Donni Davy, the “Euphoria” makeup artist, does not use foundation or powder on the cast. And when she introduced her own beauty line, Half Magic, earlier this year, she chose to focus on eyeshadows, lip liners and lipsticks, hybrid blush highlighters and adhesive crystals — but no concealer or foundation. For the line’s ad campaign, she used a minimal diluted foundation for spot treatments, and insisted that images show the skin’s pores, texture, and bumps.
“It’s been my personal preference for a long time,” Ms Davy said. “Plus, a lot of these directors these days, at least the ones I’ve worked with, want the real skin texture. They actually hate foundation.” Instead, Ms. Davy opted for light shades or foundation mixed with moisturizer or highlighter, except for Maddy, because her character has a more made-up look.
“It was a little shocking at first,” she says. “When I looked at the monitors on set, it was a little awkward, even though I really love that look. But I actually think it adds to the glamorous makeup and makes it more accessible and brash.”
In April, makeup artist Bobbi Brown introduced a tinted moisture 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 that the skin texture shows. Ms. Brown, who is 65, stopped wearing foundation three years ago and uses it less and less with clients.
“I realized I really liked the way I looked better without foundation,” she said. “I was just starting to reinvent how I saw myself and how I felt. At the same time, things were changing in the beauty industry. It was a more relaxed look. Girls wore messy buns to parties.”
In June, Rhode Skin, Hailey Bieber’s line, introduced a Peptide Glazing Fluid, which the company said has sold out multiple times. It’s a lightweight, fast-absorbing gel serum that plumps, hydrates and illuminates – and is promoted for the way it makes the skin look immediately after application, much like foundations are marketed.
The beauty world has been moving towards lighter products for a while now, with the introduction of tinted moisturizers and water shades, not real foundations. Ilia introduced Super Serum Skin Tint in 2020 and before that, Chanel released Les Beiges, “water fresh” shades that are 75 percent water for the lightest coverage. The acne positivity movement started before the pandemic, but now it seems that many generations of women are opting for alternatives or throwing away their foundation bottles for good.
“After two years of getting so used to wearing masks, it became almost impossible to wear foundation and not feel extremely uncomfortable,” said Colleen Gwen Armstrong, a 45-year-old publicist, who uses eyebrow products, eyelashes, and concealer for makeup. wears under the eyes. and either lip gloss or lipstick without foundation.
Tanya Trevett, 52, stopped wearing foundation about four months ago. “I have vitiligo and 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 still be beautiful with imperfections.”
Lauren Fritsky, 40, a content marketer and writer, described throwing out her heavy base as “liberating.” “It’s liberating to spend my day and not go out in public,” she said.
The shift from foundation comes at a time of increased knowledge of skin care. While many women go bare or touch up spots with concealer, others have found foundation alternatives that double as a full skincare wardrobe in one swipe. Such products offer a slew of ingredients — vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and sunscreen — to rival traditional serums, and glow-y finishes can leave users feeling confident enough to go without heavier coverage.
“I see skincare as part of the makeup application process,” says Kerrin Jackson, makeup artist. Ms. Jackson focuses on concealing blemishes with products containing ingredients such as vitamin C to even out skin tone, applying them only to areas of redness or discoloration, leaving the rest of the skin exposed.
The foundation-free movement is also about inclusiveness and acceptance. As Ms. Davy put it, “How can we normalize real, real skin but still feel really good and still feel glamorous and still feel like you’re using your makeup to make yourself feel like you’re the most badass version of yourself.”
Some makeup artists claim that going foundation-free or wearing light coverage works better for skin of all ages. “Full coverage foundations tend to settle into fine lines and can look tacky or heavy on the skin,” said one of those artists, Monika Blunder. “It’s so nice to see some imperfections or texture coming through the makeup.”
For some women, throwing out the full coverage comes with emotional baggage. “I think it’s really important to think about why there’s this tendency to use really heavy foundation to give ourselves this filtered look in person or for our social media,” said Ms. Davy, who is 34 and used to use a full-coverage foundation every day. day to cover cystic acne. She’s now thinking of the concept in terms of junk food — as in, it’s so satisfying, but can end up wreaking havoc in more ways than one.
“It doesn’t do great things for our self-esteem and body image,” she said. “And, like, I’m sorry, but unless you’re a newborn baby, you to have texture.”
It’s easy to try a bald look without completely abandoning traditional foundation. “Gradually start minimizing the amount of foundation you use,” said Ms. Jackson. “You’re starting to see that slowly. Yes, you can look and feel great without heavy cloaking and foundation.” Many tinted moisturizers provide good coverage, she said, and will make you feel like you still have your full face.
Ms. Davy added, “I’d suggest taking a little foundation or concealer, diluting it with a liquid illuminator or tinted moisturizer, and applying it all over.” If you have acne that’s red or healing, she insists that you let it shine through a bit or dab gently on a pigmented concealer.
It’s important to realize that some people like to use full coverage foundation as a means of expression, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But in many ways, the new era is ushering in a wave of self-acceptance.
“I used to think I couldn’t wear bold makeup because I had such terrible acne,” said Ms. Davy. These are the small steps, she said, toward normalizing the skin texture we have.