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5 Tips On Finding The Perfect Foundation Shade

Lord knows black women and makeup have a love-hate relationship. When it comes to foundation, most brands didn’t carry various shades for dark skin women ack in the day. Today, it’s a different story. Now, larger brands like Maybelline and Fenty offer a wider range of shades for black women. Despite the change, choosing the right shade is a hard process. Now that we have more options to choose from, figuring out what your perfect shade is can seem more intimidating. It comes down to knowing your skin and what look you are going for. If you are having trouble, check out these five tips on finding the perfect foundation shade:

Find Out What Your Skin Undertone Is

Not the easiest task but finding out your skin’s undertone is the first step towards finding the right foundation shade for you. Undertones range from warm (gold or yellow), neutral (olive), to cool ( blue, pink, or red). One way to figure out what undertone you have is to check the veins in your wrist. If your veins are green, you are a warm toned. If they are blue, then you are considered cool toned. Another trick is to stand in front of a white background and see what undertones stand out. Still having trouble? Visit your local cosmetics store. A beautician can help you find out exactly what your undertone is and help you select the best foundation for you!

Know Your Skin Type

Sadly, not every foundation is made the same. Some foundations are spcefically tailored for sensitive, dry, and oily skin. Knowing your skin type will help you decide on what type of finish you want from your foundation. If you have oily or combination skin, you might want to go for a more mattifying finish. If your skin is more on the drier side, look for a hydrating foundation. Be careful if you are going for a more dewy look. Too much gloss can make the skin greasy. If a dewy look is what you want, be sure to prep the skin beforehand and use a mattifying powder to remove any excess oil.

Figure Out What Coverage You Want

This comes down to personal preference. Some ladies prefer a full coverage for special occasions. Others may want to go for light to medium coverage to have a more natural look. The latter allows you to build it up to your liking. The choice is yours!

Choose Your Shade

Okay! Now that the fundamentals are out of the way, you’re ready to choose a shade. First, look for brands that offer a wide range of shades, especially for darker skin tones. Try to narrow your options down to 2-3 shades. If possible, do a quick swatch on your wrist to see how the foundation treats your skin. Do not match the foundation shade with the color of your wrist because that part of the body is usually 2 shades lighter than most parts of the body. Try to match the shade with the color of your neck or chest. Doing this will ensure the foundation on your face will match your body almost seamlessly. 

Mix and Match If Necessary

Sometimes using one shade of foundation just isn’t going to cut it. There are couple of reasons for this. You may need to go a shade lighter or darker during the summer and winter months. You may even have to switch up foundations entirely, depending on the condition of your skin type. Also, you may have cooler and warmer tones on various parts of the face. This isn’t uncommon. No matter the situation, its wise to have 2 or three different kinds of foundation on deck. Then play around with those options to see what works.

When you are a black woman, finding the perfect foundation shade can be tiresome. You may have to try sample after sample of foundation at a time. But when you find the one that’s right for you after following these tips, it will all be worth it.

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