Are we applying our foundation the wrong way?!

By BR Kellie

Don't mind me. I'm just sitting here with my mind BLOWN.

You see I've been under the assumption that if you're interested in keeping your base looking as natural as possible, the way to apply your foundation (whether you use brush, sponge or fingers) is to dot foundation in the central areas of your face and then blend out, so that you get coverage in potential problem areas but a natural finish around the perimeter. This is the technique I've been using for years and I've got to say I'm pretty happy with it. 

But yesterday I was skipping around the interwebs and I came across a video from Violette, a woman I follow on Instagram. Now Violette is a super stylish chick (only further confirming my suspicions that French women are fabulous), she's a makeup artist AND she's recently became Estee Lauder's Global Beauty Director, so I take her words as seriously as I do the likes of Wayne Goss and Lisa Eldridge. WELL, Violette's method of applying foundation to get that elusive no-makeup makeup look is beyond anything I could have ever conceived, and certainly not something I thought I'd ever hear. The trick?

Don't put foundation on your nose.

I know. Sounds crazy right? 

So just how does this look work? 

Violette's thoughts on foundation is that you should only use foundation where you need it, and leave the rest bare in order to create an optical illusion that you're not wearing foundation at all. She achieves this by applying a light foundation to her undereye area, around her lips and chin - and blends it out. The outer perimeter of her face and her forehead (which is covered with a fringe so you don't see it anyway) is left bare. As is her nose!!! HER NOSE!!! Why the nose? Violette notes that the nose is an area where you might have freckles, so if it's bare, along with the outer areas of your face, then it creates an optical illusion that tricks people into thinking you're foundation-free.

If you're anything like me and have uneven skin tone, pimples, scarring etc then she does say you can go heavier with the foundation, BUT she recommends once having done your foundation that you grab a makeup wipe and remove a touch of the foundation that's gong down the bridge of the nose, so it retains that natural look.

If you'd like to see Violette's method of application (along with her other tips for applying makeup in a natural manner) then check out this video. (And my god, how beautifully does she say Armani? I mean I heard it and suffered the pain of 1000 cringes for every time I've ever said the word in my delightful Kiwi twang.)

So what say you beauties? Is this a tip you'll be applying? Or will you stick to applying foundation in the usual manner? Better yet... what are your tips and tricks for applying foundation to get that fresh and flawless finish? As we love to say here at BRHQ... sharing is caring! So chat away!