Save Money and Space With These Foundation Matching Beauty Tips
Foundation match problems solved! Who else has a drawer full of different foundations to match their skin tone throughout the year? I’ve ended up with tons of them in the past in an attempt to match my skin tone but it gets super expensive! Plus your drawers get cluttered and they end up going off before you finish them. I’m sharing how to match foundation as my favorite just got discontinued! Thankfully online shopping’s got a lot better with virtual foundation color match services and foundation match finders and there’s definitely stores that are better than others for this.
I have a few beauty hacks for only needing 1 or 2 foundations throughout the entire year. I tend to use a lot of fake tanner in the summer because I like to have a golden glow but I don’t like to sunbathe. Then in the Winter I’ll let myself go more pale but still make my foundation match my skin tone.
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I love going out in the sun and used to love sunbathing but I’m really trying not to age my skin prematurely. Unfortunately, I already have sun spots I don’t want to make worse and want to minimize my chances of skin cancer. I live in Vegas and it’s crazy how bright and how hot it is here.
Best cruelty-free foundations | full, medium and light coverage
There are so many different shades of foundation it can be really hard to get a good foundation color match online. However, lots of companies are now doing online foundation shade matching for you. Where you either upload a photo or allow video access and they give their best suggestion. It’s not 100% accurate but it’s better than no help at all.
I’d also suggest if you’re shopping online to shop from a store that offers free returns like Sephora, Revolve or Charlotte Tilbury. My favorite foundation just got discontinued so I’m having to start from scratch. Which meant ordering a couple of different brands and a few different shades to see which will work out the best and give me the best foundation color match.
The 3 foundations I really like right now are:
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Full coverage: Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation Long wearing, super heavy full coverage (tips below on how to use it and thin it out when needed for more of a day look). It can crease so be sure to prime well.
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Medium coverage foundation: Urban Decay Stay Naked Weightless Foundation ($39 Sephora) matte, medium, buildable coverage. The foundation shade I use is 30NN but they have a shade finder on Sephora. I tend to use this with Urban Decay’s Primer Quick Fix Hydracharged Complexion Prep Priming Spray for the day and to set it De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray. I like using these 3 products from the same brand as beauty products like this seem to work best together.
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Light coverage foundation: Smashbox Studio Skin 15 Hour Hydrating Formula foundation light coverage. Smashbox Foundation is a lot lighter and gives sheerer coverage. So it’s good for lighter day wear or thinning out the Kat Von D Foundation, which can be a little thick as it’s their tattoo foundation. The Kat Von D gives great, long lasting full coverage but it’s not always appropriate for daytime. Urban Decay is a good all rounder with medium coverage.
- Charlotte Tilbury has a few different foundations and also offers a virtual foundation match finder. My favorite just got discontinued so I’ve ordered a few shades of the newest foundation by her that’s supposed to replace it. I’ll let you know how it goes but it has hyaluronic acid so it should be hydrating at least.
There are a few different ways you can thin out your foundation to make it sheerer (tips below). As well as to change the color as your skin changes color throughout the year.
Beauty hacks for making foundation more sheer for the day, summer, or because thats the look you prefer
The first tip for creating a sheerer foundation yourself is to mix with your foundation with a primer. Personally, I like mixing it with an SPF primer, there’s loads you can choose from. I used to like By Terry but they went from being cruelty-free to non cruelty-free since their decision to sell in mainland China.
I personally love COOLA Dawn Patrol™ Classic Makeup Primer SPF 30 which I discovered it back in 2017 when I was Mrs. Nevada. Not only because it’s cruelty free but because of the high SPF and super smooth satin base it creates. It also doesn’t cause makeup to slide all over the place like some SPFs can.
This way, you mix it with your foundation, rather than putting it on as a primer first, which helps to thin it out. If you want to keep your foundations consistency and coverage, apply the primer first like normal and then apply your foundation after.
Foundation match: how to match foundation when your tanned.
Makeup tips to make your foundation darker:
If I want a darker look for when I’m more tan and depending on how tanned I am, I’ll use Cover | FX (Vegan & cruelty-free) Custom Cover Drops. These are pure liquid pigments that weightlessly blend with your favorite products to adjust your shade, tint a moisturizer or create your perfect foundation.
It’s up to you whether you mix them with your moisturizer, primer, concealer or foundation, to create a custom foundation and lighten or deepen a shade. The more you use of a darker shade, the more you can darken your foundation for when you’re more tanned.
Can I mix oil with my foundation?
If I want my foundation consistency even thinner and sheerer for lighter coverage for the day or in the Summer I’ll mix foundation, primer, and a brightening serum together. And sometimes even a couple of drops of oil for extra hydration.
If I’m using oil, I make sure I have SPF in my moisturizer, primer, foundation or setting spray (or all of them).
You can play around with the different amounts of each to get the consistency you want. I just find that it gives that really nice luminous look but you can still do full coverage by using less primer, less serum, and then darker to lighter depending how many Cover | FX drops you use to get the perfect foundation color match.
So that’s my tips for using your foundation year-round and only needing a couple of colors (beauty brands are going to hate me!).
You can also darken your foundation with your bronzer and contour powder/cream. You really don’t need to go too much darker with your actual foundation in the summer just because your skins darker as you can play around with it using the hacks above.
The same in the winter, if your skins lighter/fairer then. I tend to use my winter color year round as it’s easier to make it darker than lighter. This way you can play around with different textures, different shades and save yourself a ton of money!
What are your tips for making your foundation match your skin year round?
If you have any tips for how to match foundation to make it last year round let me know. I love hearing and learning from you. Shoot me a message or comment on my Instagram. As well as if you have any ideas for blog posts and podcasts. I’m always looking for new content to answer your questions to make it as interesting and valuable to you as possible.
Foundation match: Shop the post
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