Great make-up always starts with a flawless complexion. However, trying to find that online can feel a bit like a minefield and a little daunting too. There are a few factors to consider but here’s how to find your perfect shade, texture and finish at the click of a button.

Picking your perfect shade

The sheerer the base, the fewer chances there are of picking the wrong shade as these formulas are more forgiving. Tinted moisturisers and BB creams like Jane Iredale Glow Time are quite forgiving and as long as you know whether you are light, medium, medium to dark or dark then you should be fine. Or, better still, something like MZ Skin Tint & Protect Skin Perfecting SPF30 is wonderful as it is a universal shade that adapts to your own unique skin colour.

Fuller coverage foundations can be slightly more difficult to navigate at first but not impossible. Recognising your undertone in natural daylight is the key here. Do you have warmer undertones that are yellow or golden? Or maybe a cool undertone that contains pink or blue tones? Take a look at the veins on your wrist - if they are green, chances are that you're warm-toned. If they’re blue, then you’re cool-toned. If you are still none the wiser or you have traits of both, you’re most likely neutral.

All our foundation product pages will state whether the shade is a cool, neutral or warm shade and then you can narrow down which shade you need from the range. If you feel that you fall between two shades then opt for a slightly lighter shade as you can always warm it up with a little bronzer and there is nothing worse than a foundation that is too dark! Ideally, I would always advise clients to pick 2 foundations – 1 lighter, 1 darker – so that you can adjust your shade throughout the seasons but if this isn’t in your budget then go with the above advice.

 

Finding the perfect texture

How do you know whether to go for a powder-based foundation? A liquid? Or cream? Unless you have a particular preference; when it comes to choosing the perfect texture, listen to your skin type and go from there, but remember that there are almost always exceptions to these rules and if you prefer something else to what is recommended then that’s okay too.

Dry skin – Liquid or cream foundations such as Jane Iredale Liquid A Minerals or delilah Time Frame make great options as they contain hydrating properties and sit well on drier skin types. Avoid layering too many powder products at once on dry skin as they can end up sucking all the moisture out of your skin and create a ‘cakey’ finish and can sometimes cause your skin to feel uncomfortable too.

Oily to combination skin – Powder foundations are your best friend here as they can provide shine control and oil-absorbing properties while still giving coverage. Try Jane Iredale Pure Pressed Base Mineral Foundation next time for a matte finish and to keep makeup intact all day long. If you still prefer a liquid then delilah Alibi provides all the same brilliant mattifying, oil-absorbing benefits but has been formulated into a liquid texture instead. No wonder it is a top 3 delilah product across the brand despite only launching a year ago in March 2020!

Sensitive and acne-prone skin – Opt for a lighter coverage foundation then, use concealer over the top in the areas that you may feel need it most. Regular, daily application of thick coverage can end up clogging pores but not only that, it will take more work to remove at the end of the day leaving skin more prone to becoming red, dry and more vulnerable to blemishes. It will start to become a vicious circle.

 

Picking the perfect finish

Sheer, Medium or Full Coverage?

Think of coverage like a pair of tights – a foundation equivalent to something super thin and almost see-through like 20denier would be a tinted foundation which is sheer enough to even out the complexion but light enough that beautiful features such as freckles are still visible. You’d barely feel like you have anything on. The more you move up the denier scale; it works the same with foundation coverage. A medium-coverage provides a little more and will cover, for example, excess redness but if you are looking for something to disguise issues such as acne, pigmentation, rosacea then try a full coverage foundation like delilah Alibi.

Matte or Radiant?

If you’re looking for a whole load of luminosity, opt for a radiant base as they reflect the most light when hitting the sunlight and help to transform every type of skin, especially dull looking. For a mixture of matte and dewy, look at satin finish bases like Oxygenetix Oxygenating Foundation. These suit a wide range of skin types and are perfect for those who find matte formulations too flat. If you prefer the ‘no make-up make-up’ trend then this is easily achieved by choosing the sheerest base – a tinted moisturiser – and touching up areas (if needed) with concealer. Matte finish bases absorb light rather than reflect it. They are brilliant for disguising texture, as well as controlling sebum and shine for oily skin types. They generally have greater longevity too.

Don’t forget, when choosing full coverage or matte foundations, if you don’t already then it is also really important to finish with a bit of colour by using bronzer, blusher, highlighter or equivalent otherwise you run the risk of your complexion looking ‘flat’ or washed out. A light dusting of Jane Iredale Peaches & Cream all over the complexion is a really easy, fool-proof way of incorporating a healthy colour over the top.

You can also use our website filters on the left-hand side of product pages and use these to help narrow down your searches!

If you need any more help don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected] for further advice or book a consultation here.