How to choose foundation if there are no testers in the store

How helpless do we feel when we can’t try a new makeup product in the store? Yea. Very. That’s why testers were invented, so we can go home feeling happy and assured we picked just right. But what happens when there are no testers in sight?

Worry not. Even when it comes to foundation, a product that has to completely blend with your skin so you’ll look perfect, not perfectly made up, there are solutions. So next time you’re at a drugstore and all the little bottles are sealed shut, it won’t erase your smile. You’ll know just what to do.

“Know your skin tone,” says Marianne Skiba, makeup artist for movies and TV. “If you are unsure what your tone is, grab some paint chips next time you’re in a hardware or home store. Get yellow, blue, olive green and red. Hold the chips up to your face one at a time and see which color appear in your skin. That will be your undertone.”

“Next, take that chip to the drugstore, hold it up against the foundation bottles and find one that seems to blend,” adds Skiba. “The best way to determine if you chose correctly is to apply the foundation to your jawline.” Nicole Lundy, leading makeup expert, notes that when running this test at the store you should grab a mirror from an aisle and go to the front of the store where there is more natural light. This will help you see which shade looks more like the skin on your face.

Not hitting Home Depot any time soon? Meaghan Smeen, editorial makeup artist at Mania Hair Studio, has an alternative suggestion. “Grab two pieces of clothing in black and in brown and hold them up to your face. This will help you determine whether your skin tone is warm or cool. If you look better in black then you are a cool skin tone, if brown is more flattering, you’re warm. This can be done with silver and gold, too.” Once you know your tone, follow Skiba’s advice on matching foundation to it at the store.

If after all of this you’re debating between two options, opt for the slightly lighter one. Remembercelebrity makeup artist Jake Bailey’s advice: It’s better to go with a shade lighter than your skin tone because once it sets, it’ll get a little darker.

From the Blush by Liat Fornowski Posted by Mags