If you love foundation, but don’t love how dried out it can make your face feel, you may be wondering whether mixing foundation with moisturizer is possible. After all, moisturizer can leave your skin feeling nourished and hydrated, so mixing it with foundation should still allow it to deliver some of these benefits, right?
Well, you’re in the right spot to find out the answers to all of your questions about mixing foundation and moisturizer. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
- Can You Mix Foundation With Moisturizer?
- Benefits of Mixing Foundation with Moisturizer
- Important Considerations Before Mixing Moisturizer and Foundation
- How Do You Mix Foundation With Moisturizer?
- Best Moisturizer to Mix with Foundation
- Mixing Foundation with Moisturizer: Can you mix foundation with moisturizer?
- FAQs
Can You Mix Foundation With Moisturizer?
Can I add moisturizer to foundation? Yes, you can add moisturizer to foundation!
Many people have found that they really like the results they’ve achieved by mixing these two makeup and skincare products together.
Before you grab a moisturizer and your favorite foundation, however, it is a good idea to read more about how adding moisturizer to foundation can change it, the potential benefits of mixing foundation and moisturizer together, and some important things to keep in mind before mixing the two together.
Benefits of Mixing Foundation with Moisturizer
There is actually a long list of potential benefits of mixing foundation with moisturizer. Many of these may surprise you, so be sure to read through the complete list below!
Makes the Foundation More Hydrating
One of the biggest, and possibly most obvious, benefits of mixing foundation and moisturizer together is that it can make your foundation more hydrating and less drying for your skin.
Some foundations, particularly those with a matte finish, can make certain skin types too dry. Mixing in moisturizer before applying the foundation can make it less drying and a bit more hydrating for your skin.
Gives a Sheer and More Natural Finish
There certainly are occasions when you may want a full coverage foundation. However, there are also times when you may desire a sheerer or more natural finish.
Well, you can enjoy the best of both worlds by mixing in moisturizer to a full-coverage foundation whenever you want to go more natural.
Lightens the Foundation Shade
If you recently bought a new foundation and find yourself asking, “why do I look dark after applying foundation,” the shade you selected may not be quite right for your skin tone. Rather than wasting the bottle of foundation, mix in a little moisturizer before applying it to your face.
The moisturizer will dilute the pigments in the foundation, lightening the color. This hack can also help you use up the rest of a bottle of foundation that you purchased to match your tanned skin in the summer.
During the winter months, mix in the moisturizer to lighten the color. Plus, you’ll get the added benefit of having moisturizer on your face during the dryer months as well.
Makes Matte Foundation More Dewy
Have you ever wondered what to mix with foundation to make it dewy? Well, the answer is simple: moisturizer.
When you combine two parts foundation with one part moisturizer (or twice as much foundation as moisturizer), the result will be a dewy and natural finish.
When you’re comparing dewy vs matte foundations, both serve their purpose. However, if you don’t have a dewy foundation on hand, but want to switch things up and try a dewy look, don’t fret. You can transform your matte finish foundation into a dewy finish foundation with just some moisturizer.
Thins Out Foundation That is Too Thick
Sometimes your foundation is just too thick, or becomes too thick after you’ve had the bottle for a while. If you’ve been searching for how to make foundation more liquidy, adding moisturizer is a simple and effective solution. Moisturizers tend to have a thinner consistency than foundation, so adding a bit to your foundation can help to thin it out.
Important Considerations Before Mixing Moisturizer and Foundation
Before you begin mixing foundation with moisturizer, there are a few more important things we want you to be aware of.
Leave Time for Experimentation
First, remember every foundation and moisturizer have different formulations. This may mean that some foundations and moisturizers will mix well together, while others may not deliver the look you’re after or won’t feel right on your skin.
If the first combination of foundation and moisturizer you try doesn’t work, don’t give up right away. You may need to do a little experimentation to find the perfect combination. However, knowing that sometimes the results could be less than ideal, it is a good idea to try mixing and applying foundation and moisturizer together on a day when you’ll be home. This way you can monitor the results, and if you aren’t happy with what you see, you won’t need to be worried about being out.
Base Ingredients Should Match
It is also very important to make sure that the base ingredients of your moisturizer and foundation match. There are water- and oil-based moisturizers, along with water-, oil-, and silicone-based foundations. Mixing foundation with oil moisturizer isn’t a good idea if the foundation is water-based. Likewise, mixing an oil-based foundation with a water-based moisturizer isn’t a good idea either.
When the base ingredients aren’t the same, then the foundation and moisturizer may begin to separate after being mixed. As you may guess, this won’t be a good thing. It can leave your face looking patchy or flaky.
So, always check the ingredients list of your foundation and moisturizer. If they don’t have the same base, look for a substitute for one of them before attempting to mix foundation and moisturizer together.
How Do You Mix Foundation With Moisturizer?
Mixing foundation with moisturizer is easy. All you’ll need is your preferred foundation and moisturizer (just make sure that they are both water-based or oil-based as shared above) and a liquid foundation brush. Follow the steps below to mix foundation and moisturizer before applying it to your face.
- Put a small dollop (approximately pea-sized) of foundation on the palm of your hand.
- Add 1 pump moisturizer over the foundation on your hand.
- Use your finger to blend the two until fully incorporated.
- Apply the foundation to your face using a liquid foundation brush in the same manner you would any other liquid foundation.
Best Moisturizer to Mix with Foundation
If you’re searching for the best moisturizer to mix with foundation, here are a few of our top picks:
- CeraVe AM Facial Moisutrizing Lotion
- La Roche-Posay Toleraine Double Repair Matte Facial Moisturizer
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel(check out our comparison post between the Water Gel and the Gel Cream)
- L’Oreal Paris Skincare Collagen Face Moisturizer
Mixing Foundation with Moisturizer: Can you mix foundation with moisturizer?
Mixing foundation with moisturizer offers a range of benefits, from keeping your skin more hydrated, to providing a more natural finish, to making a matte base more dewy, and more. If you came to this blog post with questions about whether mixing foundation with moisturizer was a good idea, or even possible, we hope you were able to find the answers that you were looking for.
So, what do you think? Are you ready to try putting your favorite foundation in with moisturizer to see the effects for yourself?
Check out these related posts on our blog to learn more about the best foundations and moisturizers and how to use them:
- How to Use BB Cream with Foundation
- Tinted Moisturizer vs BB Cream
- How to Use Face Serum with Moisturizer
- Best Water Based Foundation
- How to Use Tinted Moisturizers the Right Way
FAQs
Can you mix tinted moisturizer with foundation?
Yes, you can mix foundation with tinted moisturizer. Adding tinted moisturizer to foundation can help make the foundation less drying for your skin. It can also slightly lighten the shade of a foundation that is too dark, make a matte foundation more dewy, and help you achieve a more natural look with sheerer coverage.
Does mixing foundation with moisturizer make it lighter?
Will mixing foundation with moisturizer make it lighter? Yes, doing so will lighten the color.
If you have a foundation that you like, but is a bit too dark for your skin tone, adding in some moisturizer can dilute the pigments in the foundation. The result will be a lighter color that should be a better match for your skin.
Does mixing foundation with moisturizer make it look better?
Your option about the effect mixing moisturizer into your foundation has on the way it looks may be different from what another person thinks. If you like a sheerer or more natural look to your foundation, then you are more likely to think that it looks better when mixed with moisturizer.
Likewise, if you enjoy a dewy finish, you’ll also probably like the effect of mixing moisturizer with foundation. However, if you prefer a full-coverage foundation or a matte finish, then you might decide that mixing foundation and moisturizer isn’t right for you.
Can you mix mineral foundation with moisturizer?
Mixing mineral foundation with moisturizer likely won’t work out very well. In many cases, the powder may get too thick if you sweat or get wet. If you want to try mixing a mineral foundation, such as Bare Minerals, with moisturizer, we’d recommend doing so on a day when you’ll be home and can observe what happens and how the finished result holds up. Additionally, different moisturizers may mix better with mineral foundation, so you may need to do some experimenting.
