Choosing a foundation colour can be quite tricky, some brands might have 8 tones whilst another has 32! How do we know which ones will suit our complexions?
What is your skin’s undertone?
I find that talk of undertones can often leave people confused as to what one they have, they may also have been given conflicting advice from different people. Lighting, time of year, even what you’re wearing can affect how skin tone looks.
Lighter skin tones can be thought of as warm or cool; warmer skins will have yellow undertones and cool skins will be more pink. Many people sit in the middle in that they have a bit of both so can be thought of as more neutral. Olive skin tones can almost have a bit of a green undertone which can be harder to find in a lot of make up brands. Deeper skin tones can also be warm or cool but they also have a wider range of undertones such as red and blue and again can be harder to find in a lot of make up brands but it is getting better.
If you’re not sure of your undertone then your neck and inner arm are a good place to look. What kind of tone do you see? If you can see your veins – blue veins suggest a cooler skin and green veins a warmer skin.
Don’t confuse undertones with overtones – for example I have a lot of pink in my face but I actually have a very yellow base colour; my hands and my arms show this more. I need more of a yellow foundation otherwise it will look a bit odd, the yellow will also help to knock back some of my pink.
It is very common to have different tones on different parts of our bodies; no-one is really one colour all over.
I don’t know why but so many brands – conventional and green – make the majority of their base colours with pink undertones. This frustrates me as I find that yellow based foundations tend to be more flattering. If you use a pink based foundation on a skin with yellow undertones it can look odd; a lighter skin will look orange and a darker skin ashy. Whereas a foundation with more yellow or neutral tones can often work on a skin with pink undertones, the yellow can help to neutralise any redness.
Don’t get caught up on whether you are cool or warm – it can help to choose a foundation but the key thing I think, is to really look and see what each colour you try actually does for your complexion. Also don’t worry about names of foundation; Ivory in one brand can be very different to an Ivory in a different brand.
Trying colours..
When choosing a new foundation always check your colour in natural daylight and always try a few colours, even if you think you know which one you are. It’s good to have a few colours to compare. The one that disappears completely into your skin is the right one. Try a few on your jawline first and then on your nose. If shopping in a department store where the lighting is usually rubbish, don’t be afraid of asking to take the mirror to the window or even outside.
It is often suggested to try foundations on necks, however I fend that necks tend to be different colours – often lighter than the face and the chest; the front of our necks tend to get less exposure to the sun and are often covered with clothing. It’s true we don’t want foundation to be a completely different colour to our necks – remember the infamous tideline – but on the other side we don’t want to be matching to a lighter (or darker) neck and then it not sitting right on our faces. I don’t like to use a lot of foundation but if needed I will take some down onto the neck to help blend everything together.
If you’re still not sure, then apply the foundation to just half of your face. You then still have some natural skin to compare it to. If the natural skin looks brighter then the foundation is wrong. If the foundation side looks like a better version of your skin with no evidence of where it starts or stops then it’s probably good.
In the heat, excess sebum can make foundations get darker when they’ve been on a little while. This is known as oxidation, it can actually happen anytime of the year and is something to be aware of. When buying a new product, if you can let it sit for a little while or wear it for the day to see how it works with your skin. Asking for a sample is a great way to try a foundation to really see how it sits on your skin.
Not everyone is a uniform colour on their face, for example the forehead might have caught the sun. A colour that matches the lighter part of the face might look ashy on the darker part – sometimes having a couple of colours can be good so you can mix. This is also great to see you through the seasons as complexions change throughout the year.
I mix foundations a lot – I mix lighter and darker tones but also mix warm and cool tones to create something more neutral. Mixing a drop of yellow into a foundation can really help if the foundation is too pink, or a tiny drop of green if struggling to match an olive skin tone. I find orange is really great for mixing into a lot of deeper toned foundations to stop them turning ashy. Very fair skins can often find it hard to get their shades right as well, mixing in a drop of white can be helpful.
Some of my favourite foundations
I really love Kjaer Weis’ Liquid Foundation as well as her cream one too. I’m also a big fan of the Ere Perez Oat Milk Foundation. I’m enjoying the Madara Soft Glow Foundation and the new RMS is becoming a favourite too.
How do you choose a foundation? What are you wearing at the moment?
