How To Find Your Foundation Match
A Guide to Choosing the Best Foundation Makeup for Your Skin Tone
Ever purchased the wrong shade of foundation? Here you can learn the three easy steps to choosing the best foundation makeup shade and texture for you.
Foundation comes in every texture and formula imaginable. If you're afraid of looking day-glo orange or pasty pink, you're not the only one. Choosing the wrong foundation makeup is a common, but easily avoidable, mistake. Follow these three simple steps, and you too, will find your flawless finish.
What's Your Type?
Everyone has a type. Like our ever-changing moods, our skin changes, too. Keep in mind that during the winter months, your skin may be a little more parched than it is during spring and summer. Or perhaps you're the type who remains shiny all day. Either way, know how your skin behaves and find a formula that works for you. Generally speaking, oilier skin types and those with larger pores will find that a powder foundation works best. For those with dry, or more mature skin, a cream or liquid foundation will hydrate and smooth the skin without looking overly done.
The Power of Three
If at a department store, the easiest way to tell what foundation is best for you is to ask the makeup counter attendant to remove a swatch of anything you are already wearing from your jawline. Then have them apply three foundation colors that appear to be the right match. One will likely be too light, one too dark, and ideally, one should melt its way into your skin. The shade that disappears is what you should be wearing. You want to test it along the jawline so that you can select a shade that transitions well from the face to the neck.
But don't just stop there. Make sure you borrow a mirror and check the colors in areas with different lighting, such as outside or in another section of the store. It may seem silly to check it somewhere else, but not nearly as silly as buying the wrong color to begin with. Above all, remember that the right foundation will be practically indistinguishable from your actual skin. If you want your skin to appear darker, as if you had been tanning, add a bronzer or use a self-tanner, but do not attempt to create this look with your foundation.
Set and Forget
Finish your application with a light dusting of powder for longevity's sake, and then forget about it. Touch up with powder as needed throughout the day, but remember that less is more. Applying too much powder will enhance fine lines and wrinkles and draw attention to anything you are trying to hide.
