Finding Your Perfect Shade (Your Guide to the Perfect Foundation Color)

When searching for the perfect foundation (base) color, the large variety of colors (shades) can be overwhelming. But no worries! We are here to help you find your perfect foundation color!

Step 1: Figure Out Your Undertone

What is an Undertone? Your undertone is the color from under your skin, like a hue. For example, when you look at these crayons they range from red with purple undertones (left) to red with orange undertones (right).

What's my undertone? There are 3 general undertones for skin: Cool (hints of blue/pink in your complexion), Warm (hints of yellow/orange), & Neutral (in between warm and cool, can mean you have a slightly olive/green undertone).

How do I figure this out? You can try the vein test: If your veins on your wrist look more green, you likely have a Warm undertone. If your veins look more blue, you likely have a Cool undertone. That is my favorite, but there are more methods if this doesn't work for you.

Step 2: Pick Your Shade

This may be intimidating, but just be sure to take your time and you'll get a great shade. I recommend going into the store to pick your perfect shade -- Online can be misleading and you could end up with a COMPLETELY different color than your skin tone.

I pick my shade by looking at the available colors and finding the 3-4 colors that look close to my skin color. BE SURE TO REMEMBER YOUR SKIN TONE -- most products are labeled by "cool," "neutral," or "warm" to help you out. If you're not 100% positive that you've picked the right undertone, no worries! That's what a swatch test is for!

Now is for the most fun part -- SWATCHES. Take those few colors and wipe a small amount in a line on the top of your hand (I prefer the top of my hand to my wrist because this area is closest to the color of my face). Out of those shades, choose whichever blends into your skin most! This is the color that once you've placed it on your skin, you almost couldn't find where it was.

Step 3: Buy Your Perfect Shade

I cannot say this loud enough -- YOU DO NOT NEED EXPENSIVE HIGH-END MAKEUP TO START. I've been wearing makeup for years and even worked at Sephora for a period of time, and I STILL swear by my Maybelline foundation. Do not let others make you feel like you need to break your pockets to execute a great face of makeup. You're learning and you are still trying to find what works for you, once you've got that then you should choose to splurge, but I wouldn't waste the money now.

I hope this helped you ladies! Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, you'll find what works for you!