Choosing a Foundation

If it's your first time to buy a foundation, here are some things to consider when choosing one.

1. Skin Undertones.          Skin Color and Skin Undertone are two different things. Skin undertone is like a layer under your skin. Your skin color may change but your undertone doesn't. It will help you a lot when choosing foundations, blushes or lipsticks.
          There are 3 types of skin undertone, cool, warm and neutral. There are also 3 easy ways to determine your skin undertone.

     A. Blue or Green? Look at the color of your veins in your wrist preferably using natural light. If they appear to be bluish/violet, your undertone is cool. If it's greenish then it is warm. If it's a combination of both, your undertone is neutral.
         I had a hard time determining mine because when you look at my left wrist, the veins are blue, if you look at my right wrist, the veins are green but I figured it out using natural light. It's green.

     B. Silver or Gold? What color of jewelry flatters your skin without considering your personal preference? If silver melts in your skin, your undertone is cool. If it's gold that flatters yours then your undertone is cool. If it's both, your undertone is neutral.
         I prefer white gold jewelries but I have a gold ring which blends with my skin.

     C. Blue or Pink? What color of clothes do you prefer? If you gravitate towards blue and white colors, your undertone is cool. If you receive more compliments on orange or pinks, your undertone is warm. If both, then your undertone is neutral.
         If you look at my wardrobe, it's all black, gray, blue and white. But A and B points me to Warm undertone.


     It can get really confusing. Not all people with fair skin has cool undertones and similarly, not all people with dark skin have warm undertone. If you're having a hard time distinguishing things, you're probably neutral.


     Foundation colors are usually warm, cool or neutral based. M.A.C. classifies their foundations as NW (Neutral Warm) for cool undertones and NC (Neutral Cool) for warm undertones. Followed by a number that indicates the depth of the shade.

2. Skin Color
          Now this is easier to determine, just look in the mirror and voila! You can see your skin color. When matching foundation shades, match it against the skin below your cheeks. (jaw part) The color should blend perfectly.

3. Skin Type
         For oily skin, you're better off with powder foundation. For dry skin, try liquid foundation. I personally prefer powder foundation because I have oily skin and I feel like liquid foundation will just melt under the heat with our country's temperature. So a foundation with SPF protection would be a good idea as well.

4. Acidity
         If you're acidic like me, foundation seems to darken after sometime so the foundation should be one shade lighter than your skin tone.

5. Budget and Availability
         If budget is not an issue, try MAC, Rimmel London, Lancome, Revlon or Cover Girl. If you're into cheap thrills like me, try Maybeline, Ever Bilena or Pixy.

I'm not claiming to be an expert or anything. Just want to share what I learned.

References:
http://michellephan.com/how-to-find-your-undertone-makeup-beauty-skin-tips/
http://www.skinandtonics.com/mac-foundation-matching-debacle-nw-nc/
http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/p-best-drugstore-foundation