Beauty Newbie: A Learner's Guide To Foundation

It's Bo again!

Last week, I confessed that even though I work at Sephora, I've never used much makeup. I'm starting with the basics: Foundation.
My first experience with foundation was when I was 12. I visited the local makeup counter, a.k.a. my mother’s vanity. Unfortunately, my mom’s foundation was shades too dark and very heavy in texture. When my pores clogged, and I started to break out, I went back to my au naturel look. Flash forward a couple of decades, and, as you now know, I’m still continuing that same beauty regimen – which is to say, nothing much at all.
So, I was both excited and nervous when I went into the Sephora Fifth Avenue store to meet with Sara Biria, Sephora Pro Beauty Team member, one of only 14! Expecting to be intimidated by a certified beauty expert, I was relieved to meet Sara, who was super nice and helpful, and proved to be a fount of foundation wisdom.
Sara told me that many women, like me, come into Sephora looking for the right foundation, and it can be overwhelming with so many different types (powder, liquid, cream-to-powder, and mineral.) First step: identifying my skin type, which I told her was mostly normal-to-dry but oily on my T-zone. We decided to test out two different kinds of foundation, one on each side of my face.

For my right side, we picked an oil-free formula to avoid potential breakouts. “Just because it’s oil-free doesn’t mean it’ll be dehydrating,” Sara told me. Her recommendation: Laura Mercier Oil-Free Liquid Foundation. For my left side, we opted for another oil-free option, Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 15, which I’d been itching to try.
Next, we did a color match for the liquid foundation by applying three strips of different tones on my face, near the jaw line. The perfect shade would be the one that disappeared on my skin, which turned out to be Sunny Beige.

When testing the bareMinerals, Sara let the three strips sit on my skin for 30 seconds. “The minerals will oxidize, and when they do, the color will change,” she said. “It might look good at first, but then a pink or yellow tone could come out later.” After 30 seconds, we discovered my right match was Light.
One foundation violation: wearing the wrong shade to look darker. Sara said, “Women usually want to look darker, which is fine, but they shouldn’t do it with foundation. They should use bronzer or highlighter.”

My tale of two foundations continues in my next entry! Until then, I would love to find out: Does everyone see foundation as a beauty must?