For warm undertones, the foundation should have a yellowish or peach hue. If you have cool undertones, however, the shade should be pinkish. If you have a mix of both warm and cool hues, you have neutral undertones. This means you can opt for a foundation based on just the light or darkness of your skin's shade.
Look at your veins: If they're more on the blue side, you're cool. If they're more on the green side, you're warm. If they're purple and blue, you're a neutral.
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.
If you're not sure, checking the color of your veins is a quick way to find out. Take a look at the veins in and around your face and neck. If you see blue veins, you have cool undertones. If your veins appear green on the skin (olive), you're warm.
Take a look at the inside of your forearm or any area of skin where you can easily see your veins. If they look blue or purple, you probably have cool undertones. If they are green, your undertones are warm. If they're a mix between blue and green, you probably have neutral undertones.
“Your foundation should match your neck. If the neck is darker than the face you can compensate with a bronzer.” “It is important to match the undertone of the foundation to the undertone of the skin so that the skin looks most natural.
Mix it with moisturizer
If you find that your foundation is a little too dark, all you need to do is take a little of it on the back of your hand, and then add a dab of moisturizer to it. Then, mix it up, check if the shade is all right, and apply it to your face.
Celebrity makeup artist Frederick Sanders recommends starting with two or three shades that look closest to your complexion and blending them all in fully. "The foundation should match the side of your face and your neck to prevent you from looking like you're wearing a mask," he says.
Whether you have red hair and fair skin or black hair and dark ebony skin, the foundation must match your underlying skin color exactly. Do not buy a foundation that will make your face look even a shade or two darker or lighter or change its underlying color in any manner.
To find your perfect foundation shade match, start by downloading YouCam Makeup, the best free foundation-matching app for iOS and Android.
The best way to find your foundation shade is to match to your jawline. Gerstein recommends trying three different shades, and don't blend them in. “Just watch them disappear into the neck,” she says. This will guarantee that the foundation's coverage won't look like a mask once you've spread it all over.