I have been using Neutrogena (TTH) and Clinique (MWF) foundations alternately for years now but I want to explore if there is a need for me to upgrade my makeup to achieve a more natural look. So I took a break and dragged two teens to Sephora to check out some interesting alternatives.

My favorite sales clerk is working today and after her usual "hello, how are you" routine she pretty much let me run around and play with all the containers to my heart's content. But after more than 30 minutes of hanging out with Nars, Dior and Stila .... I'm compelled to stay on my old brand . Fear of the unknown? I definitely needed a beauty intervention!
A sales lady wearing all black (beside 3 sales clerk with a butterfly makeup in their face) was kind enough to break from the pack and guided me on this brand, Make Up Forever....and I was so impressed as she knowledgeably pick out one item from more than 30 bottles and told me I AM NUMBER 140! Okay...scary ....with my doubtful eyes following her... sure.. let's try it!

This is weird...but I applied the make up and it feels so natural --like I'm not wearing make up at all! Wow! Bravo - - hand me a bottle and I'm outta here! But I am having no luck today as NUMBER 140 is out of stock! Hmmm..what???? Fine..I'll come back next Saturday and it better be there! As I sadly walk away from Sephora with the NUMBER 140 lingering in my thoughts ....I have to write about one beauty basic I follow everyday.......
MAINTAIN A CLEAN FACE!
If you wear make up every day, be sure to take it off before retiring to bed. I follow a 3 step process when I clean my face on a daily basis to ensure that I don't clog my pores attributed to foundation use:

STEP 1: REMOVE MAKEUP: Using a cotton, remove eye makeup and mascara by using a skin cleanser (Cetaphil or in my case a Walmart's brand for Cetaphil - <$5). I use approx 3-4 cotton to remove all traces of makeup
STEP 2: MASSAGE FACE: I apply Noxzema on a wet face sponge and gently scrub the areas on the forehead and cheek in an upward motion for 2 minutes. Rinse with warm water.
STEP 3: FINAL RINSE: I dab a drop of Neutrogena Deep Clean cleanser on a face sponge and massage my face for 1 minute. Rinse
WHY DO I USE MULTIPLE BRANDS?
No reason. I love alternating my face wash/scrubs ! If you are happy with your brand, just stick to it and I am sure it's working to your advantage. Just a pet peeve for me as there are days that I feel the need to use a different brand specially if I feel that my face is oily after a long day at work ( I alternate with Clinique brands every weekend)