Finding a holy grail foundation is much like finding the perfect pair of jeans. You know the ones – that rare pair that takes you effortlessly from morning meeting to evening drinks.
But unlike finding the perfect pair of jeans, finding your favourite foundation involves a few more steps. Sure, you can love how a foundation feels, the inclusion of nourishing ingredients and how long it lasts, but if the shade match isn’t right, it won’t feel like it deserves the top spot.
We’re here to help, so when you do land that perfect foundation formula, you can then find the perfect foundation shade to match.
How Do You Identify Your Skin Tone?
Step one in finding the perfect foundation shade is identifying your skin undertone. It’s important to note that undertone and shade are two vastly separate things. Undertone is all about creating harmony; choosing the right tone will help your makeup blend effortlessly. Knowing your undertone is not only going to help you pick the perfect shade of foundation, but it can also help you choose a palette that complements your skin tone.
So, how do you determine your undertone? Well, you’re going to want to start by looking at the veins in your wrists in natural light. If you see blue or purple, you’ve got a cool undertone, whereas having green or olive veins means that you’ve got a warm undertone. And if you’re seeing a mix, don’t worry, you fall in the neutral category, meaning that you can lean slightly either way.
How Do You Find The Perfect Foundation Shade?
These days, many beauty brands are reinvigorating their iconic and efficacious foundations to create an extended shade range designed to suit a variety of skin tones. In doing this refresh, they identify three main aspects. Your skin undertone, your skin shade and the richness, which is how you’re going to find your perfect foundation shade too.
For Estée Lauder, the full-of-life matte Double Wear Foundation ($83 at Estée Lauder) has been reformulated with greater shade options (now available in 67 shades) that make it easier to find your perfect match. Estée Lauder’s makeup artist has even given marie claire three expert tips to help you find your shade.
Step 1: Identify your ‘skin intensity’ from ultra light (0) to deep (9).
Step 2: Swatch the neutral undertone in the selected ‘intensity’ by making a thick, large stripe along your jawline. (Swatching neutral first will help you identify your undertone.) If the neutral swatch comes up yellow against your skin, you will need to choose a ‘cool’ undertone in the chosen intensity. If the neutral swatch comes up rosy, you will need to choose a ‘warm’ undertone in your chosen intensity.
Step 3: Find the shade that disappears into your skin by swatching two more shades in your recommended undertone (i.e. cool, warm or neutral) and intensity to find the perfect shade richness.
Throughout this three-step process, ensure you allow a minute or two for the foundation swatches to settle (many oxidise slightly over time) and try to check the shades in different lighting. If you’re still unsure, ask one of the professional assistants in the store to help.
Can You Colour-Match Foundation Online?
Though you can definitely shade-match your foundation online with the help of a foundation finder tool, our recommendation is to visit a store and get shade-matched by a professional.
Aside from getting superior customer service, heading in-store to either David Jones or Myer means you get to feel the foundation before purchasing it, and in many cases, you may receive a free sample to test the formula at home. And if you’re looking to repurchase a trusty favourite that’s been recently reformulated, you can get a feel for how the formula has been adapted and whether it’s still ticks all your foundation needs.
Estée Lauder is a global beauty company known for luxury skincare, makeup, and fragrance. Founded by Estée Lauder in 1946, The Estée Lauder Companies have expanded and built a reputation for innovative and high-performance formulas.
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