Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Foundation WTF?

Hey there guys.

Today I wanted to talk to you all about a little .. okay a HUGE dilemma I've been facing the majority of my life. Foundation WTF disorder.
I've read up on the subject and learned that pretty much the #1 most common mistake is using the incorrect shade of foundation for your skin tone.

Here's the thing, wearing the wrong foundation color makes the body and face appear different in color.This causes the makeup to look "masky" , the wrong shade of foundation can make you look sickly, too pale, like you're sporting a bad fake tanning/bronzing product, enhance wrinkles, and essentially do the exact opposite of what we want to show off. In short, it's working for the opposing team.

That being said, I have NEVER in my life found the correct shade for my skin tone. I'm not sure weather I just can't see the slight variants of  shades in the bottle, or what. But .. In that area I'm a total Noob. I need some help and advice from you guys If you could help me, I would be forever grateful.

The first thing is to determine what you are looking for in a foundation and what would suit your skin type.

1) I have normal-dry skin (tends to lead closer to dry in most seasons)
2) I have slight redness in my cheeks & on my nose I want to cover as well as I like my foundation to cover imperfections in the skin so I assume I want a med-full coverage foundation.
3.) I do not have oily skin,  but I do like a matte looking, "airbrushed" appearance foundation for daily use. In the heat of summer if Im going to be outside, I generally skip foundation as I sweat underneath it and it causes breakouts. And looks like poo melting off my face! But I would rather wear it than skip it, so If I find one that's lightweight enough.. maybe I change this habit.
4) I am extremely fair skinned. Every foundation I've ever tried.. (and that's a lot) Has been either WAY too yellow, too ashy, too dark, too bronze and so on and so fourth.
5) I would like a foundation that is oil-free,contains SPF or sunscreen and is hypoallergenic if possible. (The sunscreen I like to double up on if I can, as the moisturizer I use also has an SPF.)

Foundation is expensive. Its one of the most if not the most expensive investments in my makeup bag. I'm sure EVERY woman is sick of wasting countless amounts of money on shades that are just not right for them. I now have given up on foundation at this point and have just started wearing finishing powder only. This SUCKS. It has no coverage (aside from looking a little more finished as far as my face goes) Its not meant for replacing foundation. I do use moisturizer before applying anything on my face, but even so, most days just wearing finishing powder makes my skin look dry instead of supple and healthy.

So here is a photo. Its a naked faced me. In direct natural light. It is overcast because .. well I live in Seattle and I've heard somewhere that it rains a lot here. HAHA. I love the rain though so it's nice.

If someone out there is good with color matching, please suggest color, brand and type of foundation below in the comments. I will be using these suggestions to purchase samples and HOPEFULLY finding a holy grail foundation. Its been far too long without one!

Thanks for reading! <3's ~ Kitty

8 comments:

  1. Have you tried mineral foundations? Meow has some really fair shades. I have a Tricia Sawyer foundation that has amazing coverage with just a little applied with a brush if applied correctly. The fair comes with 2 shades you can mix to help match your face. Just some ideas...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Peace! , Ive posted on the Meow cosmetics board as well.. Hoping to get a better idea of what would work for me shade wise. They have so many shades I am hoping to get a close match on there! :D Im just not sure if Mineral foundation will be too drying for me?

    ReplyDelete
  3. My skin is very dry. I use the Flawless Feline one, which is supposed to be the highest coverage. Usually it is fine for me as long as I keep my skin well moisturized. In the coldest days of winter, I do find it too drying and that is when I switch to Tricia Sawyer or Dior.

    I think I am a tad darker than you (but not much, I am fair too). The shade I use is Siamese (Neutral) Frisky (2). I prefer a neutral because it still covers the redness in my skin without casting yellow or pink tones. If you read Phyrra's blog, I believe she is a level 2 - Frisky as well. So, maybe try Frisky - 2 and Sleek - 1 to see which you fall better into.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey MrsKittyKaboom! Check your email! I have sent you something very exciting!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. So sorry but I'm not so good in makeup things =/ hope the others can help you more and good luck :) just want to say i like you eye color :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Phyrra from Phyrra.net, Grey of Legothique.com and Ana from Lipsticksandlightsabers.com all have very pale skin. I know Phyrra loves Meow... I can't remember what Ana/Grey wear but I'm sure you can find the info on their site :)

    I find there is actually a LOT of info in the blogosphere for pale-skinned ladies. However when I try to find something for my oily, olive-y skin? Nooo such luck.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Foundation is a nightmare!

    I tend to just use concealer and a translucent face powder to set because I find foundation on my skin can feel too heavy. I will wear it on a night out though.

    You could get MAC Face and Body foundation in White to add to a foundation you already have to lighten it up to match your skin tone. I'm sure it's only a Pro product but as far as I know you CAN buy pro products without a MAC pro card, you just wont get the Pro discount. You just have to ring the MAC Pro number and place an order over the phone.

    Or you can search for other brands that sell a White foundation. A lot of makeup artists use this technique of mixing in white foundation to match the colour to their models skin.

    Hope this helps!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Have you looked at Illamasqua's range? They have some really pale shades, plus they carry ones with neutral undertones.

    I've had the same dilemma. I'm slightly pink in the face, which makes it darker than my neck. There, I'm more neutral. Whenever I go to MAC, they try to match me to an NW20, which looks silly on me.

    I've tried all four of the Illamasqua formulas. The Light Liquid is good for dry skin but I found it very hard to blend & it's fairly sheer coverage. Their Rich Liquid is superb for full coverage. It's not at all heavy, blends well & stays on during a night out. It also makes your skin look amazing in pictures.

    ReplyDelete