How to Find the Perfect Concealer or Foundation Shade
Recognize the difference between skin undertone and skin shade., Examine the veins on the underside of your wrist.Look closely at the veins – what color are they?, Reference your jewelry collection., Wrap a white towel around your face to examine...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Recognize the difference between skin undertone and skin shade.
Your undertone is the true color of your skin, just beneath the surface.
Sun exposure, rosacea and acne can change the surface color of your skin, but the undertone never changesThere are 3 possible undertones – warm, cool and neutral.
Foundations and concealers are usually divided into one of those 3 categories.
These undertones are true for all nationalities.
Those with darker skin sometimes have undertones that look somewhat ashen or gray.
This is an olive skin tone, which falls under the neutral umbrella. -
Step 2: Examine the veins on the underside of your wrist.Look closely at the veins – what color are they?
Blue is universal, so you need to determine whether your blue veins lean more towards purple or green in appearance.
Be sure to do this in natural lighting, since artificial lighting can change the way colors appear.Blue-purple veins indicate a cool undertone.
Blue-green veins indicate a warm undertone.
If you can't tell either way, this usually indicates a neutral undertone – both cool and warm undertones in equal parts., What do you have more of – gold jewelry or silver jewelry? If you often find yourself preferring gold jewelry because it looks more flattering on you, you probably have a warm undertone.
If you lean more towards silver jewelry because it seems to compliment you better, you probably have a cool undertone.
If you aren’t sure, check your skin in the mirror against both gold and silver jewelry.
If one doesn’t seem to flatter you more than the other, you probably have a neutral undertone., Look closely – do you see a particular tint? The white of the towel will make the undertone easier to detect.
This is only effective if your mirror gets natural light, since fluorescent bulbs can distort the skin’s true undertone and create a deceptive greenish tint.
A blueish tint indicates a cool undertone.
A yellowish tint indicate a warm undertone.
A greenish tint indicates a neutral undertone., Dirt, sweat and dead skin cells on your face can distort the way a foundation shade appears on your skin.
By exfoliating and moisturizing first, you are priming your skin to accept and accurately reflect the true shade of the foundation.
You should always do this before testing foundations., Wearing other colors can distort how you perceive your skin tone, so be sure to wear white when you’re testing shades.Always use good lighting and try to use more than one light source to confirm a shade looks consistent.
Natural light definitely needs to be one of your light sources, since it shows the shades most accurately. , Most brands will identify the complementary undertone right on the product label, so check that first.
If you are considering a brand that doesn’t provide the undertone information for you, there are certain keywords you can look for that will give you some clues.Words like beige, golden, tan, caramel, and chestnut usually correspond to warm undertones.
Terms like porcelain, rose, sable, and cocoa usually indicate cool undertones.
Descriptions like ivory, buff, nude, and praline usually indicate neutral undertones. , Even though all 3 won't match each other exactly, there will be a predominant shade that covers the most area.
Choose the foundation shade that looks closest to that predominant shade.
Test the foundation on both your face and your neck to ensure you’ll end up with even color.
Check your jawline after applying foundation.
Make sure the skin above it (your face) also matches the skin below it (your neck)., Even if you feel certain you know your shade, test out 3 different ones for comparison.
Choose the ones that most closely match your skin color.
Use enough of each one to get a good read on it – a tiny dab is not enough.
Use a streak about 2 inches (5 cm) long for testing.
The right foundation shade will disappear into your skin and look natural., The goal of concealer is to even out skin tone by targeting small areas, so inspect your face closely.
A common problem area for a lot of people is under the eye, due to the prevalence of dark circles.
Going 2 shades lighter to conceal dark areas should be the absolute maximum. 1 shade lighter is generally preferable to prevent the reverse raccoon eye look.Concealers with yellow tones will help to diminish the look of under eye circles., These tend to look good when applied anywhere on the face.
Always test and apply concealer in natural light to get an accurate read of the shade.Avoid flesh-toned concealers that have prominent pink, rose, peach, white, yellow, or copper shades in them. , Most people tend to have a slightly darker skin tone in the summer, so you’ll likely need 2 shades of concealer – one to match your summer tone and one to match your slightly paler winter tone.
In the fall and spring you can mix those to concealers together to get the perfect in-between shade.,,, Their use is based on basic color theory – colors opposite one another on the color wheel will cancel each other out.
For instance, green is directly across from red on the color wheel, so you can use a green concealer to neutralize redness.The color correction palette works like this:
Lavender neutralizes sallow/yellowness skin; Yellow offsets deep purple tones caused by dark circles and/or scarring; Green counteracts the redness caused by ruddiness, pimples and rosacea; Pink cancels out the blue cast on lighter skin tones; Orange/salmon counteracts blue, dark purple and/or grayish tones found in deeper skin tones. -
Step 3: Reference your jewelry collection.
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Step 4: Wrap a white towel around your face to examine your skin.
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Step 5: Exfoliate and moisturize your skin.
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Step 6: Wear white and be sure to test the makeup in good lighting.
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Step 7: Match the undertone of your skin first.
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Step 8: Match the color of your face
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Step 9: neck and décolletage.The neck tends to be the lightest
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Step 10: and the face and décolletage are usually slightly darker because they are exposed to more sunlight and elements.
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Step 11: Try 3 different shades to compare.Foundation shades usually fall somewhere on a loose spectrum of fair
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Step 12: moderately fair
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Step 13: medium
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Step 14: medium deep
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Step 15: deep and very deep.
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Step 16: Go 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone to neutralize dark areas.
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Step 17: Match your foundation exactly for concealing other areas of the face.Areas of redness and most other skin issues are best covered with a concealer that exactly matches your foundation/skin tone.If you have trouble matching them exactly
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Step 18: go for a neutral beige with faint yellow shades.
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Step 19: Adjust your chosen shade to match the seasons.
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Step 20: Go 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone for highlighting.To highlight
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Step 21: you'll need to apply a concealer 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone to the areas of your face that naturally catch the light – the top of the cheekbones
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Step 22: directly beneath the arch of the brow
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Step 23: down the center of the nose and the Cupid’s bow.Highlighting with concealer can help you sculpt your face and give it added dimension.
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Step 24: Go 1-2 shades darker than your skin tone for contouring.To contour
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Step 25: you'll need to apply a concealer 1-2 shades darker than your skin tone to the natural hollows of the face – right below the cheekbone
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Step 26: along the jawline and at the temple near the hairline.Highlighting and contouring are currently enjoying a surge of popularity
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Step 27: so you'll probably see contouring kits and other special products made for this on the market.However
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Step 28: all you really need to get this look are the right concealer shades.
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Step 29: Address specific discolorations with color correcting concealer.These concealers come in shades that are not flesh tones.
Detailed Guide
Your undertone is the true color of your skin, just beneath the surface.
Sun exposure, rosacea and acne can change the surface color of your skin, but the undertone never changesThere are 3 possible undertones – warm, cool and neutral.
Foundations and concealers are usually divided into one of those 3 categories.
These undertones are true for all nationalities.
Those with darker skin sometimes have undertones that look somewhat ashen or gray.
This is an olive skin tone, which falls under the neutral umbrella.
Blue is universal, so you need to determine whether your blue veins lean more towards purple or green in appearance.
Be sure to do this in natural lighting, since artificial lighting can change the way colors appear.Blue-purple veins indicate a cool undertone.
Blue-green veins indicate a warm undertone.
If you can't tell either way, this usually indicates a neutral undertone – both cool and warm undertones in equal parts., What do you have more of – gold jewelry or silver jewelry? If you often find yourself preferring gold jewelry because it looks more flattering on you, you probably have a warm undertone.
If you lean more towards silver jewelry because it seems to compliment you better, you probably have a cool undertone.
If you aren’t sure, check your skin in the mirror against both gold and silver jewelry.
If one doesn’t seem to flatter you more than the other, you probably have a neutral undertone., Look closely – do you see a particular tint? The white of the towel will make the undertone easier to detect.
This is only effective if your mirror gets natural light, since fluorescent bulbs can distort the skin’s true undertone and create a deceptive greenish tint.
A blueish tint indicates a cool undertone.
A yellowish tint indicate a warm undertone.
A greenish tint indicates a neutral undertone., Dirt, sweat and dead skin cells on your face can distort the way a foundation shade appears on your skin.
By exfoliating and moisturizing first, you are priming your skin to accept and accurately reflect the true shade of the foundation.
You should always do this before testing foundations., Wearing other colors can distort how you perceive your skin tone, so be sure to wear white when you’re testing shades.Always use good lighting and try to use more than one light source to confirm a shade looks consistent.
Natural light definitely needs to be one of your light sources, since it shows the shades most accurately. , Most brands will identify the complementary undertone right on the product label, so check that first.
If you are considering a brand that doesn’t provide the undertone information for you, there are certain keywords you can look for that will give you some clues.Words like beige, golden, tan, caramel, and chestnut usually correspond to warm undertones.
Terms like porcelain, rose, sable, and cocoa usually indicate cool undertones.
Descriptions like ivory, buff, nude, and praline usually indicate neutral undertones. , Even though all 3 won't match each other exactly, there will be a predominant shade that covers the most area.
Choose the foundation shade that looks closest to that predominant shade.
Test the foundation on both your face and your neck to ensure you’ll end up with even color.
Check your jawline after applying foundation.
Make sure the skin above it (your face) also matches the skin below it (your neck)., Even if you feel certain you know your shade, test out 3 different ones for comparison.
Choose the ones that most closely match your skin color.
Use enough of each one to get a good read on it – a tiny dab is not enough.
Use a streak about 2 inches (5 cm) long for testing.
The right foundation shade will disappear into your skin and look natural., The goal of concealer is to even out skin tone by targeting small areas, so inspect your face closely.
A common problem area for a lot of people is under the eye, due to the prevalence of dark circles.
Going 2 shades lighter to conceal dark areas should be the absolute maximum. 1 shade lighter is generally preferable to prevent the reverse raccoon eye look.Concealers with yellow tones will help to diminish the look of under eye circles., These tend to look good when applied anywhere on the face.
Always test and apply concealer in natural light to get an accurate read of the shade.Avoid flesh-toned concealers that have prominent pink, rose, peach, white, yellow, or copper shades in them. , Most people tend to have a slightly darker skin tone in the summer, so you’ll likely need 2 shades of concealer – one to match your summer tone and one to match your slightly paler winter tone.
In the fall and spring you can mix those to concealers together to get the perfect in-between shade.,,, Their use is based on basic color theory – colors opposite one another on the color wheel will cancel each other out.
For instance, green is directly across from red on the color wheel, so you can use a green concealer to neutralize redness.The color correction palette works like this:
Lavender neutralizes sallow/yellowness skin; Yellow offsets deep purple tones caused by dark circles and/or scarring; Green counteracts the redness caused by ruddiness, pimples and rosacea; Pink cancels out the blue cast on lighter skin tones; Orange/salmon counteracts blue, dark purple and/or grayish tones found in deeper skin tones.
About the Author
Charlotte Robinson
Enthusiastic about teaching DIY projects techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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