Foundation isn’t just foundation anymore. I should have known this, but until recently, I didn’t. Many foundations come with an SPF included, which is fantastic for daytime wear, but a big no-no for night time – especially if you’re going to be photographed. My makeup always looked fine in real life, but in some photographs I had an awful white ‘ghost face’.
Just for fun, here are some really bad before photos
See how my body looks nice and tan, but my face is really white? In real life, my makeup looked like it matched my body. Now, there’s a whole new generation of foundations that are designed specifically with photography in mind. Some of them contain SPFs (I’m still not quite sure how that works) and some of them don’t. One of these new camera-smart foundations is Australis’ Paparazzi Perfect Foundation. (RRP $12.95.)
The product description claims “The intelligent mix of High Definition balancing pigments with their amazing light reflecting properties creates flawless even skin perfection under any light…. skin tone appears smooth, and imperfections are corrected. A flawless, smooth complexion is achieved in any light. It provides a medium to heavy coverage with a subtly dewy finish.”
The first time I put it on (just because I simply had to try it out in front of a flash) even without primer or powder, I was impressed.
Suddenly my face matched the rest of my body! It blended perfectly, and I loved the beautiful dewy finish. Since my first test-drive, I’ve worn it to a few important work events, where I knew I was going to be photographed. And I’ve been really pleased with the results. Especially in photographs, Paparazzi Perfect creates an absolutely flawless base, it’s dewy, natural looking and finally my face matches my body! Perfectly in fact. The ‘colour balancing’ technology works. I have no need to fear the flash. My skin looks smooth, healthy and more importantly, glowing!
My only criticism is that it doesn’t last quite as long as I’d like. But I have oily skin and I’m used to long-wearing foundations. The first time I wore it was during the day, to work, and it only lasted a few hours. So I developed a method of application to try and get a few extra miles out of the dewy finish.
Here are my tips to make it last longer if you’ve got oily skin like me:
1. Always apply primer first – I’m also quite fond of Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot and Mary Kay’s Timewise Foundation Primer Australis makes a great primer too.
2. Apply your Paparazzi Perfect foundation in a light layer (I use my fingertips as it helps to warm the product and disperse it evenly)
3. Apply a light dusting of powder. I use M.A.C Prep + Prime Translucent Finishing Powder , but your favourite pressed or loose powder will do.
4. Apply a second coat of Paparazzi Perfect Foundation.
The two layers, with the setting and oil-absorbing properties of the powder in between seem to make it last a lot longer. The event I was attending went for a solid four hours, and my makeup did not budge an inch. In fact, the last photograph was taken after I’d returned home from an event.
The colour I’m wearing is Natural Fawn. So lovelies – have you made any wonderful makeup discoveries lately? Please share!
