Base Instincts

Ideally, this blog won't feature a product acquisition every single entry, because I get tired of my own consumerism and tendencies toward same, and, though it would take me quite a while to play catch-up and blog everything I've accumulated and kept up to this point, at some point I would, if not run out of things to post entirely, really slow down.

I hope to showcase more experiments with makeup application and interpretations of looks currently chilling out on Pinterest. (Next up: this taupe eye and cherry lip.) But I'm also hoping to explore a little more and articulate what I'm hoping to do with makeup when I put it on my face, why I'm drawn to the looks or effects I'm drawn to, etc. I'm hoping this will help me understand the evolution of my beauty philosophy better which would be helpful for reasons.

Take base, for instance. After an era of trying to make the slightly-too-dark foundation work for me by rubbing minute amounts into my skin, I've gotten to the point where I don't particularly appreciate the look of foundation, full stop. I value the not-matte, not "done" texture of bare, healthy skin. I just think it's a beautiful canvas for the layered watercolor textures I prefer in my color products. (More on that later.) Plus, I've come to realize that no full-coverage foundation truly looks totally natural on me because my skin is so translucent.

I think the development of my distaste for serious coverage has something to do with a) laziness, as I nearly always have to blend my foundation match, and b) the development of my low-maintenance yet somewhat otherworldly personal style. (My post-college wardrobe has been like... mostly gothic ballerina loungewear. I've been told I dress like a ninja genie.)

In lieu of all-over foundation, my favorite base products preserve the crystalline translucency of bare skin while addressing minor textural issues. I love a good primer; the best primers blur pores and many even subtly correct uneven tone. For the same reasons, I love a good powder. I can't be without primer and powder; however, in between the two, I often forgo concealer and foundation of any kind. When I do use more opaque products on my skin, it's generally limited to my undereye area and redness around the nose.

I realize this approach isn't to everyone's taste, and I see the appeal of a totally pristine, matte canvas. What finish do you like on your skin? How do you achieve it? Do you wear foundation on a near-daily basis?