Tried everything but still feel like your makeup is going patchy and cakey despite all those tiktok tricks you’ve tested?
From the prep, process and products, we’ve got all the tips you need to create your most flawless long-lasting base and prevent your foundation and concealer going cakey, for good!
Hydration and skin prep is key. Try zone priming
You’ll never sway our opinion - gorgeous makeup always starts with skin prep. Ensure you start with cleansed and moisturised skin to set yourself up for makeup success! Also don’t skip primer, never-ever-ever! Often overlooked, a primer really is the easiest way to prevent your foundation and concealer going cakey. A primer like our Melon Jelly primer will help your skin stay hydrated, but also has a slightly tacky finish that will keep your foundation and concealer in place.
We love to zone prime too, which allows us to target different areas of the face and different skin concerns with the right primer formula. We’ve put together the ultimate guide to zone priming here.
Opt For A Light Or Medium Coverage Foundation
Even if you like lots of coverage, opting for a thick, full-coverage foundation can be a cause for cakey looking makeup. We like to choose a light-medium coverage foundation like our Vitamin Babe foundation. With an easy-to-build formula, this allows you to control your coverage and build it up only in places you feel you need it most.
Our vitamin babe foundation is also enriched with vitamin c to help keep skin hydrated throughout the day, and your makeup lasting longer.
Concealers, like our Vitamin Babe concealer are typically higher coverage, so apply sparingly and build up gradually to prevent your concealer going cakey.
Apply Powder Only Where Needed
It can be tempting to dust your full face in powder, but this can be very drying, and causes those dry patches you may see on the perimeter of your face. Instead, apply lightly to areas you find you go oily. Typically your t-zone.
Use a powder puff to gently press powder into skin (be careful not to press too hard and shift your base makeup around). Nose pores are also prone to clinging to products, so ensure to apply any powder products very lightly in this area and brush off extra product with a fluffy powder brush. Our Vitamin Babe setting powder is great for diminishing the look of pores, and we love to use the puff to press under our eyes to set concealer and reduce the appearance of pores in the nose area.
Use powder after liquid products
A little tip is to use all your powder products after liquid products. Particularly setting powder. This should be your second-to-final step before finishing with a setting mist to set everything in place. Applying liquid or cream products on top of powder tends to create that cakey look.
Use setting spray in between makeup steps and as the final step
Amelia first introduced us to this, and it’s honestly a game changer! Between every step of your routine mist your setting spray over your skin. Emma in our team also had this tip: “i love to use our Vitamin Babe sponge to gently push the setting mist into my skin”.
You’ll find this locks each of your products in place, from foundation, concealer, blush, highlighter, bronzer and powder.
We get lots of questions particularly about cakey concealer under the eyes - using a setting spray before and after you set concealer with powder is a great way to combat this issue.
The final spritz at the end of your routine is the ultimate step to melting everything together and setting your makeup in place. Be generous with your sprays, but remember to keep the spray 15-20cm away from your face to prevent your skin getting too ‘wet’.
Want more of our makeup tips? Our team share lots on our TikTok which you can find here.