The TFIT base routine, from primer to powder

What goes on the skin before the first TFIT product?

3 things, in this order: a gentle wash, a moisturizer and a sunscreen. No TFIT product carries SPF, so the Art Primer goes on over your sunscreen and never in place of it.

Dermatologists at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advise a gentle cleanser with no alcohol in it, lukewarm water and your fingertips. Skip the scrubbing, they say, because it irritates skin. Then moisturize: a cream over a lotion for dry skin, and a moisturizer after cleansing for oily skin too.

Apply sunscreen to dry skin 15 minutes before going outdoors.

Sunscreen is the last skincare step. The AAD recommends one that is broad-spectrum, water resistant and rated 30 or higher, and makeup on top does not change that. The FDA treats a product sold as both makeup and sun protection as a cosmetic and a drug at once. Our range is makeup only.

What does the whole five-step TFIT routine cost?

One product for each step, from the Art Primer to the cushion blush, comes to $87.86 at current prices. All seven products together come to $121.13.

You do not need all of it on day one. A foundation and the powder make a working base, and the primer, concealer and blush each fix one thing. Orders are placed with our retail partner, and the price at checkout is the price you pay.

The order never changes: prime, base, conceal, set, color. It runs from the thinnest wet layer to the dry one that locks things down, and each step is one choice.

Step 01, Prime: four Art Primers, one job each

A primer changes the surface your foundation lands on: smoother, wetter, cooler or brighter. It adds no cover of its own, so choose it by what you want fixed before any color goes on.

• Visible pores: Delicate Silk Veil. It is the matte one, and we rate it at 61.36% pore blurring and 12 hours of makeup hold.
• Dry skin: Hydrate Vanish, a watery cream with 94% moisture essence.
• A hot day: Icy Blur. It feels cool as it goes on and layers thin over sunscreen.
• A glow look: Glow Filter. Spread it under foundation, or mix a drop into the foundation itself.

Each one has a catch. The peach tint of Delicate Silk Veil will not match a deep skin tone, and Hydrate Vanish contains milk protein. The cool feel of Icy Blur fades after application. Glow Filter is all glow, so oily skin that wants matte should pass.

How much primer one face needs

A small amount, spread thin: that is the direction on the tube. Start with a dab the size of a pea, work it outward from the center of the face and wait a moment before foundation.

I highly recommend it because it prevents makeup from wearing off, keeps my skin matte all day, and makes my skin look much smoother.

Not everyone agrees. The same tube can suit one skin and fail on another, as a 3-star buyer found.

This product initially seems to blur/veil your skin, but not a lasting look and concealer/foundation doesn’t last using after the primer is applied. This product is not recommended unfortunately.

If your base slides off over a primer, try half the amount and a longer pause. If it still slides, that formula is not yours, and the routine works without step 01.

Step 02, Base: Radiance Fit or Sleek Fit

The base step is one choice between two tubes. Radiance Fit Serum Foundation is dewy with medium cover. Sleek Fit Cover Foundation is soft matte with full cover.

• Radiance Fit Serum Foundation
  CoverageMediumsheer → full

  FinishRadiantmatte → dewy
• Sleek Fit Cover Foundation
  CoverageFullsheer → full

  FinishSoft mattematte → dewy

Do you want skin to show through? If yes, take Radiance Fit and let freckles stay visible. If you want one layer to even everything out, take Sleek Fit, and know that full cover hides freckles too.

Only Sleek Fit names a wear time. Radiance Fit states no hours at all, so on a long day plan a powder touch-up.

Tools and thin layers

Both go on with fingers, a sponge or a brush. Squeeze out less than you think you need and dot it on the forehead, nose, cheeks and chin. Blend outward from the center of the face, where most faces need cover, toward the hairline and jaw.

Add a second layer only where you want more. Radiance Fit builds up that way. Sleek Fit rarely needs it, and its matte finish sits better on dry skin over a moisturizer or a hydrating primer.

Both tubes use the same shade codes. How to find your TFIT foundation shade explains depth and undertone, and the shade finder narrows the list for you. See both foundations side by side if the finish is still an open question.

Step 03, Conceal: after foundation, with one exception

Concealer goes on after foundation. The foundation evens out most of the face in one pass, and you then see what is left: usually the under-eyes, the sides of the nose and a spot or two.

We make two. The 3 Color Concealer Palette is a firm cream that you warm with a fingertip and mix. The Idol Cover Concealer is a liquid with a built-in tip, and its small tube is meant for spots and under-eyes, not for a whole face.

The exception is a color corrector. It goes under foundation, because its job is to cancel a color and the foundation then hides it. Our correctors are the B01 Corrector palette and the Coral and Green shades of Idol Cover, and none of them is a skin tone.

• 

  TFIT 3 Color Concealer Palette

  Natural finish · full coverage · 15 g

  4.2 · 2,937 ratings

  $15.99 7 shades

• 

  TFIT Idol Cover Concealer

  Natural finish · full coverage · 6.5 g

  4.3 · 91 ratings

  $15.90 11 shades

How to use the TFIT 3 Color Concealer Palette takes it pan by pan, and both concealers sit together in the store.

Step 04, Set: the Translucent Set Finishing Powder

Powder turns wet layers into a base that stays. The Translucent Set Finishing Powder is a loose powder in a 7 g (0.24 oz) jar with a puff built into the lid. We rate it for a matte finish, 24 hours of wear and 70% oil reduction in one use.

The name says translucent, but only one shade is. The rest add a little beige tone or correct a color.

01 White is the safe first jar, because it works over any foundation shade. Take a beige if you want a touch of tone, and match its depth to your foundation: finding your foundation shade covers the match. The green, lavender and pink are not skin tones.

this powder effectively tones down a red complexion.

Loose, scented and talc-free

Three facts decide if this powder suits you. It is loose, so the jar travels with its lid locked. It contains fragrance, so skip it if you avoid scented makeup. And it contains no talc: the product details name silica, peach flower extract and allantoin.

Talc is a naturally occurring mineral, mined from the earth, composed of magnesium, silicon, oxygen, and hydrogen.

The FDA says talc absorbs moisture and prevents caking in cosmetics. It also says it has received questions over the years about possible contamination of talc with asbestos. Some shoppers look for a talc-free powder for that reason.

Where does setting powder go on the face?

On the T-zone first, then under the eyes. The 7 g jar of Translucent Set Finishing Powder comes with its own puff, and 1 light press per area is enough.

1. Finish foundation and concealer first.

2. Pick up a little powder on the built-in puff and tap it on the back of your hand.

3. Press, do not rub, down the nose, across the forehead and on the chin.

4. Fold the puff and press its edge under each eye to set the concealer.

5. Leave dry cheeks alone.

Pressing fixes the foundation in place, and rubbing drags it. Use less than you think, and brush off dry anything that lands on your clothes.

Flashback and shade, as buyers report them

Flashback is the pale cast a powder can leave in a flash photo. We make no statement about it, so the fairest source is a buyer who saw it with 05 Baby Pink.

Amazing blurring, but it has fragrance and causes photo flashbacks

Before an evening with a camera flash, use a thin layer, brush off the excess and take a test photo. Shade is the other complaint: the beiges start at a medium depth. If your skin is fair, take 01 White.

Too dark for me

Step 05, Color: the Fluffy Velvet Cushion Blush

A full base flattens the face, and blush puts the life back. The Fluffy Velvet Cushion Blush is a cream cushion in a 4 g (0.14 oz) compact with a puff inside. Only N02 Fig Nude is in the store right now: a muted nude with a hint of fig.

The color is buildable, and the formula includes lavender oil, jojoba oil, olive oil and sea buckthorn oil. Press the puff into the cushion once, pat it on the cheek and blend outward. Add a second pass for more color.

Love this! Its very buildable and it small so it fits anywhere. Adorable!

Know its limits. It is a mini, so it will run out sooner than a full-size blush, and one muted shade may show less than you want on deep skin.

One routine, four skin types

The five steps stay the same for everyone. What changes is the formula in step 01, the tube in step 02 and how much powder you use in step 04.

The five-minute version

1. Sunscreen over your moisturizer.

2. One thin layer of foundation, blended outward with your fingers.

3. A dot of concealer under each eye and on any spot that still shows.

4. One press of the powder puff down the nose and across the forehead.

5. Two pats of blush on each cheek.

The full version

With fifteen minutes you can use every step, and each layer has time to settle.

1. Wash with a gentle cleanser and lukewarm water, then pat dry.

2. Moisturize, then put on sunscreen.

3. Spread a small amount of your Art Primer and give it a moment.

4. If you use a color corrector, pat it on now.

5. Dot on foundation and blend outward. Add a second thin layer only where you want more cover.

6. Conceal what still shows: under-eyes first, then spots.

7. Press powder on the T-zone and under the eyes.

8. Pat blush on the cheeks and blend it outward.

9. Check the jaw and hairline in daylight.

How do I touch up a base at midday without caking?

Blot first, then powder. Press a blotting paper or a tissue on the shine, then tap 1 thin layer of Translucent Set Finishing Powder on the T-zone with the puff from the lid.

Powder on top of oil turns into paste. The AAD's advice for oily skin is to press a blotting paper against the face for a few seconds and not to rub, because rubbing spreads the oil.

If the concealer under your eyes has creased, tap it flat with a clean fingertip before you add powder. One buyer who carries the jar tells how long it holds.

Makes my concealer last the whole day without creasing at all and it keeps my nose matte for a couple of hours before I need a top up by the evening.

Sunscreen needs its own top-up outdoors, about every two hours by the AAD's count. Powder does not replace it.

Do I have to take makeup off before bed?

Yes, every night. Dermatologists at the AAD say to remove all makeup before sleep, and that includes Sleek Fit Cover Foundation with its 24 hours of stated wear.

DON’T sleep in your makeup. Always remove all makeup before going to sleep.

The AAD gives two stages. First take the makeup off, eye makeup included, with a makeup remover. Then wash with a gentle cleanser, fingertips and lukewarm water, and do not scrub.

I was able to fully wash it off with my face wash and warm water.

The powder comes off with a face wash, as that buyer found. We rate Idol Cover as waterproof and sweat-proof, so give it a remover first. If a product stings or leaves a rash, stop using it: makeup is not skin treatment.

How long can I keep an open tube of foundation?

There is no single number, and no U.S. law sets one. A 30 g tube of Sleek Fit or Radiance Fit is done when its color, texture or smell changes, or when the cream separates.

A product’s “shelf life” generally means the length of time you can expect a product to look and act as expected and to stay safe for use.

The FDA names what wears a product down. Fingers dipped into it add bacteria and fungi. Moisture, as in a bathroom, helps them grow, and heat breaks preservatives down. So wash your hands before you warm a concealer pan, and keep a tube's tip off your face.

Don’t share makeup. You may be sharing an infection.

• Puffs: wash the powder puff and the blush puff with mild soap, and let them dry fully before they go back in the lid.
• Tubes: wipe the nozzle and close the cap after each use.
• Brushes: the AAD advises cleaning them every week and keeping them to yourself.
• Storage: the FDA says not to leave cosmetics in heat, such as in a hot car.

What the seven products do not do

Every product in the routine has a limit, and it is better to know it before the pack is open. The first one covers the whole range: none of it protects you from the sun.

That is the whole base: five thin layers, each with one job. Start with the step you are missing, see the full range in one place, or open the shade finder and settle the foundation first.