Makeup, in general, sits best on clean, moisture-balanced skin. This includes your lips. If you wash, exfoliate, tone, and/or apply moisturizer/balm, let your skin soak it up and settle for a few minutes before applying makeup.
How to Mix
Primaries and Colors are formulated to be mixed together in parts. If you mix with the adhesive Primaries, doing it according to the chart will achieve true level results. More of the adhesive Primaries than Colors could result in a lighter, ashy appearance (Unattached is a different as it will not alter the Colors; therefore, the Colors parts can be much less). More Colors than Primary could result in heavy, patchy results on your skin. Use the Spoon to measure parts of the Primaries and Colors, packing the makeup into the spoon and leveling with your finger/thumb (the plastic between your finger/thumb and the makeup packed spoon) before transferring the powder to a fresh mixing bag.
| Color | Primaries | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Slight smudging of color, pigment heavy, less adhesion |
| 1 | 1.5 | True to color appearance, good adhesion |
| 1 | Slight ashy appearance, somewhat lighter pigmentation, stronger adhesion |
[Maybe a video to demonstrate?) To start, find your best matching, neutral color: Determine the level of your skin, whether darker or fairer (1N – 12N), then adjust the undertone (are you slightly warmer? Redder or more olive or slightly pink? Are you cooler, somewhat ashy?) Begin with mixing Colors, keeping track of the amounts used. Once you’ve achieved the color you think works, add Primaries. Adjustments can be made to mixed formulas, so if you think it is right but an application shows it is off a level or undertone, you can start over and reserve this formula for something else, or add more Colors and Primaries to it to for adjustments.
Mix your Colors in a zip bag. Spectrum Colors are potent, meaning a little goes a long way. When tweaking an undertone or making minor adjustments, use as little as a few granules.
Add your Primary (or a combination) to your Colors, and mix thoroughly with kneading and/or shaking.
Apply to your face dry or with a mixing medium. When using a mixing medium, start with small amounts of it and your colored makeup.