Hi Beauties,

I thought i'd share with you some simple tips on selecting a foundation suitable for your skin type and needs. Although i am no expert, i have come to with this knowledge from personal experience and i believe these tips would go a long way to help select the right product and save the much needed cash. Often times i have gone to buy foundation that i have regretted simply because it was not what i was looking for or i felt it did not suit me or the shade or undertone was not right. Prior to this i had no idea on different formulations of products or undertones. If i saw that i liked a foundation a friend wore i'd go get the same regardless of the fact that we would have different skin types and undertones. Trial and error was costly and these tended to go to waste. Anyways if you are going through the exact same challenge below are some tips and tricks.

Foundations come in various formulas:

Creams, powders, liquids, gel, cream-to-powders, etc

In my opinion selection of the right type of foundation for yourself depends on 3 most important factors:

Another factor that plays a role of course is Budget; how much you can afford as the the price range for foundations vary from very cheap to very expensive. It all depends on your pocket.

This is how light or thick the foundation is and how much it covers the skin.

Sheer Coverage:

Enhances your natural look whiles allowing your skin to show through. Using a foundation with sheer or light coverage means that  your imperfections would be shown hence unsuitable for anyone with blemishes but rather for those with relatively good skin who want a natural look.

Medium Coverage

This kind of coverage would cover some blemishes and still allow some skin to show through whiles giving that polished look.

Full Coverage

As the name suggests, fully and heavily covers blemishes and suitable for blemish prone skin.

As i stated above there are several formulations of foundation the finish refers to the effect on the skin after application. Basically your skin type comes to play as it determines what type of foundation you should have.  To find out more about skin types click here.

Matte

This finish provides NO shine or sheen. Its very suitable for oily and combination skin types.

Dewy

This type of finish provides some sheen and does not set matte. Its very suitable for dry skin.

Demi/Semi Matte

This type of finish gives a semi matte semi dewy look. Suitable for normal skin types

This refers to the natural tint reflecting your skin colour. This varies from person to person. The best way to tell whether you are warm cool or neutral toned is to check the inside or underside of your arm. Search for the colour of veins. Cool toned have slightly bluish or reddish  veins whiles warm toned have slightly greenish veins. Warm toned are slightly yellowish, cool toned are slightly pinkish or bluish whiles neutral toned can go either way. We sometimes make mistakes by misjudging someones foundation shade to be same as ours using just their skin colour without checking their undertones, it is the undertones that make a huge difference to ensuring that we get our correct shade. The fact that a friend with a similar skin colour is wearing a particular shade does not mean that you would also wear the same unless your undertones are similar.

Warm tones are yellowish, orangish or reddish

Neutral tones are slightly pinkish

Cool tones are more bluish

Tips on Purchashing

These are the basic factors that influence your decision in purchasing the right products, usually the finish and coverage are easy whiles the undertones can be quite tricky. What i would advise is to go to a shop that allows you to test the shades in order not to waste money. Your budget too is another factor which would determine whether to go in for a high end brand or drugstore brand. You can always check reviews of products online prior to purchase to see what people are saying about it, but remember what would work for A might not work for B. Also most importantly is your skin type. Having an oily skin means you cannot wear a moisturizing foundation likewise having a dry skin means you cannot go in for a matte foundation as it would further dry out your skin. You should pay particular attention to product labels to be sure as to determine what the product says. I'll address in another post the different types of foundation so be on the lookout for that as well.

What tips do you have for selecting your foundation? Please feel free to comment, ask questions and share. Until next time, keep the fabulosity levels rising.

xoxo, Annette