Instead of matching the shade of your foundation to the usual spots people list off — like your jaw, neck, or the back of your hand — Vo suggests swatching it on the highest point of your cheekbone, the same place where you sweep on highlighter. She considers this area as the "median" skin tone of your complexion.
Your foundation should blend seamlessly with your natural skin tone. You don't want there to be an obvious difference between where your foundation ends and your bare skin begins. Otherwise, your foundation will look unnatural and caked on.
Match It to Your Neck and Chest
This part of foundation matching can get a little tricky, since many people's faces are darker than their neck and chest. Choosing a foundation that matches your neck helps you to avoid that dreaded contrast line that is a dead giveaway that you are wearing the wrong color of foundation.
The experts have spoken, and the answer is, foundation should be one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. This is because when you use bronzer or contour then the foundation should be able to blend and give the perfect look to your face.
There are three key factors in finding the right foundation shade – understanding your skin tone and undertone, swatch testing, and updating your shade with the seasons to ensure a perfect foundation match all year 'round.
If you have a warm complexion, go with a foundation shade that has yellow, gold, or peach undertones. And if your complexion is on the cool side, a foundation with pink undertones is your best bet. Those with neutral undertones should look for a foundation shade with both gold and pink tones.
Blend The Foundation Lighter Than You
When in doubt, always pick a shade that is slightly lighter than your complexion rather than darker. This can prevent your complexion from looking darker than the rest of your body. It is the safest way to go when unsure about two shades that may look too light or too dark.
If your makeup is too light, you will look ashy or as if you have a gray cast on your skin. If the formula is too dark, it can make your complexion look muddy. Look for the shade that disappears into your skin most is your right match.
As you age, you should consider lightening up. It is probably more important to conceal and cover the blemishes that older skin has, but as for foundation, lighter is best. The heavier types tend to sit in the pores of the face as well as in wrinkles, often making you look more lined.
The pigments and oils in your makeup can react to air, your skin's acidity and natural oils, causing your foundation to turn darker.
“Always match foundation on your jawline where your complexion is most even. You want to match both the surface tone and under tone of your skin. It's more important to match the color in your chest than your neck which is normally always slightly lighter than your face.
You should match your foundation to your wrist when shopping for a new shade. "The best place to match a foundation is on the area that you are placing it," noted Lujan.
If you've ever thought your makeup makes you look more wrinkled, it might be by virtue of dehydrated skin. Makeup has a way of leaching the moisture from the skin, accentuating pores, and highlighting fine lines and wrinkles. So if your skin looks worse with foundation, this could be a major culprit.
Neutrals and Pinks
Neutral and pink colored eye shadows also make you look younger. Neutrals will also complement your everyday look without making you feel that you have over done your makeup, whether you are in the office or college.
“Retinol and alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) can rejuvenate the skin and eliminate fine lines and wrinkles,” Dr. Patel says. “Hyaluronic acid helps your skin retain moisture, which gives it a smooth, glowing look.” Opt for serums and night creams with retinol and AHAs, and a daily face moisturizer with hyaluronic acid.
'Creams, off whites, tans and golds reflect light onto the face and make us look younger. Dusky pinks and pale lilacs can also work wonders in turning back the clock,' Orla says. Colours to avoid for aging include blacks and greys which can throw shadows on the face and make you look older.
Using Foundation That's Too Light
Another side effect of collagen loss: Skin starts looking thinner and duller. (As always, lucky us.) If you move too far into the light foundation range (and away from your natural skin tone), things will start looking… pallid.
If you've made the mistake of buying a shade darker, simply blend it with your concealer or mix it with a moisturizer. A little moisturizer can lighten your foundation and you can set it with finishing powder. But if you've bought a way darker shade and it has become impossible to use, worry not.
If you are COOL and pick a WARM or NEUTRAL foundation, it will look yellow on you. If you are WARM and pick a COOL foundation, it will make your skin look pale and icy. If you pick a NEUTRAL foundation, it will look grey.
To find your perfect foundation shade, you should always dab a bit on your jawline and neck first. Checking the color match on your neck and jaw prevents jarring discrepancies and results in the ideal hue.
The makeup should look flawless, it should be like your second skin. And people who think that using a lighter foundation will make them look fairer, they are completely wrong. It will only give them a white cast and it will make them look zombie-like in photos."
Flip over your arm and take a look at the inside of your wrist. If your veins appear to have a blue or deep purple tint, you likely have cool skin undertones. If they look more greenish, you likely have warm or olive undertones. If you can't tell one way or the other, you may have neutral undertones.
The easiest way to determine your undertone is by opting for a closer inspection of the insides of your wrists. If they appear green, your undertone is warm while blue veins signify cooler undertones. If you can see a mix of both, you likely have neutral undertones.
“Bring the bottle up to your neck to try to match the color to your skin, as close as possible,” he says. Then, seek out the area of the drugstore that has the best lighting and mirrors. “Sometimes this is not always the makeup aisle. Look for a place with some natural light seeping through.”