Have you ever bought a foundation that seemed to suit your skin perfectly in the bottle, only to realize that it’s a shade too light or too dark once you actually apply it to your face? If so, you know all too well that finding the right makeup match can be a difficult process. That’s why we asked an expert to help us out.
To get tips on the absolute best way to choose (and test!) the right foundation shade for your skin tone, we spoke to makeup expert Saffron Hughes of False Eyelashes. Hughes gave us her tried and true step-by-step process that will never steer you wrong.
Identify your skin shade and undertone
Hughes says finding the right foundation match for your skin is all about taking the time to determine your skin's natural shade and undertone. She says shades include fair, light, medium, deep, and dark.
However, your personal skin tone may not be able to be labeled with just one of those categories. "You may be a combination of tones such as light-medium or medium-deep," Hughes explains. To figure out the proper shade for your skin, she suggests checking the labels of your current foundation bottles—the ones that actually suit your skin tone, of course! If your current foundation isn't working for you, consider going with a shade above or below the one it's labeled as to see if that's a better fit.
Next up, Hughes says you'll need to determine your skin's undertone. One simple trick for this is taking a look at the veins on your wrist. "If they appear green, you have a warm undertone. If they are purple/blue, you have a cool undertone," she explains. And if you have a mix of both? "You are likely to have a neutral undertone." Sounds easy enough to us!
Once you know your shade and undertone, the next step for picking out a foundation color is putting them together. "You total these results together for a more specific shade result, e.g. light neutral, medium warm, etc.," Hughes explains. Next up, it's time to test.
Test your foundation shade
While determining your skin shade and undertone is extremely helpful when choosing a foundation shade, you can never be sure that the makeup will fit your skin until you put it to the test. Luckily, Hughes told us the best way to do just that—and it's not smearing some foundation on your wrist.
If you match your foundation to your hands or your arms, you may be in for a rude awakening when you apply the makeup to your face. "When it comes to testing to see if you have the right foundation shade, always test the color on your face rather than your hands as your hands are a usual different shade to your face," Hughes warns.
Of course, you should also keep in mind that your skin shade isn't necessarily the same throughout the year. "It's important to be aware of the fact that your skin naturally changes color in summer and winter," Hughes reminds us. "Whilst you may be one shade in the summer, you could be a lighter version in winter."
And for those transitional months when you're not quite your winter or your summer shade, Hughes has a genius money-saving foundation hack: "To cut costs down, you can mix these two shades together to create the ideal transitional season shade," she says. Perfect!
The last thing Hughes says consumers should consider is the fact that many foundations oxidize when they come in contact with our skin. "For this reason, you might need to consider a shade lighter," she suggests.
So there you have it! The perfect step-by-step process for finding your match made in makeup heaven. Figuring out the right foundation shade for your skin may be an extensive process, but it will be worth it in the end once you find your perfect fit.
