An unnamed friend and I scored our first hoard of makeup, foundation and more, in the 7^th grade by taking the makeup out of it’s packages (to ditch the sensors) and slipping the products into any pocket, purse, etc. We did this fairly often at the CVS in Burke, VA and had acquired quite the collection by the time we got cocky and moved up to bras at K-Mart. Our bra bust was the end of it all, although we didn’t get in any real trouble because everyone was feeling a little awkward and illegal about making us take off our shirts to expose the merchandise. Stealing is wrong and bad by the way.

But we really got to sample the product range. Foundation seemed like a must-do for covering our pimples. Of course after every class this was followed up with a slathering of colored powder. Lord knows why. By chorus later in the day we were ready for lotion on the knees and a re-curl of the eyelashes. No wonder I had to get an algebra tutor that year. Between the makeup and my note-passing schedule there really wasn’t much time for studies.

What I learned from that product-intense year I can back up by my ‘professionalism’ now. When breaking into the wonderful world of foundation makeup, always remember that less is more. I’ve always believed that a big pile of makeup looks just as bad as a pimple and definitely more vein. Start with a few shades of concealer so you can mix and match them to blend perfectly with your skin just over the imperfection. Dust your face with a little translucent powder to help it stay longer.

A tinted moisturizer is a fantastic way to even out slight tonal imperfections without looking made-up. Try Neutrogena’s Glow Sheers for a summery glow.

Full-on foundation is great for those with uneven skin tones, which typically happens later on in life. Also for covering full-face issues like TONS of acne, rosacea or a lot of wrinkles. In those scenarios use a primer first. Smashbox’s Color Correcting Primer in green is fantastic for people with a lot of red/pink tones to cover.