5 Things to Consider Before Choosing a Foundation | Mildura Boudoir

Makeup Tips by Vee | 5 Things to Consider Before Choosing a Foundation

It can be overwhelming trying to choose a foundation colour that matches your skin tone, let alone choosing a brand. Vee walks us through some steps to consider before you buy.

1.       Cruelty Free & Vegan friendly

We don’t like the thought of cruelty towards animals so that’s why I choose to purchase cruelty free and vegan friendly makeup, including brushes, foundation, primer, eye shadow and lipstick. To be cruelty free means there is no animals harmed during the making of the brushes/products and vegan approved means the product is not tested on animals and are not made from animal products.
Below are a few of my favourite’s and all Cruelty Free Brands:
Kat Von D – Vegan
Lime Crime - Vegan
Tarte – Vegan Product Range
Fenty –Vegan Product Range
Anastasia Beverly Hills – Vegan Product Range
Huda Beauty – Some Vegan Options
Morphe - Some Vegan Options

2.       Skin matching

Skin matching can be a nightmare, so my advice is definitely getting a second opinion and go to a pro. The goal is to have a foundation that looks as close as possible to your natural skin tone and getting one to match your skin type. Never test on your hand, you need to test your jaw line and utilize the natural light. Take into consideration if you like to fake tan as well, it’s a good idea to have a second colour for those occasions, and remember your skin tone can change with the weather; you won’t always be able to wear the same colour all year round. In saying this, different brands and foundations will have different formulas and for different skin types –oily, dry, normal and combination skin types, below is more info on skin types. If you are unsure just ask a professional and in future you know what to look for.

3.       Identify your undertone

If you are just starting out in the world of makeup you may not understand what the term “undertone” is, and that is okay! I hope that this can help you. Skin tone and Undertone are two different things, skin tone can change and undertone remains the same. Undertones are the colours beneath the surface of your skin, looking at the colour of your veins will help.

There are three classifications for undertones.
Warm – Peachy, yellow golden tones and green Veins
Cool –Pink, red or blue tones and blue/purple Veins
Neutral – mixture of tones vein colour you’re probably more neutral.

4.       Know your coverage level

From little to full coverage can be a big difference.
Sheer Coverage - Is the most transparent and contains the least amount of pigment. This will not hide discolouration or blemishes but can minimise contrast between discolouration and the rest of the skin.
Light Coverage - Can cover unevenness and small blemishes on the skin.
Medium Coverage - Can cover discolouration, marks on the skin, freckles and blemishes.
Full coverage - Very opaque foundation that can cover hyper-pigmentation, cover birthmarks, tattoos, scars, vitiligo.

These foundations don’t have to be used for all of these purposes, you can use them to use what you like and are comfortable with. I personally go for a medium coverage that can end up being a full coverage after its layered or just a full coverage.

5.       Skin types and conditions

Combination - Mix of skin types, oil in the T-Zone with areas of dryness
Oily Skin - Heightened sebum production giving a  glossy shine and visible pores.
Dry Skin - Lack of sebum making the skin feel dehydrated/rough, flaky and tight.  
Normal - Well balanced skin - Smooth feeling with no dry spots or oiliness

Remember: Always remove your makeup at the end of the day and before going to bed. Leaving it on is not allowing your skin to breathe and can lead to bacteria and clogging your pores.

I don’t encourage anyone to hide who they are when wearing foundation or makeup, but I encourage you to do what makes you happy and have fun in the process.
Remember you are beautiful with or without it.