My Makeup Hot Takes

I wanted to get this off my chest before the spring beauty sales at Ulta and Sephora get underway. I know Ulta’s has already started, but I’m hoping this will reach you before you add something to your cart that you probably don’t need.

You Don’t Need More Than Four Foundations

If your algorithms are serving you makeup content it’s easy to get wrapped up in thinking that you need to have whatever foundations your favorite beauty creators have in their collections to emulate their looks. This is patently untrue.

You could probably have even fewer foundations, depending on your lifestyle but the four you “need” are:

• Skin tint/tinted moisturizer
• Medium coverage, buildable foundation
• Full-coverage glam foundation
• One of the above foundations in your summer color

The odds that there are a lot of brands that will have a good shade match for you are slim, especially if you have dark skin. Even the brands that have a comprehensive shade range aren’t all likely to have a good shade match for you. Some brands do neutral dark skin tones very well and others do mid-tone olive undertones incredibly well.

There are so few complexion products that are actually good for your skin tone and type. Having 10+ foundations and all of them being good matches is a pipedream and you really don’t need that many anyway.

I’m not about to have a full-coverage glam foundation because I rarely do those kinds of looks anymore. If I feel the need to do one, I’ll go get a sample. There’s no reason to spend money on it because makeup expires. I know I’m using some of my powder products long past their expiration date, but foundation and mascara aren’t something I’m willing to roll the dice on.

You Don’t Need More Than Two Setting Powders

You only need two: one for your undereye and another for your whole face. You could probably get the travel sizes, too. They last FOREVER.

Don’t Let Someone’s “Perfect Shade” Think It Will Be Yours Too

Don’t let someone else’s claim of finding a perfect match be a major selling point to get you to buy a foundation unless they are the exact shade and undertone as you. That’s hard to tell from a screen. The things you should pay attention to are longevity, how it interacts with skin texture, and how it works with oiliness or dryness.

Makeup Expires

Expired foundation doesn’t perform as well and can even break you out. It happened to me many times until I finally learned to stop destroying my hard work to clear my breakouts. I also don’t play around with mascara’s expiration date. That goes near my eyes and sometimes gets in them. Just no.

You Don’t Need an Expensive Makeup Remover

Makeup removing products are on your skin for about 60 seconds before you wash it off. There’s no need to splurge here. Get something inexpensive that gets the job done and keep it moving.