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Say GOODBYE to Badly-Matched Foundation!

11 October, 2020 - 11:35am by - First Lady | 13 Comments

Article by BR Amelia

GAH is there anything more traumatic than shopping for a new pair of jeans?  Oh wait, yeap, there is.  Shopping for foundation.  Now usually it's not too hard to narrow down the formula, it'll either say 'for dry skin', 'for ageing skin' or have some other clue on the label.  If not you can Google it.  But what Google can't do is tell you what shade you are.  

So there you are formula chosen, standing looking at bottles of shades for so long security starts lurking.

The right foundation will blend perfectly into your skin.  It won't be obvious and it will match your natural skin colour.  A foundation isn't meant to be used like a mask - it should be used to counteract redness, minimise and hide pores and blemishes and to even out your skin tone.  The perfect foundation is the one people can't see you're wearing.

Here's our top tips for the perfect match!

1.  Always try before you buy

Foundation isn't like buying an eye pencil. You can't be sure of the colour of a foundation until it is on your skin.  If ever there were a list of try-before-you-buy products, foundation would top it. (closely followed by jeans)

2.  Be bare faced. 

Don't show up to the store with anything more than a lightly moisturised face.  

3.  Don't be afraid to ask. 

Getting colour-matched by a trained professional makeup artist is probably the best way to ensure you take home your perfect shade.  Don't be afraid to ask for help, even on self-select displays.

4.  Don't think you have to spend large.  

 Contrary to what people think, you don't need to delve into the higher end products to find a broad shade range.  Sure, a lot of drugstore brands carry like 6 shades, but other affordable brands do have a fab shade range.   

5.  It's in the jaw. 

Let's get something straight.  The back of your hand or your inner wrist are nowhere near similar to the skin you'll be using your foundation on.  Swatch colours on your jawline, as this will allow you to take in to account the colour of your neck

6.  Three stripes. 

Swatch no more than three colours close to the shade you think you need on to your jawline at any one time.  The right shade will disappear into your skin.

7.  It's only natural if it's natural outside. 

Just as you can't trust a changing room mirror, you can not trust shop lighting.  Stand outside in natural light to check out the shades.  So, note to self, put a compact

8.  Hmming and Ahhing. 

If you can't decide between two shades (and don't have time to continue your search) opt for the darker shade.  By blending well you'll come off with a healthy 'tan'; whereas no matter how much you buff and blend a shade that's too light, you'll only come off chalky and ghost like.  Plus you can always mix a darker shade with a little moisturiser to lighten it up a bit.

9.  No testing allowed. 

Find another store. Seriously.

Ok if that's not an option, and you really can't try the foundation then the only tip we can give you is to hold a couple of bottles to your neck in natural light and see which one best matches.  And maybe say a little prayer up to the makeup gods to bestow good matching in your favour.

It can be time consuming looking for the best foundation fit, but we think it's worth putting in the time and energy to get the perfect shade - walking around like Fisbo the Clown with makeup too light, or an Oompa Loompa with makeup too orange just isn't a good look.  With great skin comes great confidence and the right foundation will have you feeling beautiful in, not hiding behind, your own skin!

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Comments

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17th October, 2020

I changed foundation brands recently and it was an online purchase. The brand send a sample of the shade I bought plus another shade of my choice, when they sent the foundation purchased. Which safe guards you being stuck with the wrong shade. It’s a great solution to online purchasing as you can send the full size back unopened if you get it wrong, because you try the samples first. Then if it’s not a good match you can exchange for the other shade if the other sample is a better match.

16th October, 2020

Oh I always have issues with foundation colours, you see I have facial burn scarring around my chin and won't leave the house without makeup, so trying instore just isn't an option for me unfortuantely :(

16th October, 2020

Thanks for the tips. I still haven’t found the proper shade of foundation that i’m happy with. Although i got it matched. Maybe because my neck is darker than my face... After trialling the sample, i realised I still wasn’t really happy with It. So i just gave up on foundations and stuck to my bb cream. I’m going to take on the tip and try mixing my foundations with moisturisers =)

15th October, 2020

Yeah it’s happened to me ! I purchased Kat Von D online . It was so wrong . I mixed it with my lighter concealer to bring it up to shade .

15th October, 2020

Buying a new foundation is such a commitment! Findation.com is great but I’ve also got myself set on a product through online research only to walk into a store asking to try it to find they try to sell me on another brand and totally confuse me! I tend to (sadly) stick to what I know to avoid expensive disaster.

13th October, 2020

I am very hit and miss with finding the right shade of foundation and BB cream, usually buy online which is not ideal.

12th October, 2020

8. Hmmming and Ahhing - Personally I’d opt for the lighter one because you can always warm it up with a bit of bronzer where as if you go for the darker one you run the risk of the dreaded stripe alone the jawline and it looking completely unnatural. Adding a little moisturiser can be great if you want lighter coverage But it will affect the finish of the foundation.

12th October, 2020

Really tricky! I usually buy online so I spend SOOO long picking a colour, especially if a pricey one

12th October, 2020

Definitely need to check it in natural lighting even if it looks great instore. I’ve made this mistake one too many times.

12th October, 2020

Darker foundations will go further with moisturizer or a lighter foundation but can change the chemical composition. For example if there is oily in the moisturizer you use your "oil free" foundation is no longer oil free...

12th October, 2020

Getting better at finding the right shade, look forward to using a bb cream for the warmer months. So much easier!

11th October, 2020

I don't have to much trouble finding a shade that suits thankfully.

11th October, 2020

It's always hard. I find it easier to use tinted foundation during the day.

-AshnitaNarayan-
13th October, 2020

Try using www.findation.com it’s literally a life changing app, you just have to enter your current foundations name and shade that’s your ideal match and search for the foundation your after and it will tell you your shade very simple!

Kimrose
16th October, 2020

Oh Macs, I have done the same thing! I gave a real mixture going on at the moment

Whittakers-lover
17th October, 2020

That is a great idea mixing foundation with moisturiser :-)

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