WHY DO MY FOUNDATION TURN DARK ON MY FACE AFTER FEW HOURS?

When you apply your foundation in the morning, in the first few hours it looks amazing. Then later in the day, you notice that your skin tone has darkened or turned orange. This is called oxidation.

Now what is oxidation?   Let’s use the following as an example,

When iron is exposed to oxygen (air), it rusts.

When meat is exposed to oxygen, it goes from red to brown and when apple is exposed to oxygen it goes brown.

Similarly, your makeup reacts when exposed to air or certain types of skin. Oxidation also occurs when the oil in your skin or foundation are interfering with the pigments. This interference causes the colour to intensify and turn orange or in some cases, a shade or two darker.

How to prevent oxidation

• Use a primer:The best way to control oiliness is to use an oil controlling primer. Primer acts as a barrier between your skin and the makeup making it less likely for the oil to interfere.

• Always moisturize even if you have oily skin. When your skin is dehydrated, it tends to secrete more oil. Just make sure you use an oil free moisturizer.

• Try a powder foundation. Powder pigments do not have the water and oil content of liquid foundation.

• Use a finishing powder. As another barrier between foundation and air, don’t forget to set your base with a finishing powder. Finishing powder protects your foundation and extends the life of your base makeup.

• Blot, and blot some more. This is a great way to keep skin oil free. Once you have done your skin care prep work, blot your face with a clean tissue to press away extra moisture you don’t need. Repeat once more after the foundation is applied. This will absorb all the excess oil in your foundation and helps prolong your foundation. Blotting paper is inexpensive, convenient and gives the skin a lovely matte finish.

Tips: Before you buy foundation

• Test the product first:This is the only way to make sure the foundation is right for you. Don’t just apply it to your jaw line at the makeup counter, apply a full face and wear it for the rest of the day. If possible take a small sample and try it for a few more days especially if you are going for a high- end and expensive foundation. You want to ensure you have everything just right.

• Read reviews: sometimes you have no access to a product sample. Read reviews carefully, not just whether it is a great or terrible product. Keep an eye out for reviews that describe conditions akin to yours. The writer lives in a similar climate, has a similar skin type and similar skin tone.

• Choose product designed for your skin type:Foundations that have non- comedogenic ingredients and are suited for oily to combination skin types may have less chance of oxidizing, especially if your problem is oily skin.

• Final tip:do you know that little piece of white plastic separator that comes between the puff and the powder?,please learn to keep it. it acts as a barrier between the puff and the powder so that the oil that come off your skin onto the puff won't sink into the powder. it helps the powder to stay clean and fresh.

Remember, makeup do expire so it is important to keep track of how long it has been opened.

stay chic
sylvia