pros and cons when it comes to social media and our jobs as makeup artists. We've all seen those beautiful transformation videos. We go from bare faced. To like flawless makeup application in just a few steps. Full coverage foundation, of course, bright under eyes, of course. Cream contour powder, bronzer, blush, highlighter, so on and so forth.
Boom, all of that goes on you're done. Perfect face on the other end of that reel or that post. But those routines are created for content. They're not created for real people in real lighting, in real on the job situations. These [00:02:00] types of tutorials rarely translate into a bridal booking a photo shoot, a commercial job
but somehow that's where artists are learning. They're learning from free content on social. That's where a lot of people are learning nowadays.
No wonder Foundation application feels so confusing. Foundation doesn't need to be full glam to be impactful. In fact, most of the time in my case, I don't think it should be for the work that I do. For the little section of the industry that I work in, it's really all about dimensional skin. Dimensional skin means that the skin looks alive. It doesn't look flat, it's not one tone all over. It catches the light and it looks clean and intentional, and most importantly, it looks realistic, and that is what keeps me booked in Toronto. That doesn't always mean contouring and bronzing and then bronzing some more, and then adding highlighter and blush and more and more and more and more. Sometimes it just means using a product with the right finish, in the right spot, in the right amount, in the right undertone.
I think new [00:03:00] artists struggle because they're taught steps and not structure, and great makeup isn't about following steps.
Think of it like a puzzle. You're correcting where needed. You're letting skin breathe where you can, and you're adjusting based on the person in your chair.
Now I know this is not gonna be the case for every single market, and if you're in a market where it's full glam all the time, this podcast is probably not gonna apply to you. And a lot of the work that I'm doing may not be helpful to you. But for anybody else who is in a market where skin needs to look real in order for you to get booked, what I want you to do is go look at major, major campaigns. Brands like Chanel, Dior, nars, any of these. They could be beauty brands. They could be more high-end fashion brands. None of the models. Are wearing that full Instagram beat. The makeup is clean, it's strategic, it's refined, and it's really meant to enhance the model's features and not completely cover everything.
If you're copying a lot of these viral [00:04:00] routines where there's like 20 steps, 20 different products, and you're expecting to get that pro level of finish, it's probably not gonna happen.
What you're seeing in campaigns is true skill, it's product knowledge, color theory, knowledge about lighting, and it's about showing restraint with your makeup applications, and that's what I teach because that is what builds a real career.
Some of the most common mistakes I see with foundation application, and I wanted to call these out because I feel like sometimes this is helpful. Even if one of you hears this and is like, Ooh, I do that, and you make an adjustment that will be helpful and you'll get a quick win from this episode, and I can call out all these mistakes because I was once a new makeup artist and have made.
All of these mistakes, some privately, some publicly on set. I have been there, and I think the first one is not using different foundation shades on the face. A lot of people are okay with using one foundation shade and then putting in your bronzers and contours and blush, which is fine, but [00:05:00] when you look at the skin and the different tones that are in the skin, you should be seeing that no one is really one foundation color. That's something I think if you're struggling with your foundation applications, you may wanna play around with that using more than one foundation shade in combination with bronzer, contour, blush, and all of that. You're gonna need a couple different foundation shades.
And this next one, I'm blaming fully on social media and I see people layering for coverage instead of being more strategic and maybe color correcting or choosing better placement of concealer, trying different foundations with different levels of coverage. I just see people like icing a cake, putting layer upon layer upon layer of product to cover certain things on the skin that is not good.
Applying the same routine to everybody. This doesn't just go for foundation application. This goes for makeup application in general. Not everybody suits that Instagram beat, so if you're trying to find. [00:06:00] A routine that works on every single client, that's the wrong way to approach it. I made this mistake.
I was trying to find my like quote unquote signature style, and I would do the same look on everybody and it didn't work because that generally doesn't tend to work, and you really have to cater your makeup application to every single person in your chair. That's part of why this is such an extremely challenging job that we've all chosen here.
There's a difference between using products that you like that are reliable on each person and applying makeup in the same way, so I hope that makes sense. The next thing is ignoring lighting and I mean this.
While you're applying makeup, but also once the makeup has been applied, you need lights in your kit. This is an essential, just like a makeup brush, and once your makeup is done, you need to take a look at your makeup in different lighting because if you mess up a foundation match, that is a stain on your reputation that is very hard to wash away.
People will talk about that for a very long time. Good lighting is one [00:07:00] of the things that will help you avoid this.
I also think it's important for new artists to look at the whole picture. Not just the face, but the face, neck, chest, hands, arms, if they're gonna be doing any beauty. Focus shoots. Looking at the entire torso when it comes to figuring out your foundation application and matching undertones and all of that is really important.
The other thing I see is a lot of artists do not have enough options of different foundations in your kit, and that's in terms of coverage, color range. We need options to be able to do this job.
This next one is just a personal pet peeve of mine and I think it has wrecked a lot of good foundation applications, and that's just overusing setting spray. I see people drenching other people's faces with setting spray, and I don't know why we are doing this. It's gonna break apart the foundation.
It's just I've seen this ruin a lot of good makeup applications. So relax with the setting spray and the last thing, I just wanted to call out, choosing foundation formulas based on what is viral or popular, but not what makes [00:08:00] sense for the person in your chair or the job that you're doing
if you've just listened to this list and you feel like I'm targeting you, I'm not these mistakes. If you've made them, do not make you a bad artist. I wanted to include these because sometimes it just takes someone calling these things out to shift your approach. That's how I figured things out. Either I knew I made a mistake, someone told me I made a mistake, I correct it.
I moved on, and now I'm here. I think a lot of what this means, if you are making these mistakes right now with your foundation application, it just means that no one has shown you or taught you the why behind your foundation application or your approach to foundation application. If you are new and you're listening to this and you're still building your confidence, here is what I recommend focusing on.
I think when you're doing your foundation applications, you have to be swatching. If you aren't sure, A lot of people feel like swatching. Or to Swatch Foundation is something embarrassing and it shows that you are a newbie or you're new at makeup artistry, [00:09:00] or it makes people less confident in your skills.
Let me tell you how I swatch everything all the time when on myself, when I'm working on set. Foundation s watching for me is an essential part of my application. I do it just to double check. I personally am not risking sending a model onto set with Mismatch Foundation. That's not happening and there's 30 people on set that are gonna see that. I'm not putting myself through that. So you better believe I am swatching. So Swatch, if you aren't sure and how I recommend Swatching Foundation on your clients or your talent is taking two or three different undertones, swatching it on the side of the jawline and see what that swatch looks like in relation to the face, neck and chest.
You should be practicing all the time, makeup applications on yourself, makeup applications, on anyone you can get your hands on and pay attention to how your foundation is wearing over time. Is it separating? Is it set enough? Are you using enough powder, the right powder, is it changing color?
Is it oxidizing? [00:10:00] Did you use too much setting spray? Did you blend that well enough? Did you blend it into the neck? Is it the right color? Like all of these things, you are only gonna be able to figure out from practice. So always pay attention to how foundation wears when you have the opportunity to do that.
I think we all know we should be documenting our work for social, taking stills and videos of the makeup applications that we're doing, but also you should be doing this to track your progress and to kind of look back and review what worked, what didn't work, what did you like about the makeup application, what you would do differently.
See how the makeup translates. To camera. These are all things that you kind of have to be aware of so you can improve on them, and it's just nice to see how your makeup applications are gonna evolve and change over time. And then of course, practice on different skin tones whenever you can. Trying makeup looks with different levels of coverage. Even though I am somebody that does natural makeup applications, a lot of what you see is not just a little bit of product or a no makeup makeup look, I [00:11:00] do a lot of natural makeup applications that I'm using full coverage products, so try practicing different skin tones, different levels of coverage.
The other thing I need to remind you of is that you do not need to learn about every single foundation product on the market. You just need to understand why you're choosing to work with, what you're gonna be working with, and whether it's gonna fit the work that you're being paid to do. So you're. Kit should always be tailored to the current client roster that you are servicing.
It's not about just buying a foundation because it's going viral or because a certain celebrity makeup artist that you're following is using it. You have to think about does this fit into the type of work that you're doing?
If you have been following artist to artist or you are also following me on my personal account and you are following my content, pre artist to artist, you probably know that figuring out how to do that skin, like finish with my foundation application on all skin tones with different types of [00:12:00] products really impacted my career in a positive way that natural makeup look is what gets me booked. It's what gets me rebooked. I essentially have built my entire career off doing natural dimensional clean makeup that I can do on all skin tones, brides, photographers, producers, they. Might not know a lot about makeup, but they can all notice when skin is done, right?
Not overdone, not gray, not chalky, just right. And when you get it right, your work will speak for itself. And I found for me, the more I became confident in my skin work, the more photos and videos I took of my work, the more I posted, so on and so forth. It's a snowball effect. Gets your work in front of more people, get more jobs, make more money.
All of that came from, for me, really mastering that natural makeup application, and that starts with really nailing your foundation applications.
If you're still figuring out how to get your foundation application to that [00:13:00] pro level, I have created something to help, it's called Foundation Fundamentals, mastering placement.
Blending and dimension, and it's now live. It is a course that is designed for new makeup artists and it breaks down exactly how I create that really clean, intentional foundation application that works in real life and looks really great on camera as well.
In this course, you'll see two different foundation application demonstrations on models with different skin tones. I'll talk about why I choose the products I do, what I prioritize during skin prep, how I balance coverage and texture of the makeup that I'm using to really nail that natural makeup look.
And of course I'm gonna share a link with you to that course in the show Notes. Foundation is really hard, you guys, but it is not impossible. Once you understand placement tone structure, it gets much easier and it will become one of your most powerful tools as an artist. Now, before we wrap up this episode, I have to tell you about something amazing that is happening this [00:14:00] month.
If you are a makeup artist that does hair, if you are a makeup artist that is thinking you wanna do hair. Or you're a hairstylist listening to this, you're Canadian. You can get to Toronto on Sunday, April 27th, from one to 5:00 PM My incredibly talented friend Ashley Reddings, is teaching an exclusive updo masterclass.
Ashley has built her career around doing really elegant. Modern updo for red carpets, weddings and editorial. I have worked alongside her for many, many years. I have learned so much about doing hair. She has improved my hairstyling, my taste level when it comes to hair.
My finishing Ashley is one of the best hairstylist in Toronto. In this workshop, Ashley's gonna teach you how to decode inspiration, images, even those really vague ones that we all get from our clients or people on set.
She's gonna demo two updos and break them down into five essential components that apply to, I think pretty much. Every updo, plus, you'll learn how to communicate more [00:15:00] clearly with clients and creative teams so you're not second guessing what they really want. You will definitely find out about what Ashley's favorite products are, and you'll get a better understanding of how to handle any updo with more confidence. I know Updos were so hard for me for such a long time, and I credit Ashley.
With teaching me so much about hair, she's just really amazing at what she does. So April 27th in Toronto, I will link to tickets in the show notes, and that's everything for this week. Thank you so much for being here. If you found this helpful, please share it with another artist who might need to hear it.
And if you wanna see the techniques, I'm talking about inaction, the course is ready for you. I will talk to you next week. Bye everyone.
