Q & A | Finding a Matching Foundation

I have a question about matching foundation with my natural skin colour. I test the colour of foundation on my jawline (at least that's what I always thought - correct me if I'm wrong). I have a foundation stick that matches perfectly with my jawline, but when I apply it to my cheeks and other areas of my face, there is a marked colour difference. It's much too dark/orange and doesn't match at all. Is it common to have areas of your face that are different colours? Once I blend in the foundation stick and use a finishing powder, everything looks fine (in my eyes anyways). Should I be switching to a lighter foundation that matches more with the rest of my face, and disregard colour matching with my jawline?

A: Great question! Yes, you are correct - the best place to test foundation is on your jawline so that it matches closely to the jawline and the colour of your neck. It is very commonplace to have different areas of the face with different tones, as pigmentation can vary (and usually the sun hits the top of the forehead moreso than it does the rest of the face!) But that's the whole point of foundation - to give coverage, even out the tone and make our skin look flawless without looking like we have anything on!

You won't need to switch foundations if it blends and matches with the neck properly. If you do go a shade lighter, you may risk looking too light and the foundation application suddenly becomes visible (and that defeats its purpose!). Basically, you want the colour to flow between these two parts of the jawline and neck - otherwise, you'll look like your head is detached from the body! A foolproof way to tell if the colour is right is to evaluate it yourself in the daylight with a mirror. You'll know the colour's right if you don't see it (no lines of demarcation here!). Hope this helps!

TIP: When shopping for a foundation, don't buy and settle on the colour before walking out of the store and evaluating the colour under natural light. (Natural light is the most harsh, so if it looks good in daylight, it will look great under any lighting!) If the salesperson really believes the foundation is the "best", then he/she will have no hesitation and encourage you to look at it under natural light before closing the sale. Test out the colour that best matches your skin, one shade lighter than it, and one shade darker. Don't blend the colour in completely so you can still see it a bit. Once under natural light, choose the shade that disappears into the jawline.