Finding the perfect foundation shade has been a major struggle for me in the past. Many times I threw money out the window, buying a shade that was either too light or too dark for my skin color. Trust me, been there, done that. And I can bet I’m not the only one.

So much money wasted, plus the extra worries of looking like either a ghost or an oompa-loompa. And the huge amounts of product used just to cover up the neck and cleavage. You know, so people wouldn’t spot the difference.

Oh well, I recently started to be a lot more careful, so now I can finally find the perfect color match every time. That’s why I’ve gathered a few tips and tricks that I want to share with you.

You might be familiar with some of them, but I hope you’ll still learn something new. And of course, let me know what are your own personal tips, so we can help the other girls as well.

But first, is there anything you can still do with your current foundations?

The good news is that YES, you can still get the perfect color, even if you own some not-quite-there foundation shades. How?

1. Sometimes it’s enough to just mix two different foundation colors, to achieve the perfect shade for your skin. Try a few combinations until you find the winner. Just make sure you pick two foundations with similar texture and coverage, to avoid getting messy or patchy.

You can mix them on the hand, before applying on the skin, but that might make you waste too much product – since some liquid products tend to dry very quickly on the skin. Another option is to buy a stainless steel face make-up palette. They are not exactly cheap, but make-up artists use them all the time. The best thing? You can also use this tool to create new lipstick or eyeshadow colors, just by mixing a few different shades.

2. Buy the Shade Adjusting Drops from The Body Shop, to darken or lighten the foundation color with a few tones. This is a new launch, but the reactions were very positive so far. And I also spotted a similar option on the NYX Cosmetics website, the Pro Foundation Mixer (available in 6 shades) – “designed to adjust the tone, shade and finish of any liquid foundation, resulting in a truly perfect match“.

3. If nothing works, don’t throw them away just yet. You can just use the too-dark foundation shade to contour the face, and the too-light foundation shade as a concealer (if it has enough coverage) or to highlight the high points of the face.

Now, do you want to buy a new foundation, but you’re not sure how to find the perfect color match?

Well, first of all, you have to do a proper research.

4. Before buying anything, try to hunt for mini samples – you can get them at Sephora, in glossy magazines, etc. You can even buy them from certain online stores. For example, on makeup-shop.ro, you can buy packs of mini-samples for several Lioele BB and CC creams.

5. Check tutorials and reviews of women who have (more or less) the same skin color as you do. Search for bloggers, vloggers and make-up artists that use the product you want to buy. And then you can see what shade they picked, how it looks like on their skin, and what do they think about it (does it oxidate, is it a good match or do they need to mix it with another product).

I know it can be tricky to figure it out, since some of them use heavy lights in their videos, or heavy filters on their Instagram pictures, but keep searching until you find an accurate description of the color.

6. Check your shade on findation.com. This tool will give you suggestions about the perfect shade for any foundation, based on your current match with several products. It’s amazing, I can’t believe I just recently discovered it!

7. Something similar is also available on the Ulta Shade Finders section, for brands like L’Oreal, Maybelline, Lancome, Bare Minerals, etc.

So now that you’ve done your research, it’s testing time!

8. Test the foundation on the jawline/ neck, not on the hand, to make sure the color is a good match. And don’t just buy it instantly, wait a few minutes before taking it off, to see if it oxidates or not.

9. If the product is more expensive, you can consider getting a free make-up session, to see how it looks on your skin before buying it. High-end professional brands like Nars or Mac provide this service in their stores.

10. If you can’t decide between two shades, I think it’s better to always buy the lighter shade, instead of the darker one. Just think about it: if your foundation is too light, you can warm it up with a little pigmented pressed powder or with bronzer. But if it’s too dark, it will look fake and cakey, so don’t take the risk.

I really hope this was helpful and that you learned some new things today. And if you’re still not sure what’s the perfect foundation shade for you, please watch this amazing video created by Lisa Eldrige.

What are your tips & tricks to find the perfect foundation color match?

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