Foundation

The point: achieve the appearance of “good” skin. Good is defined as: smooth, even texture, without visible acne, large pores, scars, wrinkles, or uneven skin coloration, and not shinier/oilier than you want it to be, nor dry/flaking.

Why you use foundation: to cover up uneven colors and textures and provide a flawless, uniform background that resembles healthy skin i.e. like that of a child's.

Different options:

• BB/CC cream
• tinted moisturizer: I'm using the Laura Mercier one now because I got a sample and liked it well enough
• powder and/or mineral foundation: supposedly better for your skin, and enables you to get lighter coverage, which is probably better for you on a daily basis
• liquid foundation

Color:
Go to a department store counter or Sephora that has natural light within easy access and describe your lifestyle and use cases to them (probably fairly minimalist approach to makeup, if you’re reading this) and have them color match you. You may want a couple close shades if you tan in the summer.

Application tools:

• with a brush: look for a brush that has densely packed bristles and has a kind of flatter edge
• or with a sponge

How to apply:

1. Do not apply like a lotion. Put on sunscreen underneath.
2. Dot/stipple foundation across your forehead and down your nose (T-zone), then across your cheek/down the side of your face. Then blend in (i.e. smooth out the edges so it’s not obvious that you’re seeing patches of colors). You are not aiming for a solid layer of foundation all over your face, but enough in the right sections so that it looks like one consistent color all over.
3. Applying powder on top of liquid foundation is to “set” your foundation by having the powder soak up the excess moisture so it doesn't move, “much like breading a chicken cutlet for chicken parm, where the chicken is your face, your foundation is the egg, and the power is the flour/breadcrumbs to make it all stick.”
4. Help the foundation last longer by trying not to touch your face throughout the day, but no matter what, it will start to dissolve and wear away by the end of the day no matter the types and techniques you use.

Makeup for engineers

I’m in a phase currently of being interested in learning to use makeup. I’ve often been very frustrated with makeup instruction not being very clear in their explanations of why you’d do something. With the rise of YouTube, I’m told it’s much easier now to find information from people who are more similar to yourself, but I don’t really like watching videos. Fortunately, I have a friend who both looks and thinks similarly to me, so I’m documenting what I’m learning from her. I'd like to have a technical explanation of how makeup is deployed, free of confounding factors like poorly lit sad-face befores next to sunny afters.

Philosophically though, I do not believe that anyone “needs” makeup. You have an inherent worth and dignity that visual appearance doesn’t ever change. I’m interested in learning and presenting this information so that you have tools and understanding, but that is completely separate for whether you decide to use the knowledge. As my friend says, “Makeup is a subjective tool.”