It depends on many things. What type of work will you mainly be doing? TV, video, film, print, bridal, or mainly general public applications, lessons, etc. As well as the look desired, clients preference, skin type, level of dehydration, facial hair, weather, if it needs to be long lasting or just for a few hour photo shoot, etc. Many foundations are limiting and only good for a few scenarios.
After about 15 years in the industry, I carried loads of brands, formulations, coverages and colors. When I do any TV & video work, I use Make Up For Ever HD. But I specialize in and mainly do close-up, beauty print work, and for that I use nothing but Make Up For Ever Face & Body foundation. It really is to die for. It is sheer but layer-able and builds amazingly. Seriously, the more you put on the better it looks. It’s just like magic because typically the more you put on of every other foundation I’ve ever tried over my 25 year career, looks like shit. And I’ve tried just about everything. .
Print work is the #1 reason to NEVER do full coverage. At least with the better photographers that actually do beauty print work, regardless if they shoot editorial, commercial advertisements or big campaigns verses the photographers that mainly do photo shoots or aspire to be published. That being said, most believe that some women NEED coverage. To that I say… They just have not mastered the art of concealing. Once you do master concealing in all aspects, you can apply sheer coverage on over 95% of clients and get amazing results.
In a nutshell, when it comes to foundation, and all makeup application, It is not about what you like (although that is what we ALL started out doing), it’s about what is appropriate for the type of work you are doing (or aspire do do.) Because you can not get there until you can prove you are capable of the caliber of work needed. For print, you need photo friendly makeup, so you MUST avoid titanium dioxides, mica, zinc, paba’s and any other oxides or aluminum. Many artists swear that the brands they use are photo friendly even though their foundations of choice are FULL of all those ingredients that cause flashback or funky colors. I’m sorry, but science does not lie. They just usually don’t see their work until after the photographers edit the images and make sure their faces match their bodies. That or they seriously don’t have an eye for detail to notice that the heads never match the neck and chest in their images. Sadly, I see that on almost a daily basis by those that insist it is not true.
If you want to see what the MUFE Face & Body photographs like, you can view my portfolio here at this link. I used their foundation on every single model in every single segment except the women with birthmarks in the before and after section They have on Kevyn Aucoin’s Sensual Skin enhancer foundation.
Love and Wisdom,
Donna xoxo
