Foundation Matching 101

This is probably one of the biggest problems and one of the most often asked questions in beauty. It IS difficult to find a shade of foundation that matches your skin tone perfectly. But never fear... it is possible and not quite as hard as it seems.

To begin, please keep these tips in mind. Swatching a foundation onto the back of your hand or the under part of your wrist is not going to guarantee a perfect match. It may look good on your hand or wrist, but that doesn't mean it's going to match your face. The best place to shade match foundation is by applying the foundation on the jawline, right above the jawline and right below. This way, you can easily see if the shade is right for you. What we're trying to do here is match the shade of the foundation to the color of the skin on your neck, not your face. You won't be able to see the skin on your face once foundation is applied; however, you WILL be able to see the skin from your neck down. Matching the skin on your neck is what is going to make your make up appear seamless.

Obviously, if you're at a cosmetic counter, the make up artist there can match you to your shade. However, here's the thing. Make up artists are only human, too. Some MA's haven't been trained as well as others, or just don't have the eye to match perfectly. Sometimes the lighting in the store or at the counter will throw the shade off making it look a perfect match to the MA and to you. So many times I've heard people say they were matched at a counter and the foundation the MA applied looked great. They bought the product, but when they tried it at home, it didn't quite match or turned a different color on their skin.

If you're getting matched at a counter, bring a hand mirror. Let the MA try the product on you. Then, walk outside into the daylight and use your hand mirror to see if you can tell the difference between where the foundation starts and stops. If you can, obviously it's not the right color. Lighting in the stores are often terrible when it comes to making this determination with foundation.

If you've got some extra time, and the shade of foundation checks out in the daylight, I suggest walking around the mall or doing some other shopping for a while before purchasing the product. Here's why:

Some foundations have a tendency to oxidize on our skin. What this means is when the foundation settles and mixes with your skins natural oils, it turns darker. After wearing the foundation for an hour or two, make another trip into the daylight with your hand mirror to have another peak. Now keep in mind, not all foundations will oxidize. For the ones that do change color on your skin, it's best to move away from that particular product and try something else. Just because one foundation of a certain brand oxidizes on your skin does not mean another foundation of that brand will, also. By this I mean, if MAC Studio Fix Fluid oxidizes on you, it doesn't mean MAC Select will, too. Liquid foundations are the most likely to oxidize.

If you're looking for a drugstore foundation, you're in for another experience all together. As you've probably already discovered, the shade the foundation appears in the bottle isn't necessarily the shade it's going to be on your skin. Many US drugstores do not offer testers to swatch the foundation. Your best bet is to buy from a store that has a lenient cosmetic return policy. Rite Aid and CVS are a couple of examples.

After you've decided what type of foundation you want to buy (liquid, powder, mineral, etc.), choose the shade you THINK you might be. The shades in the packaging are easy enough to hold up to your skin (bring a mirror or a friend) to determine the shade you think you will be. Now, grab the next lightest shade and the next darkest shade in comparison to the one you have chosen. You're going to want to purchase all three of these. Remember, you can bring any and all of them back if you none of them match or if you discover you don't like the coverage, length of wear, etc. SAVE your receipt!!!

Once you get home, you'll be able to do swatches from your cheek down to your neck of each shade, side by side. This is the point where you will, again, grab a mirror and head outside into the daylight. The shade that practically disappears into your skin is the shade for you!

If none of them seem to be the right color, consider using a dish or paper plate to mix two of them together. If the middle shade is too dark, but the lightest shade is too light, mix the two together and then apply. I have to do this myself, as I find myself in a category between shades.

So there you have it. It takes a little bit of work and determination, but in the end, you're going to have a flawless look that enhances your beauty.