Lesson No. 2: Mix primer with your foundation

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I'm sitting in Make-up Designory's Beauty 101 classroom and I'm anticipating today's lesson to be quite the bore-fest. I'm barely paying attention as Lead Instructor Gil Romero goes through the three different types of foundation: liquid, powder, and cream. Yawn. Wake me up when I'm going to learn something new.It seems like Romero read my mind, because he immediately hit me with this tip: "You can wear cream foundation as is for opaque, full coverage, or you can break it down to be more translucent by mixing it with some primer," he says. What? Isn't primer only supposed to go onfoundation? But Romero says this is a surefire way to retain the foundation's coverage without looking caked on. Plus, you get to reap the long-lasting durability that cream foundation has over liquids and powders. Prior says this also helps the makeup blend seamlessly with the first layer of primer on your skin.I raise my hand at this point and ask if cream foundation is OK for oily skin. This is a selfish question, because I struggle with a mid-day oily t-zone. Make-up Designory Creative Director, Yvonne Hawker (who also wrote the school's textbook) says everyone can use cream foundation, but those with oily skin should use a damp sponge to apply it. Most foundations have oil in its formula to give the coverage blend-ability. Using the sponge will "pick up the pigment, but not the oil in the foundation." You'll still get great coverage, but not the shine.For dry or combination skin types, "use your foundation brush and buff the foundation onto the skin, concentrating on the center of your face, which is typically where your skin has the most discoloration," says Hawker. "The further you get from the center, the less coverage you want."