Observing my clients, friends and family, I’ve noticed that women use a wide range of different strategies for their facial makeup. Some women wear foundation or BB cream, bronzer, concealer and powder on a daily basis. Others stick to foundation and power. Some wear tinted moisturizer and powder. Others wear tinted moisturizer, or a light dusting of facial powder and leave it at that. And some women don’t use any cosmetics at all. Everyone has a preference based on their skin type, lifestyle and the desired visual effect.

I didn’t use any facial cosmetics until my mid-thirties. I was satisfied with my facial skin au natural. For extra outfit polish at work I’d wear a little blush, mascara, eyebrow pencil and lipstick. These days my facial skin tone is less smooth than it used to be, so for the last ten years I’ve been using a tinted moisturizer to even things out. It’s a very light coverage that does not cover skin blemishes all that effectively, but I feel a lot more polished when I wear it.

I might be in the minority, but I don’t want to even out my skin tone completely, like one can do with heavier products like foundation, bronzer and powder. I think the blemishes that remain visible look natural and match my skin elsewhere. I’m not sure how I will feel about this level of light coverage as I get older, but for now, this is my preference. 

I’m not fond of facial powder for two reasons. First, my dry skin does not need further drying out. And second, I prefer the look of shiny skin. To my eye shiny skin looks more healthy. In fact, I often pop a little jojoba oil over my tinted moisturizer to create more shine. I make an exception when we take photos for an outfit post, because facial powder really helps to combat the shiny reflections caused by harsh light.

Over to you. Do you use cosmetics to even out the skin tone on your face? If so, what do you use? There is no right and wrong here. Facial cosmetics strategies are nothing more than an individual preference.