How do I find my perfect foundation colour?

May 26, 2013

Kt M.

How to test skin tone?

May 26, 2013

Cailyn T.

Ask someone who works there to match you.

May 26, 2013

Ashley D.

Match the color to your neck, find the best match, and if you can swatch it on your neck, find what blends in the best,

May 26, 2013

Lauren M.

If you go to a place like Sephora or Ulta you can ask someone to match you (they can also help with recommending products based on your stin type, etc), but it's a bit different at the drugstore. If you're able to find to find a drugstore foundation that matches, then you can compare that shade to any other ones that you're interested in purchasing.

May 27, 2013

Mia G.

Matching to the inside of your wrist will usually give you a color that is too pale for you, and I personally find that my neck is also too pale to get the right color for me. I usually use the back of my hand or sometimes my shoulder. It sounds weird, but basically what you want is a part of your body where the skin color looks like a more evened out version of your face. Something to consider also is that your face and neck and décolleté may be paler than some other parts like your arms and legs, so making your foundation color somewhere in between your palest and most tanned parts will help too :)

May 27, 2013

Holly N.

I wrote this article for a magazine, Hope it helps! :)

How To Choose The Perfect Foundation For You.
Getting the right foundation colour,finish and formula can be a daunting task but it doesn't have to be.
By following these 4 simple steps you could have flawless looking skin in no time.
- Skin Tone / colour
When choosing a foundation colour you first need to determine if you have a warm or a cool skin tone.
The easiest way to do this is look at the veins in your wrists, If they appear blue then you have a cool under tone but if they appear green then you have a warm under tone.
this is because with a warm skin tone there is yellow in the skin, that yellow tone counteracts with the blue veins and makes them appear green.
Once you have figured out which under tone you have, Finding a good colour match should be simple.
A great tip to use when foundation shopping is to swipe a little bit of one of the testers that you think is your colour along your jawline then find a source of natural light such as a window, with a mirror see if the colour stands out or if it seems to disappear.
If it stands out then it's probably a little too light or dark for you.
- Coverage
The next thing to consider when buying a foundation is how much coverage you want from it.
If you already have clear skin but you want to even out your skin tone slightly more then a light coverage foundation or a tinted moisturiser is a great option for you.
(You can even make your own tinted moisturiser by mixing a little of your foundation with your favourite moisturiser).
If you have some skin discolouration or mild acne then a medium coverage foundation would be the best choice for you.
If you have birthmarks, acne scarring or severe acne and you feel like you need slightly more coverage from your foundation then a full coverage foundation would be perfect for you.
the easiest way to find out the coverage in a foundation is to test it on your wrists, if you apply the foundation and you can clearly still see the veins in your wrists then its a light coverage foundation, if you apply the foundation and you can only slightly see the veins in your wrists then its a medium coverage and then if you apply the foundation and you can no longer see your veins at all then its a full coverage foundation.
- Finish
The next and last thing to consider when buying a foundation is the finish, foundations come in lots of different finishes, the most popular being matte and dewy.
a matte finish just means that when the foundation dries it has no shine to it whatsoever which is perfect for oily skin.
And a dewy finish just means that the foundation gives your skin a nice glowing appearance, a foundation with a dewy finish looks great on dry skin.
Holly Isabella Newman
Make-Up Artist

May 27, 2013

Lauren M.

Holly- Thanks for posting that! I've always had a hard time figuring out my undertone, and you definitely helped out a lot! :)

May 27, 2013

Keesha O.

Helped me out 2 lol.

May 27, 2013

Roz X.

Ashley is right. GossMakeupArtist has excellent YouTube videos on color matching foundations and concealers.