7 Foundation Mistakes That Make You Look Older

The foundation you use on your face is the base on which your whole look is built. And just like with your home, a cracked, aging foundation is not the ideal base to build on. In fact, some foundations contain ingredients that can age you prematurely. Here are tips on what to avoid, what to buy, and how to apply it from celebrity makeup artist Andrew Sotomayor.

4 Ingredients In Your Foundation That Are Aging You

• Powders (unless they're mineral-based): Powders are notoriously drying and can emphasize fine lines and wrinkles. (Mineral-based powders absorb surface oils and blur fine lines.)
• Pancake makeup: It has the most concentrated pigment, but it goes on too thick, sinking into fine lines that then make the foundation crack and look cakey.
• Alcohol: It's a drying agent. And the drier your skin, the older it looks.
• Parabens: These preservatives are often used in makeup. Studies suggest that methylparaben may react adversely with UVB rays to accelerate the aging process and cause irreversible DNA damage.

Foundation Application Don'ts:

• Don't apply too much foundation at once. It's much easier to layer foundation than it is to take it off.
• Don't use your fingers to apply foundation. Your skin could look splotchy and cakey, says Sotomayor.
• Don't apply a shade of foundation that's even the least bit off. Foundations that are a little too gray or yellow can make you look like you're wearing a mask.

Foundation Application Do's:

• Do use a brush, says Sotomayor, because it evenly distributes foundation across your skin, allowing you to get more from less. 
• Do apply foundation conservatively, using very small amounts to begin with—think half a pea—on your forehead, cheeks, and top of the nose and chin.
• Do purchase a foundation shade that matches your skin as closely as possible. Test until you find the perfect shade.

Source:prevention.com/beauty/foundation-makeup-mistakes-age-you