How to Match Your Foundation To Your Skin

Ever been frustrated because time and time again the foundation you picked out didn't match your skin? Having trouble figuring out what shade choice to pick? Here are a few helpful tips on how to buy and match the correct foundation to your skin.

80% of women are warm undertones: Yes it's true if you are a woman your skin is probably warm toned (red,violet,orange). For those of you who are cool toned (blue, green,yellow) you may find it difficult to find a foundation that matches your skin, considering the majority of mass produced foundations are for warm skin tones. So how do you figure out which one you are and how to find your shade? Here are some simple tips:

1: Buy some shiny metalic fabric at the store, buy one gold and one silver. One at a time place each around the neck and face like a scarf. Which ever one looks better with your face is your skin tone? Gold=Warm Silver=Cool. Now, if they both look about the same, ask a friend which one looks better. If they can't tell a difference, then you are probably able to wear either tone.

2: Now that you know if you are cool or warm toned, you will need to try different shades of foundations. Now if you are lucky enough to go to a cosmetic store where a professional can match you, that's great, but be sure to ask what undertone you are before you leave, so later you can buy from any store not just theirs. If you are not lucky enough to be able to do this, then I suggest you ask for samples, you can also e-mail manufacturers and ask if they have samples available in different shades.

3: Because most foundation shades are named such things as "Creamy Biege and "Chocolate Latte" it may be difficult to figure out what undertone and lightness or darkness it is. Rarely a foundation line will be labeled by shade level(lightness darkness) and undertone. A label might look like this: LW=Light Warm. So you really need to just try some on. Be sure to pick a variety of shades and undertones, because you may have made a mistake in choosing which under tone you are, a don't want to be stuck trying on all the wrong shades.

4: Now that you have your samples, try three at a time only. Take a q-tip and place a small streak verticaly from the bottom of your check to the jaw/neck area. Place all three side by side, but not touching and only blend lightly. Now look close at them then step back three feet. Which ever one blends in the most is the better match. Repeat with all your samples and compare your best choices. You can finish off buy applying the prefered choice all over the face as normal.

How to tell if it's right? Ok, so you think you have your best match, now what. As I mentioned apply the prefered shade to entire face as normal. If the foundation is orange it is either too dark or too warm for you. If the foundation is grey or ghosty looking it is either too light or too cool for you. You may need to start over on your sampling, and try again if the results are not what you expected.. It could be you thought you were cool but really are warm toned, or you could be wearing a shade too light or too dark. Just keep trying. You may need to try more than one line of foundations to find a perfect match.

What type of foundation is best for me? Because skin can change with the changing of seasons, you may need to change what type of foundation you wear. For instance, in summer, skin may be more oily so you may want to change to a different foundation. Some people with certain skin types may not look good in all types of foundation. So here is a list of different types of foundation and what skin types they work on best, and what skin types they don't work on as well.

1: Liquid (including mineral): Dry skin and aging skin look great with this type of foundation because dry skin often lacks oil, needed to spread the foundation well and not look flaky. Looks bad on extremy oily skin, and will look mushy and streak.

2: Cream/Mouse: Dry skin types usually look best with this type of foundation because it tends not to move around as much as liquid but serves the same purpose of hydrating skin, they also usually have a powdery finish, when they dry. Looks worst on oily skin types because it can cake, streak and clog already cloged pores. I don't prefer creams on aging skin because they can settle and cake in fine lines and wrinkles.

3: Powder/Two Way(includes mineral): Looks the best on normal to oily skin, however keep in mind if you have extremly oily skin you may need to wear an oil matifyer ( a product that reduces or stops oil from appearing throughout the day) in your t=zone area before applying, otherwise you may see caking of the product where the oil is present. Can look the worst on dry skin types simply because if the skin is not moist it will show flaky dry patches and redness. If you want to wear mineral powder then be sure you are on a great skin care line and have no severe redness and dry patches. Additionally acne prone skin can benefit from the natural acne fighting minerals in mineral powder foundations.

4: In the summer, skin may be oiler, and in winter more dry, so be sure that you decide what skin type you have right now, before sampling .That way you can find your best foundation match.

Warning about foundations designed to mix and "color changing" foundations. Some companies make foundations where you can pump out different shades, and colors to try to match your foundation. Although they can work great, they often waste about a third of the foundation, becasue you may need three parts of the darker shade, and only one part of the lighter shade, so you waste most of your ligter shade. Really these foundations are not necessary if you match your foundation using the tips I gave you. I suggest if you are not able to find a matching shade in one line, that you test a brand with more options. Also there are no foundations that can change to match the exact color of your skin, no such technology exists so don't fall for that type of advertising, however, foundations will slightly change color when they dry after about five minutes, so check foundations that are applied all over the face after about five minutes before deciding if the shade is right.