Tips On How To Choose The Right Foundation Shade
All of us have, at some point, teased someone for wearing the wrong foundation. But even when it comes to our own face, it takes confusing choices, frustrated sales assistants and a lot of time, only to find a foundation that still isnt perfect. And lets be honest, if you wear the wrong shade, it can mess up your entire look. Even if you are a contouring novice, or dont want to go all-out, all you need is a strong base to look good.
But how does one choose the right foundation shade? And what about how to choose a foundation shade online? Well, luckily, we have amassed all the tips and tricks to help you out.
How To Determine Your Undertone
While most people already have an inkling of what their skin tone is, the same cant always be said for undertones. The difference between the two is that your skin tone refers to your complexion, whereas undertones are the colors that come through your skin and affect the overall hue. The undertones of your skin are either cool, warm, or neutral. Cool undertones appear in your complexion as hints of blue or pink, while warm undertones appear more yellow or golden. If your undertones are neutral, you fall in-between.
To find your undertone, look at the inside of your arm. If your veins appear blue or purple, youre cool-toned, while green veins indicate warm-toned skin. For those who are unsure, you might be neutral. You can also try holding a white piece of paper next to your face to determine your undertone. The white should create a cast of color on your skin. If your face appears more pink or blue, you fall into the cool category, and if you take on a more yellowish hue, youre warm. If your skin seems gray, youre neutral.
What Is An Undertone
Your undertone is the underlying shade of your skin.
Undertones generally fall into four groups:
- WARM: yellow or golden light and medium skin tones
- COOL: pink or red light and medium skin tones
- OLIVE: medium tan or brown skin with yellow and golden undertones with a slight greenish cast medium and medium-deep skin tones
- NEUTRAL: balanced coloring with no obvious pink/re or yellow/golden tones light and medium skin tones
In fact, your undertone has nothing to do with how light or dark your skin appears. It also has nothing to do with the amount of pink or redness you see on your skin due to irritation, rosacea, eczema, or acne.
Focus on your undertone first, rather than matching your foundation to your skin color at the moment.
Look at your face, neck, and chest in daylight.
Then, read the following descriptions and select the one that most resonates with you.
Read Also: Where Can Melanoma Be Found In The Body
How To Choose A Foundation That Matches Your Skin Tone
We can’t think of a more frustrating beauty scenario than walking away from a counter with a foundation that doesn’t complement your skin tone. Sure, many brands have upped their color selections to be more inclusive, but that doesn’t mean the process gets easier. If you’re not a shade-matching pro, figuring out how to choose a foundation that matches your skin tone can be a downright chore. But we’ve got you covered with a few simple steps that can help you on your next shopping trip. Be sure to write these down.
Don’t Put Too Much Foundation On
Do not over-do it with the foundation.
-
The Best motto to go by is Less is More
-
Putting on too much foundation can make your skin look dry and cakey
-
It also makes it look obvious that you are wearing foundation which erases the whole purpose of choosing a shade that matches your complexion.
-
You want to choose your perfect shade so that it is not obvious you are wearing makeup.
-
The less foundation you wear, the better because it works primarily to make your skin look smoother and clear. You do not want to over-do it.
Recommended Reading: What Causes Non Small Cell Carcinoma
Look For Ashen Or Gray Tones
If your skin appears more ashen or gray, then you could have a natural olive tone. This isnt as common as warm, cool, or neutral, but is instead a combination of undertones.
Olive skin has both neutral and warm undertones along with green, an undertone that is considered unique to olive skin only. If you have olive skin, then you might find that certain colors in all three undertones suit your skin.
Finding The Perfect Foundation Shade
You May Like: Where Can You Get Melanoma
Tips For Finding Your Perfect Foundation
Unlike lipsticks, eyeshadows, and blushes where you can play around with a rainbow of colours and pick and choose what suits your personal style best, you have to find the right shade of foundation for your skin to get a flawless base. But there is so much more to finding the perfect foundation than just matching the shade. You have foundations for oily skin, foundations for dry skin, powder foundations, liquid foundations, the list is endless. Nailing your foundation is the most important step in achieving a beautiful makeup look.
How To Choose A Foundation That Matches Your Skin Tone: Assess In The Correct Lighting
And while this one might seem obvious, lighting matters. Just because a shade looks like it matches indoors doesn’t mean it will appear the same in natural light. Take a sample home for testing or compare shades while standing next to the nearest window, or if you can, go outside. “I always recommend that to most of my clients make sure they do look at themselves in natural sunlight,” Mullin says. “This ensures that your makeup doesn’t look totally different when you step outside. Great lighting is a non-negotiable for me when I’m doing my clients.”
You May Like: Itchy Dog Skin Home Remedy
Finding Your Perfect Foundation Shade Has Never Been Easier
Listen up if you want to learn the right way to match foundation to your skin tone. Were not gonna lie, we have a lot of boxes to check when it comes to finding the perfect foundation. Lets see, it has to be invisible, a texture that makes our complexion look model-worthy, lightweight yet longwearing, the list goes on. But arguably the most important factor is finding the right color for our face that actually matches our skin tone. Better yet, let it be an improvement on our skin tone, please and thanks.
Weve rounded up the best foundation matching tips to make your life easier and your skin more flawless, a win-win, right?
Swatch it Good
The one hard and fast rule to matching foundation to your skin tone? Test it out on your skinthe right way. Just a dab on your chin wont do, instead, take a page from this celeb makeup artist on TikTok and test color swatches vertically on the area where your face meets your neck. Then, let it sit before you decide on the one. Liquid foundation tends to oxidize throughout the day, thanks to factors like your skins pH and how the formula dries, so give it a few hours before you buy. Hint: you want the one that disappears on your skin.
Find The Light
Know Your Undertones
When it comes to your skin, its important to know what your undertones are: warm, cool or neutral. An easy trick for learning yours is to look at your skin and see whether you have any
Think Seasonally
Prep Your Skin
Texture Matters
Find Your Shade Online
Match It To Your Skin Type
Just like skincare products, you need to keep your skin type in mind when choosing your foundation. After all, youll want to avoid putting powder on dry and flaky skin or a heavy liquid foundation on oily and greasy skin.
If you have dry and patchy skin, to get that smooth base, opt for something hydrating like the Lakme Absolute Argan Oil Serum Foundation. This foundation contains argan oil AKA liquid gold and SPF 45 to protect your skin against UV rays. Lakmes foundation is renowned for nourishing your skin while instantly giving it a dewy and radiant look. It is also easily blendable, so that you wont have to worry about a textured or cakey finish.
Do you want something light for a casual workday? Or do you have oily skin? Let it breathe with the Lakme 9 to 5 Primer + Matte Powder Foundation, which absorbs excess shine and has a matte finish that lasts all day long. It also contains primer so that you can go about your day without reapplying it again and again. The clever kit doubles up as a face powder, which hides blemishes and fine lines, meaning no more oily or sweaty-looking skin after a busy day.
Also Check: Is Skin Cancer Painful To Touch
Dont Sleep With Makeup On
Never sleep with makeup on.
-
This is s HUGE makeup no-no. If you sleep with your makeup on you are damaging your skin in so many ways.
-
This leads to so much dirty being clogged in your pores and can have an impact on the color of your skin.
-
Your skin may have discoloration and acne because it was not treated or taken care of properly.
-
You must wash your face every morning and night, especially after wearing makeup.
-
It is also best to adopt a toner into your skincare routine, to make sure your skin looks healthier and you can see the true tone of your skin when matching foundation.
Find your winter shade.
We hope this helps you in your search for your winter foundation shade! Remember to keep your skin clean and be mindful of every step we listed when picking your foundation color.
The Best Foundation For Combination Skin: Loral Paris Age Perfect 4
Cream makeup products are perfect for combination skin types because they wont stick to areas of your skin that are dry, but also wont add excess shine to areas that are oily. Thats why the LOréal Paris Age Perfect 4-in-1 Tinted Face Balm Foundation is a must-have in your makeup kit. Its available in eight blendable shades with light-to-medium coverage and it contains a firming serum to address imperfections on the skin, so that youll have a smooth and flawless-looking complexion.
Editors tip: A matte, blurring primer, like the LOréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Lock Makeup Primer, is perfect for combination skin types. Pairing it with a hydrating foundation like the Age Perfect 4-in-1 Tinted Face Balm Foundation is a great way to address combination skins blend of concerns.
Recommended Reading: What Kind Of Doctor Removes Skin Cancer
Este Lauder Foundation Shade Finder
Image credit: ctfassets
Looking for the perfect foundation shade? Estée Lauder has got you covered with their Foundation Shade Finder. Simply answer a few questions about your skin tone, type, and desired finish, and the Foundation Shade Finder will recommend the perfect foundation shade for you. Whether youre looking for a dewy or matte finish, light or full coverage, theres a perfect foundation out there for you and Estée Lauders Foundation Shade Finder will help you find it.
For long-lasting wear, use Estée Lauder Double Wear Sheer Long-Wear Makeup SPF19. More You is now on sale at Sephora, Ulta, LOreal, Net-A-Million, Macys, Nordstrom, and other major beauty retailers. You can view the same shade range, as well as a list of different undertones. Youll have to choose the shade you want. 1C1 Cool Bone Light, with a cooling, rosy tone, is ideal for cooling bones. The Vanilla Light Medium is as creamy as chocolate and has a subtle pink undertone. The 4W1 Honey Bronze Medium Tan has warm golden undertones, while the 5W1 Rich Caramel Deep has warm yellow undertones.
The Cocoa 6C1 Cocoa is the highest quality cocoa. This is a very deep and intense red shade of 7W1. Deep, rich gold undertones are present throughout.
Thanks for visiting my blog. All of my articles are about beauty, fashion & glam without the fluff
Intensity Of Your Skin Colour
When buying foundation, wed suggest following your gut rather than following unsolicited advice from friends or influencers. India is an expansive country with a diversity of skin tones, so what works for one person may not work for you.
So, how to choose a foundation shade for Indian skin? Apart from the colour of the foundation, you must keep an eye on its intensity, which is the light or darkness of the shade. Youll probably already recognise these foundation terms: light, light-medium, medium, medium-deep. Yep, each of these describe the intensity of your skin tone.
Also Check: How Do Doctors Treat Skin Cancer
Blake Lively’s Antique Grandma Manicure Is Exactly What My Nails Need Next
One last thing that I recommend is using Color IQ at Sephora. It is not always accurate, but it does give good inklings. I prefer using it in person, but based on my favorite foundations, my Color IQ is between 2R15 and 4R15 meaning that I am on the darkest end of the spectrum with some red undertones. These are some of the shades that could match me in theory. Here is a pretty good explanation of how to read Color IQ results. For reference, other cool-toned black women include Lupita Nyongo, Alek Wek, Nyma Tang and Duckie Thot.
How To Find The Right Foundation Shade
Follow these steps at home.
Step 1: How to find out your undertone
The first step is to understand Your skins undertoneSkin colour is classified into three types: Cool, Warm and Neutral
No matter how much your external skin may change, from being out in the sun or even a spray tan, everyone has a consistent undertone colour. By learning what it is, picking makeup becomes easy.
First, inspect the colour of your neck and cleavage. Why?Your face and shoulders get a lot more sun exposure, so it is harder to determine your true undertone from these places.
The neck and cleavage offer a much more true undertone.
Evaluate your veins
Evaluating your veins may sound odd but its highly effective. Your vein colour signifies your authentic, natural colour leanings, making it the prime way for how to figure out your skin undertone.
Lift your hand up to your face and look at your wrist.
What colour are your veins?Purple or blueGreener in colour Neither – your veins are between green and blue
Knowing that, read on to discover your perfect colour match.
Cool undertone
Does this sound like you:
- Like a ‘true royal’, your veins are purple or blue
- You slather on sunscreen in summer – because your skin burns easily
- Your skin doesnt really tan – thats why you love a dash of bronzer on your cheeks
- Your eyes are blue, grey, or green eyes
- Your hair is blonde, brown, or black hair
What cool undertones should wear and avoid
The best fitting selection of our products for Cool skintypes
Recommended Reading: How Serious Is Skin Cancer
Matching Your Foundation Before Buying It
Make sure the foundation looks good in all lighting.
-
Do not buy the foundation if the store you bought it from does not accept returns.
-
If it is not your shade, you should have the opportunity to get your money back.
-
Do not always trust the lighting you see the foundation shade in.
-
If you are matching a shade to your face at the store and it looks perfect, it may be because of the lighting there.
-
Make sure to see how the foundation looks on you in direct sunlight.
Throw On Something Neutral
Neutral-colored clothing can also indicate your undertones.
True white tends to favor cooler undertones, while warm undertones look better in off-white. Warm undertones also tend to complement brown hues, while cooler tones look better in black.
Like jewelry, if you have neutral undertones, you can wear all colors without affecting your overall look.
Recommended Reading: What Is The Leading Cause Of Skin Cancer
Understand Your Skin Type
Shutterstock
This is perhaps the most crucial step to help you choose the perfect foundation formula. You must understand your skins needs and concerns to pick a formula that will work best for you.
Oily Skin
If you haveoily skin, use powder foundation or an oil-free liquid one. These contain powders that absorb oil, leaving you with a smooth, matte finish. Mineral foundations also work well on oily skin, because the dry particles tend to absorb moisture and also prevent shine.
You can try: Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation or Estee Lauders Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup for lasting and shine-free wear.
Dry Skin
If youre someone with dry skin, choose a hydrating powder foundation, a liquid or a stick one. These have a creamy consistency which delivers moisture to the skin and offer great coverage.
Try: Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream or NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation. These have a weightless, watery formula the lightness allows the product to blend flawlessly, and theres no sign of dryness.
Combination Skin
If your skin is oily in some place, and dry in others youre stuck in the worst of both worlds. How to choose the right foundation for combination skin? Try strategically mixing and matching formulas and avoid foundations that are formulated to be emollient or oil-rich.
Sensitive Skin