We’ve been swatching fifty shades (or more) of foundation at the back of our wrists for as long as we could remember: 

 trying to find that prefect one!  

Such a dilemma of our times, isn’t it? Well sometimes we wish we had our own beauty expert to assist us in such tedious tasks. Well, ahem! That is exactly why we are here… We don’t want you to be wondering “is this the one” the whole while as you hover your curser over our foundation range. At some point you will end up buying a foundation and we want you to make sure it’s of the right color and texture. Make sense? 😊 

Alright, let’s start with the foundation type. 

You may not have thought about this before but let us tell you why finding the perfect foundation starts with understanding your skin type. There are in fact different varieties for this simple reason: 

there are different skin types that requires different textures of foundation. 

Remember back in the day most women used powder foundation? (Some of us still do). It’s excellent to use over your daytime moisturizer to mattify your look while adding subtle luminescence. This form of foundation – pressed or loose powder, should be avoided if your skin is either too oil or flaky dry. 

Cream – powder compact foundations are for normal to mildly dry or oily skin. It tends to be heavier than the other types therefore you must see if your skin type could handle a heavy foundation without looking too cakey. However, it blends quite well with a brush or sponge and offers a semi-matte finish. We recommend this as a on-the-go touch up foundation if you are not a big fan of the whole dewy finish.  

The Chinese stick foundation is another variety which sometimes can look quite waxy to be used on oily skin as it could cause clogged pores and even worsen breakouts. It is most certainly not recommended for mature skin as it tends to crease up wrinkles and fine lines. There are also Tinted Moisturizers and BB Creams which we will touch on a different day. 

If you prefer a foundation that glides through your skin giving you a light coverage during the day but if an occasion calls for a littler more, something that is totally buildable, sheer foundation will be the best. It is recommended for those with normal to dry skin. 

For those who have acne prone or oily skin, you must use a foundation that is mattifying or oil free. As the ingredient present in this type of foundation happens to be water (not oil), they tend to dry much quicker therefore you must be blended as soon as it’s applied. We recommend you use a moisturizer or primer to add a thin layer of hydration before you apply the foundation. 

The second step of the process is to determine you skin tone and undertone. 

• Skin tone 

Your skin tone in other words is the natural color of your complexion. Although this can vary from fair to deep brown most Sri Lankan tones tend to be in the range of medium to brown. However, let’s see how we could simply determine your skin tone. 

Fair – More of a porcelain doll color.

Light – more of a pale complexion.

Medium – not too dark but lighter. Sun-kissed dewy complexion.

Deep – Dark complexion. 

This is simple, just try not to over think it. Concentrate near you jaw line instead of your cheeks when determining your skin color as cheeks can be more pigmented with natural blush! 

• Undertone

If this sounds foreign to you, just read through. We will explain. Simply put undertones are the hues that reflects through our skin tone creating an overall hue that is either cool, warm or neutral. 

Well, let’s see if we could get a better analysis of our undertone by following a few methods. 

• Look at your veins 

If your veins appear more blue or purple – cool undertones.

If your veins appear green – warm undertones.

If you belong to neither – most likely neutral 

• Think of colors that compliments your skin

Do you recall everyone complementing you when you were wearing colors like brown, dark green or orange? Well in that case you are most likely warm undertoned. On the other hand, if your friend keeps telling you how that pastel color dress looks on you or pink top seemed to add some glow to your face; you are most likely cool undertoned. 

If you are complemented day-in and day-out despite what color you wear. You are the lucky one! You are most certainly neutral. 

Now to our final step of finding the perfect shade of foundation. 

Now that we have understood the basics this shouldn’t be all that tricky. Look for a foundation shade that complements your undertone. We recommend the L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation as it highly bendable and comes in all three undertones. 

If you have a different brand in mind and would like to physically walk into a store to make your purchase, we suggest you match your foundation with the color of your upper chest. As we apply foundation, we usually apply it on our face and neck. Therefore, it is important that color harmoniously match with the skin tone and undertone of your upper chest area. If you are not sure, always go darker so you don’t come looking overly white. 

Tip : Always start with a fresh face. Use a good cleanser and clean your face before you apply anything on your face.

Foundation as the literal meaning suggest, is the first step of your makeup routine therefore has to be flawless. Suppose you have some tips and tricks up your sleeve that you don’t mind sharing with us, we would love to hear.