Tips & Tricks: Finding The Perfect Foundation Shade

I always have a difficult time finding the right foundation shade. I feel all of us do and we always end up saying...

That brand's shades are always too dark or too light

They only make shades for pink undertones

There's never a shade pale enough

on..and..on.

Don't let that negativity make finding the right shade a nightmare. I have some great tips and tricks for you to find the foundation shade of your dreams. The UnitWise Heroes have been testing theories and methods and now we're ready to share them with you. 

What In The World Does Undertones Mean?

This question used to always trip me up. You've seen labels describe shades for pinky-beige undertones, yellow, cool tones and even (no lie) blue-green undertones. Well my dear, we actually have a mix of all it in our skin tones. There is a few different tests out there to find out which tone is more prominent in your skin.

The White/Off-White Test

Make sure you take off all your makeup and pull your hair into a ponytail so it doesn't interfere with your test. 

Take a piece of white clothing (or some printer paper works great too) and take a piece of off white clothing and hold them up to your face one at a time. If you feel like you look better in white, then your undertones are most likely warm. This is your darker, beiges and yellow undertones. If you feel like the white washes you out, see what it looks like when you hold the off-white piece of clothing up to your face. If you feel like the off-white complements you better, then your undertones are most likely cool. This would be your pinks, blues, and sometimes beiges (depends on the brand). This test is one of the easiest ones because it involves bringing in a separate object to compare so you really see the difference. 

The Vein Test

I'm not a big fan of looking at my veins to determine color because my skin tone changes and it's hard for me to tell. But this test is still a good one to try and it's fun to do with your girlfriends. 

Look at the veins on your inner arm. If they are olive tone (greenish) then you are warm toned. If they are straight up blue, then you are cool toned. If they are a bit of both, or you really can't tell, then you are neutral. You really can't go wrong with a neutral toned foundation; they always work. 

Swatching

Weird word but totally necessary when testing foundations. It's hard for me to swatch foundation on my face in a store. The lighting is all weird and I don't want to walk around with foundation swatches on my face making me look like an Amazon Warrior (only on special occasions). I find that swatching foundation on my inner arm where the skin is more delicate gives the best result. This way you don't need a mirror to see the swatch and you don't accidentally forget you have 5 foundations on your neck and no one tells you (welcome to my life). 

Mixing Foundations To create Your Perfect Shade

This technique is my jam. I'll admit I have a lot of foundations, but I do use them all. I usually end up buying 2 shades of a foundation I like; one slightly lighter and one darker than my skin tone. This way allows you to mix foundations to create the perfect shade for your ever changing skin tone. It also lets you play Mad Scientist with your foundations and that's always a good time (insert villain laugh).

Makeup should be fun and not stressful. It might be a full on quest to find the perfect shade for you if you don't open up your mind to just try all of it. Play Mad Scientist every day with your makeup and do what makes you happy. What are your tips and tricks for finding the perfect foundation shade?