Foundation (cosmetics)

Foundation is a liquid, cream, or powder makeup applied to the face and neck to create an even, uniform color to the complexion, cover flaws and, sometimes, to change the natural skin tone. Some foundations also function as a moisturizer, sunscreen, astringent or base layer for more complex cosmetics. Foundation applied to the body is generally referred to as "body painting" or "body makeup".

History

The use of cosmetics to enhance complexion reaches back into antiquity. "Face painting" is mentioned in the

Throughout the Middle Ages in Europe, it was considered fashionable for women to have pale skin, due to the association of tanned skin with outdoors work, and therefore the association of pale skin with affluence. In the 6th century, women would often bleed themselves to achieve a pale complexion.^[4] During the

In the 18th century, Louis XV made it fashionable for men to wear lead-based makeup.^[1] Theatrical actors wore heavy white base.^[6]

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries,

In the Edwardian era, women wore a base and did not bleach their skin as much as they did in previous centuries.^[7]

Modern foundation can trace its roots to Carl Baudin of the Leipziger Stadt theatre in Germany. He is the inventor of greasepaint. He wanted to conceal the joint between his

This would be the standard for theatrical make-up until 1914 when makeup artist Max Factor created Flexible Greasepaint that was more reflective of the lighting on movie sets.^[10] Although make-up would evolve dramatically from Baudin's invention, theatrical make-up is, to this day, not too far removed from the original blend of fats and pigment.

Pan-Cake

The first commercially available foundation was

]

Modern formulations

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Foundation" cosmetics – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Color

Color may be identified by a name, number, letter, or any combination of the three. However, unlike the Pantone or Munsell systems used in the art and fashion industries, commercial cosmetic product names are not standardized. If a make-up artist requests a "Medium Beige" foundation, the result can vary drastically from brand to brand, and sometimes, within one brand across different formulas. Cosmetic companies can also edit and adjust their formulations at any time, resulting in the 'Medium Beige' foundation a consumer has been wearing for years becoming a slightly different shade or colour without prior notice.

Color classification

Cosmetic companies classify their foundations Warm, Neutral, Olive, or Cool based on matching the skin tone of the wearer. A handful of professional lines, such as William Tuttle, Ben Nye, Visiora, M.A.C., and even Max Factor, do the opposite, naming their shades based on 'cancelling out' the wearer's natural skin tone so they do not become excessively warm/cool toned in the applied areas. In other words, with some professional lines, a warm skin would choose a cool foundation, and a cool skin would wear a warm foundation. The difference in naming is not attributed to different definitions of warm and cool on the colour wheel.

Selection

Although most artists differ over the significance of selecting an exact match to the wearer's skin tone, intentionally using a mismatch can achieve the desired result. An excessively red complexion can be minimized by using a neutral (meaning neither yellow nor pink) beige toned foundation. A sallow or pallid complexion can be brightened with a rose to red tint, mature skin that has lost its color and appears pale and dull can be brightened with a tint of clear pink, and olive or "ashy" skin can be brightened with a shot of peach. A crucial point in selecting a foundation shade is to recognize that the appearance of the shade in the container may not accurately gauge the colour impact on the skin – a foundation that appears very yellow in the bottle may apply much less yellow, or not appear yellow at all. Trying the color on in stores like Ulta or Sephora is usually the best way to find an accurate match.

Shade range

Another issue that can arise when searching for a foundation shade is an inability to find a shade that suits the wearer. This may be because the prospective user cannot tell the undertone of their skin, but it can also be from available products not being light or dark enough to properly match the user's skin tone. Some examples of brands that have wide shade ranges are:

• Sheer is the most transparent and contains the least amount of pigment. It will not hide discolorations on the skin but it can minimize the contrast between the discoloration and the rest of the skin tone. Although pigment technology has evolved dramatically since 2004, the traditional protocol for sheer foundations called for the pigment to comprise 8–13% of the finished formula.
• Light can cover unevenness and slight
  blotchiness but is not opaque enough to cover freckles
  . It contains 13–18% pigment.
• Medium coverage can when set with a tinted (instead of translucent) powder, cover freckles, discolorations, blotchiness, and red marks left by pimples. It contains 18–23% pigment.
• Full coverage is very opaque and used to cover birthmarks, vitiligo, hyperpigmentation, and scars. It is sometimes referred to as "corrective" or "camouflage" make-up. In general, it contains up to 35% pigment, though professional brands, designed for use on stage, can contain up to 50% pigment.

Application tools

There are various tools that can be used to apply foundation including your fingers, a sponge, and several varieties of foundation brushes, each providing a different finish. Before applying foundation always start with clean and moisturized skin. Dry and flaky skin patches will often be highlighted when base makeup is applied so users should exfoliate their skin first if necessary.

• Fingers: Using one's fingers can be useful for creating a natural look. The natural body heat given off by fingers helps the foundation to melt into the skin and makes it easy to blend in a sheer layer of makeup. However, using fingers is not recommended for applying full coverage foundation as it will create a streaky and uneven appearance.
• Sponge: Using a sponge to apply foundation is best for creating a look with sheer to medium coverage. A triangular sponge is good for blending in liquid foundation and concealer, whilst a rounded sponge is best for powder foundations, though either can be used for these purposes. To use, wet a clean sponge with water first. The moisture will prevent the sponge from absorbing the makeup and will help to more evenly distribute the product over the skin- but make sure to squeeze out excess water. Sponges with pointed tips are best utilized for a seamless blending of the under-eye area and wide, round sponges are best for blending foundation over large flat areas of skin like the cheeks or forehead. Also, note that reusing sponges can be unhygienic, so sponges should be washed and dried thoroughly after every use.
• Brush: For liquid foundation, a brush with a synthetic bristle is recommended as the brush will not soak up too much of the liquid. Alternatively, a natural bristle which is more porous works best for powder foundations and other powder face products. A densely bristled brush is best for applying foundation as it is less likely to leave streaky brush marks. As with all tools used to apply makeup to the face, brushes should be soft and gentle, as anything too stiff will scratch and irritate the skin.
• Airbrush: Liquid foundation is applied with an air stream. The airbrush mixes the foundation with a controllable stream of compressed air. It adheres to the skin as millions of tiny droplets of foundation. This technique can create an even, sheer appearance to the skin that, if applied properly, can appear natural and non-heavy or "cakey." Airbrush makeup application is also frequently used in special effects makeup. Note that if liquid foundation is applied via airbrush too heavily, additional blending with a brush or sponge may be required.

Formulation

The formula refers to the ingredients blended together, and how the makeup is formulated.

• Oil and emollient-based are the oldest types of make-up. An oil (usually
  petrolatum, beeswax, or lanolin) is used as the main ingredient, with pigment added to it. The texture and application are extremely thick and dense, most closely resembling modern lip balms or lipsticks. The extremely emollient nature stays moist and will not cake, is moderately waterproof, and provides the most opaque coverage; but it can smudge, fade, and change colour (darkening or oxidising) during wear. Since the 1970s, synthetic wax
  has also been used, which is less greasy and more reliable than other emollients. Used professionally, it is sometimes referred to as Greasepaint. Examples: Pan-Stik (Max Factor's follow-up to his Pan-Cake make-up), Elizabeth Arden Sponge-On Cream, Mehron, Dermablend.
• Oil-based shakers are different from traditional oil-and-emollient-based makeup in that they were liquid foundations developed before
  emulsifiers and binding agent was available, and thus separate in the bottle, like the alcohol-based formulas mentioned below. Once shaken, this is akin to applying coloured oil to the skin, with a smooth texture that can provide medium coverage with a moist finish. Liquid foundation is applied using a damp makeup sponge and is especially effective around the eye.^{[citation needed}
  ] It was a marked improvement in application, stability, and finish over the traditional oil bases, but improvements since then have rendered these nearly extinct. Examples: Alexandra de Markoff Countess Isserlyn, Frances Denney Incandescent.
• Alcohol-based uses a blend of water and
  sea sponges
  . Examples: Erno Laszlo Normalizer Shake-It, Clinique Pore Minimizer.
• Powder-based began with Max Factor's Pan Cake, using powder – usually talc – as the main ingredient. The pigment is added, along emollients, skin adhesion agents, and binding agents to the formula before it is pressed into pans. The difference between this type of foundation and pressed powder is that this provides more coverage (due to more pigment), and contains more skin adhesion agents (to help it stick to the skin – because the pressed powder is lighter weight, it requires less). Some formulas – such as Pan Cake – also contain wax, and can only be applied with a wet sponge; others, such as M.A.C. StudioFix, contain no emollient, and can only be used dry; the last group, such as Lançome Dual Finish, contain a smaller amount of oil and can be used either way. This provides a "finished" look and can blend from sheer to nearly full coverage, but can look too floury and dry, especially around the eyes, or on drier/mature skin. They can also flake and trickle down as they are applied and blended.
• Mineral makeup most commonly refers to a foundation in loose powder format. The most common minerals used as the base are mica, bismuth oxychloride, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide. However, talc is also a mineral, so a talc-based powder could be considered a "mineral makeup"—although most mineral makeup sold makes a point of being talc-free. A "mineral make-up" may be all mineral, part mineral – or contain less than 1% mineral as part of the finished formula. Using this logic, practically all make-up could be considered mineral.
• Water-based makeup appeared after the end of
  emulsifiers that could successfully keep a water-and-oil blended emulsion
  stable being the key to their development. This creamy liquid provided medium coverage with a far more natural feel and appearance than oil, powder, or emollient bases of the time, and became popular with women since then. Examples include Cover Girl Clean Makeup, Estee Lauder Country Mist. Since then, variations on the formula have expanded the category significantly:
  • Water-based cream make-up has a rich, creamy texture that can be sheer to full coverage with a moist, satiny finish. It usually comes in a jar or tube and is much more comfortable and realistic looking on the skin than the oil or emollient-based predecessors. Examples: Elizabeth Arden Hydro-Light, Guerlain Issima.
  • Water-based oil-free eliminates oil altogether, but substitutes an emollient ester or fatty alcohol in the base, and adds a mattifying agent—usually clay—to dry to a flat, non-reflective ("matte") finish. Oil-free liquids are quite thick and heavy, and the earliest versions took time to pour out of the bottle. They provide solid medium coverage but dry quickly, and can thus set before blended is complete. The result is streaking, which is then difficult to smooth out without starting over from scratch. The usual recommendation is to divide the face into quarter sections and to apply and blend the makeup over one section (rather than the entire face) at a time. Blending over moisturised skin with a wet sponge can also help compensate for the lack of slip. However, they will last a long time and resist smudging, even on very oily skin. Examples: Estee Lauder Fresh Air.
  • Water-based transfer-resistant follows the same formulation as oil-free but uses a film former or polymer instead of (or in addition to) the clay to achieve a matte finish that resists being rubbed off. Transfer-resistant make-up was launched in 1993 by Revlon-owned Ultima II with Lipsexxxy,^[15] the first lip-colour that included film former to prevent rubbing off. By 1996, WonderWear foundation and Revlon Colorstay had been launched, using the same technology as the lipsticks. Transfer-resistant (sometimes called transfer-proof) makeup will last on very oily skin, skin that perspires heavily, or in humid climates longer than any other type of foundation, though it is even more difficult to apply than oil-free makeup. The thick texture dries almost instantly and requires a fair amount of experimentation to master. The most modern versions (such as Revlon Colorstay SoftFlex) have made marked improvements^[16] over predecessors in that regard.
• Silicone-based make-up uses a
  oxidise or to change colour during wear. One of the biggest challenges facing silicone bases is the tendency for the product to break and/or ball up on the skin, something unique to silicones and out of control of the user. Ionizing the silicones (electrically charging the silicone positive) helps it adhere to (negatively charged) skin,^[17]
  although this technology is in its infancy and thus rather expensive. Examples: Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse.

• Face powder
• Blushing
• Concealer

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Foundation (cosmetics).

References