How to choose the right foundation shade for your skin tone

Article by Dhivya Samyraj

Foundation or base makeup gives a nice even tone to the skin and hides the imperfections. But the real pain is choosing the right type of foundation that flatters or compliments our skin tone. In today’s article I bring you some tips to help you choose the right foundation for your skin tone and type.

Know your skin type

Knowing your skin type plays a crucial step in the selection of the foundation. There are different types of formulation for every skin type. So find out which type of skin is yours - dry, oily or combination. Click here to know more.

Skin tone or undertone

The complexion of the skin ranges from light to medium to dark which is the shade of the skin. But the skin has tones or undertones to it. You might have wondered why certain colours suit you and certain colours don’t. It is because of the undertones of the skin. The undertones are cool/pink, warm/yellow and neutral. 

Formulation

Foundations are available in liquid, powder, cream and mousse formulation. You are lucky if you have normal skin as every formulation suits the normal skin. If you have dry skin you can go for cream or liquid foundations. If you have oily skin you can go for pressed powders or liquid foundations with light formulations or mousse foundation. For combination sensitive skin a light weight mousse foundation would be best. But do try it and find your best match as different skin tends to act differently. So experiment and pick your right foundation. Why are samples available for then!!!

Select the right shade

There is a misconception that foundation is used to make us fair but it is to provide an even skin tone. So, select a foundation that is close to your skin tone. The shopping assistant will always recommend you choose a foundation shade lighter than your skin tone. But do not buy lighter than your actual skin tone foundations. It’ll make you look ashy.

Swatch it right

When you swatch the foundation do not do it on your wrist or on back of your hands, because in those places the skin tone is much lighter than your actual skin. So it is always best to swatch it along your jawline or on your neck to get the closest shade of foundation. 

Ask the SA to give you a sample of the foundation closest shade to your skin tone. Apply it on your face and roam around for half an hour to see if the foundation oxidize or not. Look in natural light because store lights may be deceiving.

I hope the above points are helpful in selecting your right foundation shade. Please leave your feedback below in the comments section about this article. If you want me to write articles on any other topics let me know. XOXO.

Image source: Google Images.