Double Jeopardy: How To Prevent Getting the Wrong Foundation Shade
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| One of the hardest thing for me since the time I got addicted to makeup was choosing the right foundation shade. I have a medium yellow skin tone. I am not fair nor morena/dark. Last Sunday, I got myself a new pressed powder from The Face Shop. I ran out of my 4u2 BB Powder again. I had been to six Watson's and the powder was always out of stock. I decided to try a new powder. Unfortunately, I got the wrong shade. The next shade was way too light for me. Yesterday, as a treat for myself after undergoing much stress during the trial I attended, I bought another powder. This time I got the Human Heart Nature Perfecting Mineral Foundation. I read reviews online and I decided to get it. Guess what? I got the wrong shade again. Double jeopardy indeed!!! |
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| I was enticed to buy this foundation because of the good reviews from Filipina Bloggers. I am wearing the foundation while typing this post. I must say that it has a very nice coverage and it feels so light on my skin. I opted to buy this because my skin was going crazy again. I always have rashes and small bumps on my face. I realized that I need to use products that are more skin friendly so I bought this mineral foundation. I am contemplating on whether I should buy the shade in Honey because I am really loving the texture and feel of this foundation. What do you think? |
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| I got the shade in Caramel. I swatched this on my jawline and it blended well on my skin. However, when I tried it on my whole face today, my faced look darker than usual.My neck was way lighter than my whole face. This foundation has a nice luminous glow because of its very subtle shimmers. |
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| The Face Shop Lovely Me:ex Angel Skin Powder Pact Can I say that this is super silky, soft smooth. The texture is so nice. For a pressed powder, this has a nice coverage. I am a silent fan of Korean Cosmetics. However, their color selection for foundations are very limited. Their darkest which is usually under the shade range no. 23 would always make me look like a ghost. I was excited to see that this powder pact has four shades. Again, I tested the powder on my jaw line and it disppeared. I was waiting for SA's to assist me that time but they were busy talking with each other. I got the shade in RB35 which is the third shade. Before paying the counter, I asked the SA if the color will suit me and she merely asked me if I am acidic. I immediately replied NO and she told me that this was perfect for me. Wrong!!! |
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| I decided to get a pressed powder because I wanted a lighter coverage. I also noticed that my face has been really dry lately. I have noticeably dry patches on my cheeks. |
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| The shade RB23 made me look like a living carrot. My face literally turned orange and it looks so unnatural on me. So how does one prevent getting the wrong shade of powder? 1. Know your undertones and shade range. I want to share with you these info I found online:
Cool Undertones
-Skin appears rosy, pink, or red in daylight -Looks best in blue, red, pink and purple clothing -Skin burns easily -Looks best in silver jewelry -In natural light, the color of the veins on the underside of the wrist is blue -A white shirt looks flattering on you
Warm Undertones:
-Skin appears golden or yellowish in daylight - Looks best in earth-toned clothing, such as browns, yellows, oranges, yellowish green and ecru - Skin tans easily and very rarely burns -Looks best in gold jewelry -In natural light, the color of the veins on the underside of the wrist is evidently green -An off-white, cream or ecru shirt looks flattering on you while pure white makes you look washed out
Olive Undertones:
-Skin appears bronze or has hint of green in daylight - Looks best in brown, green, orange, and beige clothing -Skin burns before it tans -Looks best in bronze or copper jewelry - In natural light, the color of the veins on the underside of the wrist is light green -A cream or light beige shirt looks flattering on you
Neutral Undertones:
-Skin has no obvious undertones, such as pink, olive or yellow -Can wear just about any color of clothing and jewelry - In natural light, the color of the veins on the underside of the wrist is a mix of blue and green, or purple
Credits to: Mineraux Skin Perfecting Minerals (http://www.mineraux.com.ph/makeup-guides/detemining-your-undertone-and-skin-tone/)
Also, find out if you have acidic skin. When you have acidic skin, your skin will react to makeup instantly. Foundations will definitely turn two shades darker than your skin tone.
2. Do not swatch the shade on your hand or wrist. Foundations are for the face not for your hand, girl! Swatch the powder on your jaw line and if it disappears, that is the best shade for you. Remember it should blend naturally on your skin and must not look like a mask.3 . However, the aforementioned trick may not work well due to lighting. This happened to me when I bought these powders. The lighting of the store greatly affects and alters the color of the makeup. I bought these powders with stores that have yellow lighting. The best thing is to check the shade under natural light. 4. If you are still unsure with your shade, try asking the SA to assist you. I am usually irritated with SAs that kept on following me while I am the makeup counters but sometimes, I have to admit that that I need them to answer my queries. You can also ask the SA to try the powder on your whole face. I often think that testers found on makeup counters are really unclean and unsanitized especially the tools used. (Does anyone think of this too?) I never had an SA tried a product directly on my whole face. I have a super sensitive skin and doing that would mean harakiri. I suggest that you bring your own brush or sponge if you really want to try the product. 5. Read reviews online. I developed the habit of reading reviews before buying products years ago. Thank heavens for beauty bloggers, makeup forums and makeup enthusiasts for their honest opinions and insights on beauty products.I have bought nice products without going to the counter by merely relying on their reviews. Unfortunately, you can't return products here in the Philippines. I ended up giving my powders to my mom. |
Godbless everyone!
A blog of young Filipina lawyer and Professional Makeup Artist who found interest in makeup and blogging during her law school life. Peek into her blog to get a dose of ramblings about life, beauty and everything in between.
22 comments
been there also. my skin is acidic so i always go for foundations lighter than my skin tone. when i got the right shade, my face will look darker than kapag matagal na sa mukha ko yung foundation.
ReplyDeleteHi Hazel!! Awww sayang naman.. :C Ako my skin tone is really hard to match.. alangan talaga
DeleteMost of the times, I end up getting the wrong shade. What a waste of money... Thank you for this!
ReplyDeleteYup!! I super agree with this.. :C
Deleteme too, thanks for the info :D
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome.. :)
DeleteI agree with everything you said sis. Ever since I started beauty blogging, I too developed a habit of checking out product reviews before purchasing them so that I won't waste my money on makeup that doesn't have good quality. I'm still in search for a similar shade as my MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in C40(not NC40), I can't seem to find a cheaper alternative. Although it took me almost a year to finish one compact, 1700pesos is still pricey for a powder foundation. Do you have any suggestions which brands I should look in to? I used to love FS two-way cake but, they don't have my exact shade, I've already tried both organza and chino.
ReplyDeleteAww.. Have you tried their FS cake foundation? My morena sorority sister have found her shade their.. :)
Deletesometimes what I do is I let the SA test it on the whole face then I go around the store for a while to see if it really matches my skin :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to do that too.. However, I really feel uncomfortable when SAs touch my face.. :X
DeleteSometimes I just hate SA's here in the country. Sometimes, they are just not helpful AT ALL. Good thing we have beauty bloggers now!
ReplyDeleteYes!! Agree talaga!! :)
DeleteDonna, try na lang kaya MAC kase they have exact shades. Sayang pera the ones you bought! Haha! Bakit ayaw mo na nung FS?
ReplyDeleteIvy
Ivy!!!! I wanted to get MAC Studio fix in powder form because I love the liquid one kaso nanghihinayang ako.. for sure kasi hindi magatatagal sa akin yung ng 1 years.. sabi nga ng friend ko kumakain at umiinom daw ako ng foundation kasi ang hilig ko magretouch!! hahahhaa nagsawa na ako sa FS!! haha yun lang ang rason.. adik ba?? mwah
DeleteTesters are horribly unsanitary!! >.< I always cringe when I see other girls using the testers directly on their face :(
ReplyDeleteI also read somewhere that it's better to test foundation on your neck since the color is more uniform than on our face :)
Wow!! This is a great tip!! I will try doing this next time.. Godbless you
DeleteHi sis, I have HHN's old foundies (the one in the gold compact) and those had a tendency to oxidize on my skin- baka itong new foundie ganun din. Thanks for sharing your experience and tips too. I want to get their new foundie eh and based on pics Caramel seemed like the closest shade for my skin tone, but now I know I should get Honey. Reward yourself girl, I say buy another compact in the correct shade. :)
ReplyDeleteOohh.. Now, I am partial in buying another HHN compact :C
DeleteSad that you didn't get the right shade for the Face Shop compact. I love those! I was able to use them for 8 months before I had to change powders. :)
ReplyDeleteYep. Product reviews are the best. I seldom buy products now that I haven't read about :) too bad the powders didn't work out so well.
ReplyDeleteI'm also uncomfortable testing the products here. I dunno. Maybe because most of the counters have unsanitary looking testers.
Yes testers here in our local counters look horrible!! esp the lipsticks!!!!!!! gosh!!
Deletehi girl..i've got rashes on my face ...i just use the lovely me:ex bb cream..and lovely me:ex angel skin powder pact..what should i do now...
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting my blog..
i really appreciate your comments.