Introducing our latest beauty expert writer Lisa Laing, blogger and distributor for Younique…
Hands up if you’ve ever bought a new foundation and it hasn’t worked? Too light? Too dark? Too orange?
Often when selecting a new foundation, the conditions aren’t best for shade matching. Generally you’ll be in a department or cosmetics’ store with artificial lighting.
Many people use their hands/wrist to check the shade is correct or will simply guess by grabbing an average light, medium or dark shade. Most women don’t know their skin undertones and most high street makeup manufacturers do not provide this on their products so finding the best match can be near impossible.
Also, the majority of women require at least two shades of foundation – often a summer shade and winter shade to reflect the changes in skin tone over the course of the year.
So – how do we pick the correct shade?
If you’re going to go to a high street store, cosmetics’ store, department store or supermarket to buy your foundation, make sure you test the shade on your neck/jaw line to ensure as close a match as possible.
You want a shade that will blend naturally in to your skin without creating a line or obvious shade difference! (You also want to consider things like the type of foundation, your skin type, application method, primer and much more but those are for another post!)
To determine your undertones, you need to answer three simple questions! That’s it!
What colour are the veins in your arms/wrist?
Are they…
A – Green?
B – Blue/Purple?
C – Blue/Green?
When out in the sun without the protection of sun cream (which you should NEVER do if you can avoid it), do you tend to…
A – Tan easily?
B – Burn easily?
C – Neither/Burn then tan/Sometimes tan?
When choosing jewellery, do you look best in…
A – Gold jewellery?
B – Silver jewellery?
C – Both/Either?
If you answered mostly As, you have warm undertones which tend to be more peach, yellow and golden. If you answered mostly Bs, you have cool undertones which are generally pink and bluey tones. If you answered mostly Cs or if your answers were varied, you will have neutral undertones meaning your skin doesn’t really have much of an undertone and is closer to your true skin shade.
Using this information can help you choose the right foundation! You can also grab a quick selfie while you’re indoors, facing a window with natural daylight, have all indoor lights off and make sure your full face, neck and collarbone are included. You can then use that photo to try and determine the undertones!
If your skin looks more yellow, peach or golden – you’ve warm undertones; pink, rose or flushed suggest cool undertones; and if it’s a mix of these or neither then you’re neutral!
It can be hard to do all of this yourself and still pick the correct foundation so be sure to ask for help from whoever you are buying the foundation from and make sure they offer a good return/exchange policy just in case the shade doesn’t work!
