How To Find Flawless Foundation For Your Skin Type

Photo Courtesy / Envios

Another sleepless night has left you with unwanted darkness and puffiness under your eyes. Even worse, you squint closely and notice a pulsing pimple from the night before.

No worries, foundation can be a quick and easy fix to help minimize the appearance of any type of impurities.

Yet, choosing a suitable foundation color can be an extremely difficult and tedious task.  Here a few simple steps in finding your perfect shade:

First, figure out your undertone. There are cold, warm and neutral undertones and this helps narrow your search without feeling overwhelmed by the variety of foundations available. 

You can ask a local representative from makeup specialty stores like Ulta and Sephora to help you figure out your undertone to make the foundation selection process slightly easier.

Samantha Maria, YouTube beauty and fashion vlogger, recommends going into a department store with specific brands in mind. If you enjoy full coverage foundation, brands such as Kat Von D, Make Up Forever, Bobbi Brown, MAC and Cover FX do a fantastic job of flawlessly covering your entire face up to 24 hours.

If you are not a fan of heavy foundation, and like your skin to breathe a little, BareMinerals, Yves Saint Laurent, Laura Mercier, Dior and Estee Lauder all offer lightweight formulated foundations.  

Next, figure out what type of skin you have and the type of finish you want. Do you have dry, oily or combination skin? Do you want a matte or dewy finish? These two questions are important because it can affect the way the foundation sits on the skin. 

For example, if a person with oily prone skin chooses a liquid foundation, it will create a more sheer, shiny finish rather than a matte one. Pay careful attention to the description labels to figure out the finish of each foundation. 

After you've made your selection, make sure the foundation matches your neck or chest. Try not to sample the foundation on your hand. This is a big no-no because the hand and the face are two different colors. The most common beauty mistake happens when the foundation on the face does not match the color of the rest of the body. The purpose of foundation is to look natural and blend in effortlessly with the rest of the skin.

Likewise, do not trust the store lighting! Natural lighting is your best friend. The fluorescent and yellow lighting does not always help you distinguish between different shades and may only appear to match your skin while in the store. Go outside, take a flash picture, or better yet, ask for a sample! Don't be shy to ask for a small sample of foundation. It's always better to be completely sure about the product you're buying instead of splurging on a foundation that's only going to sit on your counter.

If all else fails and you still have trouble finding a suitable foundation match, beauty guru and YouTuber Sharifa Easmin recommends using a helpful tool called findation.com to help locate your perfect foundation match. The website allows users to insert their current foundation information online and the system searches through a variety of foundation brands to find the closest match based on the submitted information.  

Remember, moisturize, moisturize and moisturize! No matter what type of skin you may have, moisturizing is imperative before applying additional products.

It also allows the makeup to settle neatly on top of the skin without cracking or feeling heavy.

Most importantly, be nice to your skin! Our skin is extremely delicate and prone to damage, so find a foundation that will compliment your skin type when you want to be “feelin’ yourself” like Beyoncé, but wake up on the other side like Adele.