HOW TO CHOOSE
THE RIGHT FOUNDATION

Before you can find your perfect foundation shade, you need to figure out the undertone of your skin. What’s that? Well, every skin color has a discernible undertone, most easily spotted via the vein color on the inside of your wrist. If it appears blue or purple, you’re cool-toned. If it’s green, you’ve got warm-toned skin, and if you’re unsure, you’re likely to be neutral-toned.

Still unsure? Here’s a trick. Pop on a white T-shirt, or hold a sheet or paper to your face, and look in the mirror. If your skin then appears to be rosy, you’re cool-toned. If it’s yellow or golden, you’re warm-toned, and if it’s hard to tell, you’re neutral.

If that doesn’t work, there’s an even simpler method. Think about what kind of jewelry best suits you: gold, silver or both. If it’s gold, you’re warm-toned, silver and you’re cool, or both and you’re neutral.

Once you’ve figured out your undertone, you can find your foundation. Foundation for a cool undertone tends to look pinker in the bottle, whereas one with a warm undertone will be more yellow. And if you’re neutral? It’ll sit in the middle of the spectrum.

So you’ve been thinking how can I find my foundation shade? There’s no better way to discover if you’ve found the foundation shade for you than simply trying it out. But did you know there’s a right way to test foundation colors? Take our tips in-store next time you’re on the hunt for your perfect shade. Numero uno is to try your shortlist of shades only when the light is right. Look for the sun at its peak, as the midday light will help you see your made-up skin to the fullest extent.

You might even want to check it in different lights, check it in different mirrors, from your pocket mirror to the in-store ones, and take a selfie – all those different ways of checking your skin will help ensure you have found the right one. And forget testing on your arm, hand or anywhere else – swatch onto your jawline, as this is that tricky area where you’ll see how good a match you’ve found. Let it sit on skin a sec before you sneak a peek to see how it adjusts to your skin.

Like finding ‘the one’, to find a foundation shade for you, you want to look for the hue that doesn’t try to change you. That is, the right foundation shade should look, not to mention, feel like a second skin – like you at your very best. As we’ve said before and will say time and time again, this is about looking like the ultimate version of you. If a foundation shade stands out, that’ll be because it’s too light or dark. If the makeup is too light, chances are your skin will appear more ashy. If the shade is too dark, that’ll make you look overly tanned.

On the subject of tans – remember that your skin tone is likely to change within a subtle spectrum with the seasons, its tone warming up with the weather. That means, depending on when you’re searching for your best foundation shade, your skin might not be its truest tone. Ideally, you want to go for a shade that’s closest to the hue your skin is most of the year. When you try it, if the test shade seemingly disappears into your skin, it’s a match.