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.
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.
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.
One of the easiest ways to fix your light foundation is to add in a bit of bronzer. The warmer tones of bronzer will darken your light foundation and leave a gorgeous sun-kissed touch too.
Take a good look at the veins on your wrist under natural light for an easy way to determine your undertone. If your veins look green, it is likely you have warm undertones; if they are blue/purple, you have cool undertones. If they appear blue/green or match your skin colour, you most likely have neutral undertones.
White Cloth Test: Put a white cloth next to your bare face and observe what cast your skin takes on. Skin with warm undertones will appear yellowish, while skin with cool undertones will seem blueish or pinkish.
If you've picked the wrong undertone:
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.
Your Skin Is Very Oily
If your complexion is oily, the foundation may slide around on your face, creating odd clumps of dark colour next to the lighter colour of your natural skin. Sometimes, sebum actually changes the chemical formula of the foundation, making it look orange or even grey.
With foundation, less is more
“Foundation can add a warm, healthy, youthful glow and create a beautiful flawless base for the rest of your makeup,” says Kelly Coulter, makeup artist and national beauty expert.
Lightening: Dilute With Moisturizer
Mixing a bit of moisturizer is one of the best ways to lighten the pigment of foundation. The method sheers out the formula, allows your true skin tone to shine through, and adds a dewy finish, which is perfect for when your skin looks slightly dry and dull.
Your ideal foundation shade probably won't match your face or hands or neck exactly. The idea is to find an undertone match with your body, and pick a foundation which is a cross between your face's colour, and that of your chest. This is because the skin on the chest reflects your undertones better than your face.
This usually means your skincare products underneath are clashing. Always leave enough time for your serums and moisturisers to dry between layers. Applying hydrating serums to damp skin can also help. If foundation separation is your issue, try to use products with similar textures.
Whether you wear foundation that's too dark or too light, you put yourself at risk of more than an unnatural look; it can also add years to your face. "Wearing the wrong shade of foundation all over tends to make the skin look someone aged," Winkenwerder warns.
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. “Most skin types get dehydrated regardless of the oil they produce,” says Dorman.
Your foundation looks grey or ashy because it is much lighter than your skin tone. Using a lighter foundation on your skin can highlight the foundation thus making your skin look unnatural. In order to prevent your foundation from looking ashy, you should add 2-3 drops of darker shade foundation and blend it well.
If you're a novice, try a powder foundation that's right for your skin type. "It's the easiest to apply, and it disappears into the skin more easily than liquid formulas," says New York City makeup artist Mally Roncal. Next easiest is a cream foundation in a compact (which is great for dry complexions).
Finding your undertone: The colour of your veins
Take a look at the veins on the inside of your wrist. Do they appear more blue or green? If your veins appear more blue, you're cool-toned but if you see more green, you're warm-toned. If you see a fair amount of both both green and blue, you have a neutral undertone.
Fair - The lightest range of skin tones. You likely burn easy, and have light or red hair. Light - Generally those with skin considered “light” have warmer undertones (we'll get to that in a second) than those with fair skin. You likely are able to tan in the summer.
One of the quickest and the most common ways to determine your undertone is to check the insides of your wrist. If your veins appear blue or purple, you have a cool undertone. If they look green, you're warm. If you're having a hard time narrowing down between blue or green, you most likely have a neutral undertone.
I wanted to test skin color separately to find out whether it's important to perceptions of beauty. I found that without regard to physical features, people prefer light brown skin over dark brown skin or pale skin,” said Frisby, associate professor of strategic communication at the School.
In a place with bright, natural light, hold up a piece of printer paper and look at how your skin reacts to it. If your skin looks pinkish against the paper, you probably have cooler undertones; if your skin looks yellow against the paper, you're probably a warm tone.