Pulling rabbits out of hats is adorable and all, just we adopt an everyday kind of magic. You know, the way sure dazzler products can plow usa from sleep-deprived zombies into polished superwomen. I such detail? A great foundation. And while it doesn't mayhap trigger the aforementioned excitement as say, the perfect nude lipstick, information technology can transform your complexion—that is, when information technology doesn't get all cakey (meaning information technology appears thick, patchy, and mask-like). If you're someone who feels like your makeup looks cakey no thing what products yous utilize, nosotros get information technology. But non to worry! The good news is that fugitive—and even fixing—cakey foundation isn't as difficult as it seems.

All you need are the correct application techniques and makeup hacks to get that coveted Instagram filter-like finish. Now, because nosotros know that'southward much easier said than done, we asked makeup artists for their skilful tips and tricks, as well as the products they swear past. Here, find everything you lot need for a flawless, cake-gratis makeup wait.

This content is imported from poll. Y'all may be able to find the same content in some other format, or you may exist able to discover more than information, at their web site.


Get-go, make sure yous moisturize before applying foundation.

"Every time you cleanse your face, you're removing some of the natural oils and hydrators that keep your skin looking polish," says ​Dr. Rachel Nazarian​ of Schweiger Dermatology Group in NYC.

"Utilise a rich moisturizer after cleansing—and before you use makeup—to ensure that the pare barrier is intact and good for you, which will allow your makeup to sit more than evenly on your pare," she says. While the drier months are an easier reminder to moisturize more ofttimes, information technology's a addiction that should be a function of your year-round routine to maintain residuum in your skin'due south pH levels. That in turn helps your skin stay supple, youthful, and prevent problems (similar acne) before they start.

"Give your moisturizer a few minutes to sink in before applying makeup so your foundation doesn't pill," adds Mai Quynh, a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Scarlett Johansson and Tessa Thompson.


To keep your foundation from looking patchy, prep skin with primer.

Charlotte Tilbury Brightening Youth Glow Primer

Charlotte Tilbury Brightening Youth Glow Primer
Credit: Nordstrom

Applying a layer of product underneath your foundation may sound counterintuitive to creating a cake-complimentary stop, but a lightweight primer can assist smooth skin. (Plus, it only takes a footling chip of primer to go a long mode.)

"Call up of it similar this: When y'all give your walls a fresh coat of paint, you first employ a paint primer to even out the surface and make your colour concluding as long every bit possible," says celebrity makeup artist Min Min Ma. "The same goes for primer on your skin."

While moisturizer softens your skin, primer gives your makeup something to cling to so it lasts throughout the day instead of sliding effectually your face. The almost innovative primers have bonus effects, too: "Charlotte Tilbury BrighteningYouth Glow Primer is ane of my favorites to color-right and give a luminous glow," says Ma.


Cull the right foundation formula for your skin type.

Yous want your foundation to work with your peel—not against information technology—so it's essential to get-go determine which formulation will work best for your skin type. If you accept an oily complexion, a not-comedogenic (read: it won't clog pores) and oil-free foundation volition practise the trick. If you accept dry peel, a creamy meaty foundation will ensure that your skin stays moisturized. If your complexion is somewhere in the middle (a.grand.a combination peel), look for one that offers buildable coverage.

When in doubt, "any skin type can't get wrong with a sheer, liquid formula, which mimics the texture of actual skin," says makeup artist Mary Irwin. "A lightweight, liquid foundation volition be less likely to cake over a heavy coverage stick or powder, especially if you lot're a dazzler novice." Just utilize information technology carefully, adding thin layers until you reach your desired level of coverage.

Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup SPF 20

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup SPF twenty

Now 21% Off

Credit: Amazon

Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation
Credit: Sephora

Super Stay Powder Foundation

Maybelline Super Stay Powder Foundation

Now 59% Off

Credit: Amazon

Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream SPF 50+

IT Cosmetics Your Pare But Meliorate CC+ Cream SPF l+
Credit: Sephora

Matte Made Foundation

Covergirl Matte Fabricated Foundation

Now 18% Off

Credit: Amazon

Luminous Silk Foundation

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
Credit: Sephora

PhotoReady Foundation

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation
Credit: Ulta

#FauxFilter Foundation

Huda Dazzler #FauxFilter Foundation
Credit: Sephora

Make sure you lot've picked the perfect foundation shade, likewise.

Ane of the biggest reasons foundation looks cakey? The color is also light or too night—so it's even more obvious that y'all're wearing it. To pick the perfect shade of foundation, expect for one that literally disappears into your skin.

"Test out the color on your jawline and brand sure you're looking at it in natural light to see all the nuances of the shade and how it'll look in person," says Quynh. "Sometimes, particularly if you have a more oily complexion, a foundation tin can also oxidize in color when it reacts to your skin, making it await streaky and unnatural. Let your makeup set for a minute earlier moving onto other products to ensure it doesn't go darker."


Utilise foundation with a makeup brush—or your fingers.

#55 Deluxe Blender Brush

TRISH MCEVOY #55 Deluxe Blender Brush
Credit: Nordstrom

To make up one's mind the best brush for your foundation awarding, consider your pare's texture. "For example, someone with pare that has some hyperpigmentation or acne might prefer a flatter brush, like the Trish McEvoy Castor 55 Deluxe Blender, to even out the texture," says Irwin. "It features densely packed brush hairs that provide fuller coverage." On the other mitt, if your texture is more than even, you might want a fluffier brush, like the It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush #vii, which grabs less pigment.

Just the best tool of all might be at your fingertips—literally. "For a truly flawless foundation await, one of my favorite hacks is to press the foundation into the skin with my easily afterward brushing it on," she says. "The natural, subtle heat from the hands help cook the makeup into the pare."

Equally important? Don't forget to clean your brushes at least once a calendar week with lukewarm water and soap to avoid buildup and bacteria, or else y'all'll become an uneven eolith of foundation on your peel.


To avoid cakey makeup, retrieve that less is more than.

When it comes to natural-looking foundation, follow this rule: "Only apply makeup where you need information technology," says Irwin.

To avoid a heavy-handed foundation application, beginning with a small corporeality and build as desired. "Focus on the center of your confront, which is normally where redness and discoloration lives for virtually people," Irwin says. "To troubleshoot sure areas, dab a small-scale corporeality of concealer (it'southward more concentrated in pigment) instead of piling on foundation and then yous prevent caking."


If you're foundation looks cakey afterward you've applied it, blend, and blend and blend.

The 1 thing every single makeup creative person agrees on? That blending is the almost of import step to avoiding cakey makeup.

"Start from the heart of your confront and blend outwards to deposit less production to the edges of your confront, which keeps the whole event softer," says Irwin. Yous should also make sure to blend into your neck and jawline—areas that tend to be lighter than your face.


Set your foundation with a translucent pulverization or facial spray.

"​If you have combination or oily pare, use a sheer dusting of translucent pulverisation to gear up your look," says Ma. "Make certain to focus on the T-zone and nether eye areas, which tend to look the almost worn-down and cakey throughout the day."

For dryer skin (or if y'all simply want to revive your look), a facial spray will help create the illusion that you lot're non wearing makeup at all, says Quynh.

And when people start complimenting your pare, ​not​ your makeup, know y'all've reached cake-free, foundation nirvana.


For more ways to alive your all-time life plus all things Oprah, sign upwardly for our newsletter!

preview for Beauty 911: How to Fix Cakey Foundation

This content is imported from OpenWeb. Y'all may be able to observe the same content in another format, or you may be able to detect more than information, at their spider web site.