One of the questions that I get quite often is in regards to foundation matching, and while I don't switch foundations very often, I do sample my fair share of them. The purpose of this post is to give you some ideas on color selection; if you know that you are lighter or darker than my skintone, then you would want to select a lighter or darker shade for your skintone. This will also give me a chance to do a mini review on each foundation listed.
Background: Nc25 in winter, NC30 in summer. I slather on a lot sunscreen and SPF products, hence the small difference in shades between seasons. Remember folks, sunscreen is very important! :) I also have prominent yellow undertones, making it hard to find a match in brands not catered towards Asian (and other ethnic) women, although most brands are branching out to include more yellow undertones these days. I have combo skin - normal cheeks, and oily T-zone.
Although I will list all shades I've tried, the perfect/most fitting shade will be italicized.
MINERAL
Everyday Minerals
Light - too light, more suitable for NC20ish.
Light Winged Butter - too much yellow undertones!
Golden MediumEM comes in four different formulas - original glo, semi matte, matte, and intensive. Due to my skin type, I have semi-matte for the less coverage days, and intensive for the days when I want heavier coverage. Without a primer, the foundation does tend to cake/melt, so I usually follow up with their Tinted Silk Dust (the original is pure white, so it tends to create a white glow on darker skintones). Intensive actually runs one shade dark, so make sure to order one shade LIGHTER than what you normally would wear (e.g. Light Intensive is the perfect shade for me). I don't really see myself wearing this in hot weather, because I know it will just slide off of my face.
Alima
N-3 and W-3: I find that my perfect shade is actually a mixture of both neutral and warm. Alima's Warm shades tend to have prominent yellow undertones, so I add in the neutral to balance it out. I was able to get my order custom-mixed for free before, but it looks like they charge slightly more now to mix it.
One thing about Alima is that they have amazing customer service! My emails get a reply within one business day, and they always include free samples with every order.
Buff - Neutral beige, no excessive pink or yellow undertones. A bit too light, more for NC20ish skintone.
Nude - similar to Sand Beige, but not enough yellow.
Sand Beige
I haven't bought drugstore foundation in years, mostly because a lot of brands did not have much selection when it came to warmer shades, and also I didn't want to play the matching game. However, when I was looking at Makeup Forever's Mat Velvet foundation, most people on
MUA recommended this foundation instead.
This is a great medium coverage foundation that literally lasts all day. Many of my other foundations do not last through the "shirt test" (when you rub your foundation-face against a shirt and see whether or not it transfers), but when I discreetly performed the shirt test against the sleeve of my boyfriend's white shirt, this foundation actually stayed on my face instead of his sleeve. It does set rather quickly, so make sure you blend it out nicely to avoid patches and streaks. It also has great coverage, and looks (and feels) very natural.
This foundation comes in two different formulas; one for dry skin, and one for normal/combo skin. Make sure you get the right formula, because it will make a world of difference!
Prescriptives Flawless Skin Total Protection Makeup
Champagne (Y/O)I picked this up at my CCO the other day because I was on the hunt for a full coverage foundation. It's oil-free, which is another plus in my book. While I'm not in love with it, I do like the coverage it provides. It doesn't feel as natural as Colorstay, but it does give pretty good and natural coverage. The texture is dewy, so it gives you a more natural look rather than cakey or fake. It does get a thumbs-up from me for being fragrance-free. I'm not too picky with fragrance, but I'm not too fond of putting something on my face that smells like paint.
Prescriptives has a rather extensive coloring system, but generally, Y/O is for warmer skintones, and R/O is for cooler skintones.
Christian Dior Diorskin Forever Extreme Wear Flawless SPF 25
021 LinenOne good thing about Dior foundations is that their coloring is the same across all products - so Linen in
Forever is the same as Linen in
Capture Totale. Capture Totale is an amazing foundation; it gives the best coverage I've ever used, while looking natural and dewy without that oily look. Sadly, it's also $75 a bottle. Ouch. Diorskin provides medium coverage, and blends beautifully with the skin. Best part? It comes with a pump (which, at $42, it should haha), which makes it easy to dispense. I actually get a lot of compliments on my skin with this foundation; a lot more than any other foundations that I use.
CONCEALER
MAC Select Cover Up (and any MAC concealers)
NC30Great concealer; I like to use it with a foundation brush when I want to cover up some of the redness that I get in my cheeks. If you're not much of a foundation person, this is a great concealer to use as a "light foundation". The general rule with concealer for undereye area is to go a shade lighter, and on the opposite spectrum - so in this case, I would technically go with NW25 for undereye areas. However, I find that using a cool concealer shade is not as effective as using a warm shade for my undereye circles.
the Balm Time Balm
Light/Medium
This is a heavy coverage concealer, which I use for under eyes, and around the sides of my nose. It has a rather hard texture, so I have to warm it up in the palm of my hand for a few seconds to make sure that it applies smoothly. Great coverage, but as with all cream products and oily skin, it tends to run if I don't have a primer.
Tinted Moisturizers
Lancome Aqua Fusion Teinte
01 NaturelI was matched to this shade last year, and it works out pretty well. Since it's a tinted moisturizer, the shade is sheer enough to work out for me in both winter and summer. I've started using it a lot more now that it's summer and hotter, and it lasts beautifully. It's on the pricier side, but with GWP promotions, I don't mind purchasing it once a year (although I'm still on my tube).
Bobbi Brown SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer
LightTinted moisturizers generally don't offer a lot of coverage, but I have trouble with this TM. If I apply it with a sponge, it provides very little coverage, but if I apply it with a foundation brush, it tends to ball up a little. I don't know why it does, but for that reason, I don't use it as often as my Lancome one. It's also pretty costly at $40, so it is a small investment.
(Images from Sephora.com, MacCosmetics.com, AlimaCosmetics.com, EverydayMinerals.com, Prescriptives.com, Lancome-Usa.com, and BobbiBrown.com.)