The foundation is dead

The days of full-coverage foundations that conceal all skin flaws are over. A new era ushers in a wave of self-acceptance.

"Euphoria" makeup artist Donni Davy does not use foundation or powder on the cast. And when she introduced her own beauty line earlier this year, Half Magic, she opted to focus on eye shadows, lip liners and lipsticks, hybrid highlighters and stick-on crystals - but no concealer or foundation. For the line's ad campaign, she used minimal diluted foundation for spot treatments, and she insisted that the images show pores, texture, and bumps in the skin.

"It was my preference for a long time," Ms. Davy said. skin. In fact, they hate foundations. Instead, Ms. Davy opted for lighter shades or foundation mixed with moisturizer or highlighter, except for Maddy, as her character has a more polished look.

"It was a little shocking at first," she said. "When I was watching the monitors on set, it was a little uncomfortable, although I really like this looks. But I actually think it adds to the glamorous makeup and makes it more accessible and shameless."

In April, makeup artist Bobbi Brown introduced a tinted moisturizing balm called What the Foundation for her beauty brand Jones Road.Unlike a typical foundation, her new product comes in a jar and needs to be mixed and then applied sparingly so skin texture is visible.Ms Brown, who is 65 years old, stopped wearing foundation three years ago and uses it less and less on his clients.

"I realized that I really liked how I looked better without foundation,” she said. "I just started reinventing how I saw myself and how I felt. At the same time, things were changing in the beauty industry. It was a more casual look. Girls wore messy buns at parties."

In June, Rhode Skin, the Hailey Bieber line, introduced a peptide glazing liquid, which the company says sold multiple times.. It's a lightweight, fast-absorbing gel-serum that plumps, hydrates and brightens - and is promoted for the way it makes skin look immediately after application, just like foundations. are on the market.

The beauty world has been moving towards lighter products for a while now, with the introduction of tinted moisturizers and water-based tints , and no longer real foundations. Ilia launched Super Serum Skin Tint in 2020, and before that, Chanel launched Les Beiges, shades “fresh to the skin”. 'water' which contain 75% water for the lightest touch of coverage. The acne positivity movement started before the pandemic, but now, it seems, many women of all generations are opting for alternatives or tossing their foundation bottles for good.

"After getting so used to wearing masks for two years, it became nearly impossible to wear foundation and not feel extremely uncomfortable," said Colleen Gwen Armstrong, a 45-year-old publicist, who wears brow products, lashes, under-eye concealer and either lip gloss or lipstick without foundation.

Tanya Trevett, 52, stopped wearing foundation about four months ago. "I have vitiligo and I have three teenage daughters, and I'm a mental health advocate," she said. "I want to be a role model for my daughters so they know you can always be beautiful with imperfections."

Lauren Fritsky, 40, a content marketer and writer, described the rejection of her weighty foundation as a "liberation." "It's liberating to go through my day and go out in public without it," she said.