Choosing foundation colour online

Choosing your foundation colour online may be one of the most challenging things to do yourself, especially if you’re not trained to figure out what skin tone you have. You’ll need to know a few things to be a boss at choosing colours online that suit your skin all year round.

Here are 5 easy tips to choose your best foundation colour online

1. What is your basic skin tone?

Most people fall within the three basic skin tones: Cool, Warm or Neutral

Have a look at the underside of your arm and check the veins colour. If they show through blue you’ve got blue undertones and a cool skin tone. Green denotes yellow undertones and a warm skin tone. If you can’t see the veins at all, chances are your skin tone is neutral.

Keep in mind that as the skin ages, it can start looking a bit sallow, meaning that more yellow tones show through over time.

2. Look for underlying redness

Another thing to consider when choosing your foundation colour is the amount of redness in your skin. If there is sun damage, rosacea or fine lines and blotches due to dehydration, redness may still show through a perfect colour match. Check out my post about cleaning the skin correctly to take care of this.

Do you have tiny capillaries showing around your nose, on the cheeks or chin?

To cover broken capillaries it is best to use a concealer that is a shade lighter than your skin but in the same colour family — warm, cool or neutral. Dab or lightly brush on the concealer to the affected areas first and then apply foundation on top. Finish with pressed or loose mineral powder for staying power.

3. Do you have sun spots or pregnancy mask?

If you have sun spots, darker areas on the skin, pregnancy mask or uneven colour around the eyes or sides of the face and neck two foundation colours may work best. Use one to cover darker pigmented areas and the other for your normal skin tone.

4. How does your computer monitor display colour?

Sometimes computer screens display colour differently. To check the screen’s colour compatibility, take a photo of your current foundation (if you have one) in natural light and compare it to the that product on your computer screen in natural light if possible as well. Does the colour appear to have more red, green or blue in it? That will help you get the colour you need.

5. Consult a professional online

Finally, find a reputable online source for information about how to choose the correct foundation colour for your skin tone. JaneIredale.ca is not only my favourite mineral makeup line, they are a great resource too. Check them out here.

I could go on about the benefits of mineral makeup because not only is it is my go to for the most natural look with great coverage but it benefits my skin with natural sun protection and ingredients that benefit my skin. In fact, there is so much goodness in using mineral makeup that I’ll write another post about it soon.

So there you have it! Now that you have a good understanding about how to choose your foundation colour online, I’d love to hear how it went. Keep in touch!

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Disclosure: I am a licensed skin care therapist and makeup artist. If you decide to purchase any products via links above I will receive a small commission which helps maintain this website.