I want a color that is my own

April 20, 2015 9:45 AM

Help me find right foundation for cool skin tone with pink undertones? And any other make-up you recommend for this complexion?

I've gone to make-up counters and asked to be color matched to the right foundation color but met a MUA this weekend who confirmed I am a cool skin tone with pink undertones. I wanted to ask her more but like a make-up fairy - POOF! - she disappeared.

Anywho - anyone else fit this description and have any recommendations on foundations and the appropriate colors and any make up that really works well (blush, eye shadows, bronzers.. etc) with it?

posted by xicana63 to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (20 answers total)

Response by poster: Sorry this meant to read " I've gone to make-up counters and asked to be color matched to the right foundation color but it always fails! I don't know if its oxidation or what but they always pick colors that are too dark but met a..."
posted by xicana63 at 9:46 AM on April 20, 2015

Are you very pale?
posted by amtho at 10:00 AM on April 20, 2015

Sephora has this new contraption that they hold up to your face and it reads your colors somehow (I have no idea how it works) and offers several options in terms of matches (depending on the amount of coverage you want). The nice thing about Sephora is that they have an awesome return policy, so if you buy something and try it for a week and discover you don't like it, you're welcome to bring it back with no hassle at all (and can describe for the MUA what you didn't like, so hopefully find a better one?). I can't recommend a specific brand, but that's always been my best way to approach this issue.
posted by odayoday at 10:00 AM on April 20, 2015 [3 favorites]

Best answer: asked to be color matched to the right foundation color but it always fails! I don't know if its oxidation or what but they always pick colors that are too dark

This happens to me too (different but equally confusing colouring). The lighting in most stores doesn't help. IME, best thing is to go with an eagle-eyed friend to Sephora, get the SAs to apply a few swatches to your face, then go outside and let your friend, your compact mirror, and camera pictures tell you which one actually works. Record that foundation colour and use it as a baseline, because the formulation might not actually work with your skin. Now you can use research to compare other foundation formulations that will.

(Side note: I'm more yellowish with a bit of blue in there, with a touch of superficial redness, and I think Shiseido does funny pale colours really well - obviously haven't used their more cool-toned colours but like the ones I use, they look well grounded in actual skin tones to me.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:01 AM on April 20, 2015

Going to a make-up artist or esthetician at a salon rather than a make up counter might be the way to go. Folks at the make up counters are there to sell their particular product and also don't have the training that an esthetician does.
posted by goggie at 10:01 AM on April 20, 2015

Piggybacking on the Sephora recommendation, you can return anything you buy there as long as it's within a reasonable time frame and usage (ex: not two years from now after using everything in the bottle).
posted by Flamingo at 10:10 AM on April 20, 2015

One thing I have found very helpful is to do a Youtube search of your chosen foundation brand (example: L'Oreal True Match foundation). Fortunately, there is no shortage of women who are not shy in posting videos:)

Pick someone whose skin tone resembles yours, and see what shade she's wearing.

If you know your shade in 2-3 other brands, another option is Findation.
posted by invisible ink at 10:28 AM on April 20, 2015

nthing Sephora. The little scan thing (called Color IQ) they do on your face will color-match you to a bunch of different options. I always find that it recommends foundations that are too dark for me, BUT it gives you a number that corresponds to a skin tone, and you can go lighter from there. For example, my readout was 2Y03 but I went a couple shades lighter with 2Y01. You can then search for foundations on their site that match that skin tone shade, and try different brands and formulations.
posted by bedhead at 10:38 AM on April 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

Makeupalley is my go-to for cosmetics reviews. These days, I consult their reviews before I buy anything new, as I find I can trust the real-people reviews much better than magazine articles (which might be paid for giving favorable reviews to a certain brand who is a good advertiser).

I have fair and cool-toned skin which is hard to match, because so many foundations are yellow-undertoned, and apparently, more people have warm undertones than cool. I have had good luck with Lancome brand foundations, as they have a wide range of shades including cool-toned foundations. Aromaleigh Cosmetics is a great line of mineral makeup which is (mostly) vegan and cruelty-free, and their mineral makeup has a good selection of shades and includes cool tones. Missha Perfect Cover is my favorite BB cream, though I've recently been wearing Lira BB cream as well.

I've cycled through a lot of foundations and find that these lines work the best for me - they are more expensive (except Aromaleigh), but the quality is worth it, and they do a better job at matching my hard-to-match skin tone.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:40 AM on April 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

Cool, pink undertone, fair skinned person here. Neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup (I think that's what the name is) is the only foundation I've found that doesn't turn me orange, and they make a shade that is a freakishly exact match for my skin. FWIW I've heard it's a dupe for Nars sheer glow, but that may be about the coverage more than the color.
posted by DestinationUnknown at 10:43 AM on April 20, 2015

I have the same coloring! Almost every foundation I've ever tried has turned orange after a few moments. For foundation I find that Loreal's True Match c1 or c2 works best of any drugstore brand. I'm very pale though, you might need a higher number if you have darker skin. Boots Radiant Glow concealer is great too -I have quite dark circles and it really helps.

For blusher I just use a pink one by ELF that matches my skins natural cool pinkness, just darker. Then I just go very lightly with it. I stay away from anything coral or with an orange tint, including lipstick, it just looks weird.
posted by Requiax at 10:44 AM on April 20, 2015

(Full disclosure: I am a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. I am not your IBC. Should you want an IBC, I am more than happy to help you find one local to you who can help you. This is not an attempt to solicit business.)

Foundation matching can be TOUGH, especially in crappy lighting - like what's in most department stores. I've never been in a Sephora, so I have no idea how they're lit, but I have been in Ulta a few times, and their lighting is HORRIBLE! It's like the light might be at dusk just after a sandstorm. The above suggestions are great - especially the idea about bringing a friend along with you who maybe has more makeup experience than you have. Should you want to try Mary Kay foundation, consultants have access to all KINDS of foundation matching tools, since the company knows it's so hard to do right. (For example, Estée Lauder did a study a few years ago and found that up to 94% of women are wearing the wrong shade.)

As for other colors, anything with a blue undertone will work for you. For specific color recommendations, I'd have to know your hair and eye colors, and would prefer to know how pale or not you are, how old you are, how bold or shy you are, and the dominant colors in your closet. I'm going to link to a bunch of color suggestions now, from the only brand I know well, Mary Kay. (Please know, these are NOT links to my personal web site, but to marykay.com instead.)

Eye colors in blues
Eye colors in pinks
Eye colors in purples
Cheek colors - you'd want the pinker pinks, not the coral or orange or browner colors. Something more like Citrus Bloom, Bold Berry, Shy Blush, or Strawberry Cream, depending on how pale or darker complected you are.
Lip glosses in pinks - Pink Luster is my neutral go-to lip gloss.
Lip glosses in berries
Lipsticks in pinks - I absolutely LOVE Sassy Fuchsia, but it's NOT a big go-to for me. My personality isn't that bright most of the time!
Lipsticks in berries - I typically wear either Whipped Berries or Berry Kiss.

If you visit the Virtual Makeover at MaryKay.com, you can upload a photo of yourself, or choose a model face that looks similar in skin tone, eye color, and hair color to you, and play with colors to see what you think you might like. I absolutely, positively, strongly recommend that you try before you buy, and choose a brand that has a good return policy, so you aren't stuck with a bunch of stuff you decide you hate.
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 10:48 AM on April 20, 2015

I was like, "Oh sure, a little thing that takes a photograph of different areas on my face and finds me foundation, whatever," when I went to Sephora and they put that ColorIQ thing up to my face. But I'll tell you what: I have never, ever found a liquid foundation that works for me until now. She gave me two huge tubes of something (I think it's Urban Decay?) to try based on what the ColorIQ system told her would match for me. Samples - I didn't have to purchase anything, although I will definitely be back soon to get this stuff for real (she gave me a printout telling me exactly what it was and it was also emailed to me, I think).

I was wearing it today and I looked in my rearview mirror in the car in bright sunlight and my skin looked flawless and like I wasn't wearing makeup at all - it was like magic. So try that, and tell them about your previous issues, too. Odds are that they'll be able to give you a few samples of stuff to try based on your ColorIQ and the fact that most foundations tend to be too dark for your tone. Good luck!
posted by sockermom at 10:49 AM on April 20, 2015

Best answer: I've had really good advice from the Bobbi Brown counter. I have cool pinkish pale skin, and the first thing she said was: don't use a foundation, use a tinted day cream. Apparently pinkish pale skin reacts really badly with foundation (said the lady). For nights out, I sometimes combine it with a loose transparent powder from Shiseido - IMO Bobbi Brown powders are a little heavier.
posted by mumimor at 10:54 AM on April 20, 2015

I'm a big fan of L'Oreal True Match. It's the first drugstore makeup line that I knew of that actually has different shades based on undertones. I'm very pale with cool (blue) undertones, and other foundations make it look like I'm wearing a mask. My guess is that you'd need one of their shades for neutral undertones.
posted by neushoorn at 11:04 AM on April 20, 2015

I'm also super pale with very pinky undertones, and after many years of terrible makeup, I found that l'oreal true match (as a cheap option) and make up forever (expensive option, from sephora) are perfect. The l'oreal doesn't have as good coverage, and it doesn't seem to stay on all day, but its so much cheaper. In both brands I buy the lightest shade they sell.
posted by piper4 at 11:23 AM on April 20, 2015

I fit that description (very pale). It's been difficult for me to find foundation. I've been badly mismatched at MAC and Sephora. The MUAs have various degrees of expertise, and the lighting in Sephora sometimes screws with things. Color IQ matched me correctly to my current foundation...I've heard other people complaining about it on makeup message boards but I'm not sure why.

I've had good luck with NARS. I wear these everyday:

NARS Tinted Moisturizer in Siberia
NARS Radiant Cream Compact in Siberia
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly

I also use Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light as a finishing powder. Ethereal Light is basically white powder, but it finishes everything off and evens out any tone issues I have. I then use blush to bring color back into my cheeks and a highlighter.

Ethereal Light is SO GOOD. seriously. Can't live without it now. Makes my makeup look polished and finished.

I've heard good things about Lush's Jackie Oats. Apparently you can mix it into another foundation to fix the orange issue. I've seen this on several makeup youtube channels. Haven't tried it (I'm allergic), but one of my favorite youtubers, grav3yardgirl, has well documented her issues with foundations looking too pink or orange, and she swears by it.
posted by hotelechozulu at 12:09 PM on April 20, 2015

I fit that description and oddly enough swear by Neutrogena BB cream in the lightest shade.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 12:37 PM on April 20, 2015

I also recommend Sephora's ColorIQ. They will also give you generous samples to road test. I have a similar complexion and had good luck with Tarte. Many of their lighter foundations lean yellow which balances my skin tone well.

Also, consider Ulta. They have drugstore brands and a very generous return policy. L'Oreal True Match has a very wide range of colors that are split into cool, neutral, and warm tones. It wears well and doesn't oxidize on my skin.
posted by ACN09 at 5:14 PM on April 20, 2015

I am pinkish, cool, and ultra pale. Go to Sephora and try out some samples (they will help you out). I'm currently in Clinque's CC Cream, but have had luck with Kat Von D's foundation in 44, too.
posted by getawaysticks at 9:39 AM on April 21, 2015