How To Prevent Cake Face
Cake face is one of the worst beauty sins there are and no matter how much you blend your foundation or cover up trouble areas, it can still happen. If you’ve never heard of cake face before or aren’t exactly sure what causes it, it’s basically where there’s too much liquid product on your skin that you then cover up with powder and it ends up looking like the frosting on a cake. Not cute. But no need to worry because there are a few simple things you can do to prevent it while still getting all the coverage you need!
If you’re aiming for a full coverage foundation, a few different concealers for certain areas around the face, and powder to keep it all in place then there’s a good chance cake face might happen to you throughout the day. But what can help you prevent it from happening depends on what you do before you apply the powder. Adding powder on top of product that hasn’t settled into the skin is a surefire way to create a look that appears heavier than it actually is. So the first step is to just wait. Give the primer, foundation, and concealers time to set before you go in with powder.
I like to apply my foundation and concealer with a brush for a few different reasons. Some being that it’s a faster application method for me, I like the finish better than that of my fingers or a sponge, and because sponges tend to absorb more product which leads to waste. However, once I’m done blending everything with my brushes, I do still go over one more time with a dampened beauty sponge.
My favorite is Real Techniques’ Miracle Complexion sponge. I’ve never purchased the Beauty Blender because the Real Techniques one is so amazing. Doing this after I have already blended with my brush picks up any extra product that didn’t get buffed into my skin. And because it’s dampened, it also adds a little moisture to feel a bit more refreshed.
The biggest trick for preventing cake face is to pat the skin with a clean tissue after you’ve let it settle for a few minutes. This will pick up any excess oils or product that haven’t set into the face and will ensure that there’s nothing sitting on top of the skin when you go to apply the powder. It only takes a couple extra seconds to do and will save you a day’s worth of blotting and trying to recover.
Unfortunately, cake face can happen at any time of the day and not just during the initial application of makeup. When you blot oils off of your skin throughout the day, make sure you’re not going in directly with powder. Use a tissue or blotting sheet first, and then apply powder if needed. I usually blot with a tissue and then once more with my Elf Mattifying Blotting Sheets that have powder on them. That combination works great for my incredibly oily skin and keeps the makeup looking fresh.
I hope you found this useful and gained some tricks you can add to your routine. If you have any other makeup concerns or questions that you’d like me to answer in a blog post, let me know in the comments and I’d be happy to give you any secrets I have!
~Christina~
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