It takes women an average of 10 years to find the right foundation. We promises you’ll have found your perfect match by the end of this feature.
Test One: Skintone
To ascertain your natural skintone, clench your fist and look at the large vein on your wrist. Is it green coloured? Then you have warm-toned skin. A blue-ish colour means you have cool colouring. These colours are subtle so we suggest comparing with a friend to distinguish the colour more easily.
Test two: Skin Type
Understanding your skin type is essential to finding your perfect foundation; oily skins need a mattifying product to balance shine while those with drier skin should look for one with hydrating properties. These tests will determine yours:
DRY SKIN:
Take a piece of sticky tape, apply it to your cheek, pressing it on, and leave it for 30 seconds. If there are small pieces of skin stuck to it when you remove it, your skin is dry and in need of a moisturising foundation.
COMBINATION SKIN:
Before washing your face in the morning take a piece of tissue and lay it over your face pressing it onto the skin – combination skin tends to be oilier around the T-zone so the tissue will stick to the central parts of your face.
OILY SKIN:
Wash your face and leave it for two hours. Cut out a piece of paper below and press against the side of your nose for five seconds. If the paper becomes transparent, you have oily skin.
Test Three: Skin Shade
Once you’ve completed steps 1 and 2, you should have established your skin’s tone and type. Now, print off this page and, standing in broad daylight, hold the Foundation Finder in your category – combination, dry or oily, taking into account whether you have a warm or cool skintone – next to your face.
Your final task is to select the shade that closely matches your skin. This, we promise, is your perfect match. In three simple steps you’ve found your ultimate foundation whatever your skin issues.
Combination Skin
Dry Skin
Oily Skin
