Choosing a foundation can be so tough. You can’t really easily get your head around the variety of shades these days. Or it’s too tough to figure out what undertone works for you. Or, you might not know what formula works for you. To help you, here’s the ultimate guide on how to choose a foundation that works.
Consider your skin colour
Look at your skin colour. Is it light, medium or deep? This way, you can immediately rule out other foundation shades that absolutely will not flatter you. For example, if you are light then you can rule out the medium and deep ones.
Consider your undertone
This can’t be stressed enough. Your undertone will help you know what foundation works for you. Here you can try to find out your undertone, or you can try something simpler: wear a white T-shirt and look at what you see in your skin more. If you see more yellow or golden, you’re warm and if you see more pink or peach, you’re cool. If you see neither, choose a neutral foundation instead.
In case you are olive, try to look for a foundation that has an olive or green undertone. Otherwise, opt for a neutral foundation. It will fit better on your skin. Neutral foundations that are just slightly warm work well.
Always choose a foundation that matches your undertone. Some brands, like MAC, have warm foundations for a cool undertone and viceversa. In this case you have to indicate the opposite undertone to get the right foundation. If you’re warm, you need to say you are cool. In most cases though this is not necessary, as most brands make foundations that match the undertone.
Consider the formula and your skin type
The formula also makes a big difference in how the foundation looks and feels on the skin. If you want your face makeup to seem more natural, then use a luminous matte foundation. If you want to look a bit more radiant, choose a dewy foundation and if you want to make sure that your face doesn’t look oiler than it is, choose a matte foundation.
Oil or cream based foundations are better for those with dry skin. In case you have oily skin, choose a mousse or a water based foundation.
As said in the post on how to improve your face makeup, it’s a good idea to choose buildable coverage. You can adjust it according to your needs. If you don’t need a lot of coverage or you think that it might feel heavy on your skin, then choose a medium to light coverage. If you need more coverage, then choose medium to full.
Take a sample
At your local Sephora or Ulta there is no natural lighting. For this reason, it’s better if you ask for a few samples of some foundations you seem to like and try them at home with natural lighting. This way, if you don’t like the foundation you won’t have to return it or ask for a refund.
How to swatch a foundation
A lot of the time foundations are swatched on the hand or on the inner wrist. Nothing more wrong than that: the skin there is, more often than not, darker than that on your face.
The best way to swatch a foundation is to draw a line from your jawline, on your neck, until your chest. If the foundation blends in, then wait for another 15 or 20 minutes. It’s to see if the foundation darkens or oxidises after some time. Then apply another swatch of the same foundation near it and compare the two. If they look the same, then pick that foundation.
Look at the wear time
This is another reason for which you should always ask for samples. When you test the foundation, you can see for how long the foundation will wear for. Ideally, your foundation should stay put without creasing or separating from application until removal.
Try to wear your foundation for the longest time possible, with and without primer, with and without setting powder, with everything on or with nothing else on. Note after how long creasing or separation start. If the foundation does not meet your needs, don’t buy it.
You have to sonsider this factor especially if your skin is oily, because your foundation should hold up even if your oils start seeping through the foundation. In this case, if your foundation still holds up, you’ll only need some blotting powder or blotting paper.
Check if there is any oil in your foundation
Again, this a reason why you should ask for a sample of the foundation you intend to buy. Take a little bit of your foundation and apply it on some tissue paper. Then leave this tissue paper for a few hours. If your foundation is oil-based, you should be able to see some sort of puddle around those few drops of foundation. If it’s not oil-based, you shouldn’t be able to see it.
Depending on your skin type, this will help you rule out which foundation will work better for you and if you have lots of foundations in your closet, it will also help you cut the clutter.
Bonus: how to choose foundation online
It depends on what you are trying to do. If you are trying to buy a foundation for the first time, then a lot of brands offer a virtual try-on service. They will either ask for a selfie or your face to be captured on camera. In this case stand in natural light with no makeup on. This way, the computer will work out a good match for you.
If you already have a foundation that works for you, yet you would like to try a foundation from another brand in the same shade, you can use Findation. You basically go on your browser and type “Findation”. Once you get there, enter the details about the products you are using. It’s best if you type 3 or more products, but it works with just one too. After this, Findation will do the tough work for you. It will give you a whole list of foundations and concealers you can try that are the same shade or in a very close match.
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