The Secrets of Buying Face Makeup
It happened again: After spending hours looking for the right face makeup, you bought a foundation that doesn't match your skin
tone. Here's a minor comfort: Getting the right foundation shade is one
of the most difficult beauty products purchases a woman can make. But
Helga Surat, president of About Faces Day Spa & Salon in Tow son,
Md., says your quest will be easier if you do some homework first.
Suit It to Your Skin Type
Before choosing a foundation, "determine your skin type," Surat says. "Is it dry skin, oily, combination, sensitive, or prone to breakouts?"
- Dry skin: It looks dull since it lacks oil, and it reflects light poorly. It may itch, be irritated easily, and be prone to scaly or flaky patches.
- Oily skin: It looks shiny, feels greasy, and may have larger pores than normal skin.
- Combination skin: In this very common skin type, cheeks are dry, but the T-zone (your forehead, nose and chin) is oily.
Choose the Right Formula
Look for foundations designed to do the best job of enhancing your complexion:
- People with dry, combination, and normal skin can use emollient-based foundations. Look for the words "liquid," "tinted moisturizer," "cream," or cream-to-powder."
- Powder-based-foundations can be used by people with oily, combination, or normal skin. If you have dry skin, avoid this type as it will highlight wrinkles and dryness.
- Moisture-rich or hydrating foundations are good for dry skin. They moisten your skin and help you avoid a feeling of tightness or irritation.
- Oil-control, oil-free, water-based, or matte foundations can be used by those with oily or combination skin. These formulas reduce the appearance of oil, making your face look less shiny.
- Light-reflecting foundations are best for dry or more mature faces. They provide a surface that allows light to reflect off your skin and brightens dull or dry complexions.
- Line-smoothing foundations fill in facial lines to reduce their appearance and DE-emphasize wrinkles.
- Color-matching foundation comes in different shades that adjust to and blend with your skin tone — perfect if invisible coverage is your goal. Look for formulas with more or less oil, depending on your skin type.
Consider the Degree of Face Makeup Coverage
Choose a formula with light, medium, or full coverage, depending on how many imperfections you'd like to "erase."
- Light coverage. Some liquid formulas and tinted moisturizers offer light coverage that creates a natural look.
- Medium coverage. This formula still looks natural but can conceal blemishes and age spots. Powders, liquids, cream-to-powder, and mineral-based foundations all come in medium coverage.
- Full coverage. Women who want to cover skin discoloration, scars, and other imperfections should consider this option. "Cream in a stick or compact form, cream-to-powder, powder foundation, and mineral-based formulas are your best bets," says Pam Messy, a makeup consultant with the cosmetics firm Mary Kay.
Find the Right Color
"Foundation is made with a yellow, a pink/red, or a neutral
undertone," Surat explains. "You want a foundation to match your
skin's undertone. One way to determine your skin's undertone tone is to
look at the veins in your wrist in sunlight or quartz lighting, which
gives a truer color rendition. If they are blue, then you have a cool
undertone. If they look green, then you have a warm undertone." Women of
color generally have a warm undertone.
Take the Face Makeup Test
Don't take the word of a salesperson when testing a
foundation's color. Test it yourself. A common mistake is to test the
foundation on your hand, rather than your face. "You don't wear
foundation on your hand, so why to test it there?" says Messy. "The best
place to test foundation is just above your jaw line. Dab on a little
product, blend, and see how the color looks on your skin."
Where you test beauty products is also important. If you try a
product in a drugstore with fluorescent lighting, you may not see its
true color or how it will really change the appearance of your skin.
Fluorescent lights have low red light and high green light. Normal skin
tones have lots of green. If the makeup has green elements, the problem
is exaggerated. Some makeup mirrors have adjustments for different types
of lighting, but they are not usually available in stores.
Consider bringing a large hand mirror with you and stepping outside to look at the shade in natural light.
As for the best place to buy your beauty products, there are pros
and cons to each kind of store. Messy and Surat agree that if you can
afford to, go to a reputable makeup artist who will likely have the
proper lighting for foundation selection and good products. If you go to
a department store, you may be able to get free samples to try at home,
but these brands can be expensive. The drugstore probably won't have
samples for you, but their beauty products are more affordable, and many
chains have recently started adding department store-quality lines to
their offerings.
The next time you need to buy foundation, remember to focus on what
you want your foundation to do for your skin. Do some investigative
work to find the right formula for your face. Odds are that your
shopping trip may actually turn out to be fun and successful — just as
should be!