Guide to Skin Tone/Type - Choosing Foundation

This is going to be a long one, but it's an important basic to fall back on. Before you can dive into makeup, you have to determine what type of skin you have. This consists of your skin tone, and your skin type. Once you know what you are working with, you can better chose a foundation that will work best for you.

Basically, skin tones are split up between cool and warm (pink/blue and yellow). If you're not sure which you are, there are a couple ways to tell. If you find it difficult to tell from these tests, you probably have neutral skin like I do, which can make finding a foundation tricky.

Top to Bottom: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua BR20 (cool/pink), MAC Face and Body N1 (neutral) Revlon Colorstay 150 Buff (warm/yellow)

1) Check your wrist - if your veins appear more green you are probably warm.
                                if your veins appear more blue, you are probably cool.


2) If you find that gold jewelry is more flattering, you are probably warm.
    If you find that silver jewelry is more flattering, you are probably cool.


3) If you find that earth tones (browns, creams, dark green, eggplant) are more flattering
    clothing wise, you are probably warm.
    If you find that jewel tones/pastels (light blue, bright pink) are more flattering
    clothing wise, you are probably cool.

Right to Left: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua BR20 (cool/pink), MAC Face and Body N1 (neutral) Revlon Colorstay 150 Buff (warm/yellow)

One you've determined your skin tone, the next step is to figure out what type of skin you have. Skin types are broken down into different categories, which can vary depending on who you ask. If you ask me, those categories are normal, combination, oily, and dry.


Check your skin mid-day:

1) If your skin feels smooth, and comfortable, without very visible oil or dryness, your skin is normal (and you're lucky).


2) If your skin feels oily in your t-zone (nose/forehead) and dry on your cheeks, your skin is combination. You might also have enlarged pores around your t-zone.


3) If your skin feels oily all over and you have enlarged pores on your nose, chin, and/or forehead, your skin is oily. You're the most susceptible to acne, though any skin type can breakout.


4) If your skin feels tight all over and you have rough patches, your skin is dry.


Also consider if your skin is sensitive, which can apply to any of the other categories. If your skin breaks out in any type of rash or redness after using products with fragrance, etc, that is something to consider when choosing makeup and skincare.


Now that you know whether you're cool, warm, or neutral and have determined a skin type, you can better chose a foundation and skincare routine to suite your needs.
When looking for foundations, look into companies that make foundations suitable for your skin tone. For example, Bobbi Brown is notorious for formulating foundations with strong yellow/warm undertones. MAC is notorious for having a generous range of shades for cool, warm, and neutral undertones (NC, NW, N).

Foundation Types: Liquid, Cream, Powder, Tinted Moisturizers/BB Creams

1) Normal: most formulations are suitable for normal skin, but if you have nice skin without much to cover, you're probably best to invest in a good tinted moisturizer/BB cream.


2) Combination: with combo skin, you want to find a foundation that isn't too drying or too moisturizing. Creams will be too heavy, and powders can be too drying. You're best off to look for a liquid foundation with a matte/powder finish.


3) Oily: stay away from heavy liquid foundations, and steer clear of cream formulas. Look for non-comedogenic powder foundations, either pressed or loose.


4) Dry: if you don't need much coverage, go for the tinted moisturizer/BB cream. If you need fuller coverage, go for cream foundations which provide moisture and heavy coverage.