Foundation help!

SalonGeek

Help Support SalonGeek:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Soph36

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2012
Messages
146
Reaction score
0
Location
Wiltshire
Make up geeks, I need some advice! I used to wear Clarins foundation n like it but can't afford the price tag so have bought some cheaper ones n but haven't quite been able to find the right shade!! (Hard to do it in the shops n always looks different in natural light) My problem is that whichever foundation I put on, rimmel loreal, maxfactor, if I take a photo with a flash it always makes my face go white! Is there anything I can do to stop this? I haven't noticed it before but forgive me if most foundations are like this!!

Thanku muchly x x
 
I think the white face thing is down to the SPF in the foundation. Could be wrong. Hopefully a skin geek will be along soon to help you :) xx
 
I think the white face thing is down to the SPF in the foundation. Could be wrong. Hopefully a skin geek will be along soon to help you :) xx

I heard the same from a couple of muas then another told me it was a myth. I'd like to know if it's true too.
I had the same problem until I switched to bare minerals now I don't get it. But it has an SPF of 20. Confusing! Lol x
 
I'm pretty sure it's titanium dioxide that makes you look white in pictures especially ones with flash, it will be on the ingredients list xx
 
I went to a Estée Lauder counter once and got their foundation and powder. Then I looked at some pictures one night and I really looked like I was dying. It was awful!! My friends assured me that I didn't look like that in real life but I chucked all of it away literally over £100 worth. It's not a good look 😱
 
I went to a Estée Lauder counter once and got their foundation and powder. Then I looked at some pictures one night and I really looked like I was dying. It was awful!! My friends assured me that I didn't look like that in real life but I chucked all of it away literally over £100 worth. It's not a good look 😱

This happened to me with their double wear foundation :( I was gutted as I only bought it to wear on nights out. Which is when everyone wants to take photos! 😬 x
 
I went to a Estée Lauder counter once and got their foundation and powder. Then I looked at some pictures one night and I really looked like I was dying. It was awful!! My friends assured me that I didn't look like that in real life but I chucked all of it away literally over £100 worth. It's not a good look ��

That happened to me with Bare Minerals. It's unused.
 
This happened to me with their double wear foundation :( I was gutted as I only bought it to wear on nights out. Which is when everyone wants to take photos! 😬 x

Mine was the double wear foundation too. I thought it would be great and stop the shine on my face on nights out - how wrong! I noticed on my little sisters 21st pictures - photos that will stay around forever!!
 
Luckily I only got a sample of double wear, but it did it with that!! It's just annoying as when ur out most people use flash n it looks so funny!! Just really struggling to find a foundation that's not to expensive and doesn't make u look like a ghost in a photo! I have heard SPF in foundation can do that but the ones I have bought haven't got it in x
 
It's a common misconception that titanium dioxide is the culprit to flashback (the white face effect) .

Titanium Dioxide is a white mineral powder that is present in ALL foundations . It is an essential part of foundation, it is mixed with other coloured oxides to produce the skin colour of a foundation. In other words you can't buy a foundation without it containing titanium dioxide.

In some foundations excess titanium dioxide is added and combined with zinc oxide to create a cheap SPF within the foundation. It's this combination that is problematic . It works as a sunblock so it reflects all light away from the skin , protecting you from harmful UV rays but unfortunately causes flash back with flash photography (all light is reflected back and you see the white base of the titanium dioxide and zinc oxide mixture). This effect does not happen with photos taken in natural light.

With advancements in technology this phenomenon is starting to fade out as more and more cosmetic companies are using sunscreens instead of sunblocks in their foundations. Sunscreens work by disrupting the harmful uv wavelengths into unharmful wavelengths , nothing is reflected so no flashback occurs. This is why a foundation can contain even a high SPF these days and yet cause no flashback ;)

So in a nut shell , you don't have to avoid SPF in a foundation , just watch out for a high content of titanium dioxide (it will be high up on the ingredient list ) combined with zinc oxide :)
 
It's a common misconception that titanium dioxide is the culprit to flashback (the white face effect) .

Titanium Dioxide is a white mineral powder that is present in ALL foundations . It is an essential part of foundation, it is mixed with other coloured oxides to produce the skin colour of a foundation. In other words you can't buy a foundation without it containing titanium dioxide.

In some foundations excess titanium dioxide is added and combined with zinc oxide to create a cheap SPF within the foundation. It's this combination that is problematic . It works as a sunblock so it reflects all light away from the skin , protecting you from harmful UV rays but unfortunately causes flash back with flash photography (all light is reflected back and you see the white base of the titanium dioxide and zinc oxide mixture). This effect does not happen with photos taken in natural light.

With advancements in technology this phenomenon is starting to fade out as more and more cosmetic companies are using sunscreens instead of sunblocks in their foundations. Sunscreens work by disrupting the harmful uv wavelengths into unharmful wavelengths , nothing is reflected so no flashback occurs. This is why a foundation can contain even a high SPF these days and yet cause no flashback ;)

So in a nut shell , you don't have to avoid SPF in a foundation , just watch out for a high content of titanium dioxide (it will be high up on the ingredient list ) combined with zinc oxide :)

Thank you for this!! Makes sense!! Will have a look at the ingredients and use the one with the low content of titanium dioxide!

X x
 
Can anyone recommend one that doesnt do this x
 
You should try Bobbi Brown foundations, they are yellow based so would match your skin perfectly so long as you have the correct colour shade. Yellow based foundations are much more natural looking than the pink shades some brands do. If you go into a Bobbi brown counter and ask one of the girls to match your foundation up they will do this for you. The foundations are fantastic and depending on what look you want can have either a natural look or if you wanted more cover can build them up. The BB cream is lovely too!
 
Urban Decay Naked Skin is amazing!! So good that Kim K wore it on her wedding day ☺️ X
 

Latest posts

Back
Top