Beauty 101: Expert delegated beauty tips to alter your makeup regime

Even if you're a versed professional or a complete novice, a few beauty tips won’t harm you. Right? So take your glam box and that particular product (um, products?) you've never figured out how to use it, and browse ahead.

Indian women have a variety of skin tones and textures, which they must identify before choosing a foundation type or shade. A typical question that most women have before wearing makeup is, "How do I pick the proper foundation color for my skin tone?" If these were the thoughts racing through your head when you apply your makeup, we have a problem. The issue is that you did not apply the suitable foundation color for your skin tone and texture.

In this blog, we will attempt to identify the aforementioned concerns and explore in a systematic way towards a solution. This write-up will go through the following topics:

• How to Determine Your Skin Tone 
• How to Discover Your Undertone 
• How to Acknowledge Your Skin's Texture
• How to Swatch Foundation Shades for a Perfect Match 
• How to Pick a Foundation Color

 Determine your Skin Tone

Identifying your skin tone may help you select appealing colors for clothes, lipstick, hair color, and other accessories. It's something you're born with, yet your skin is frequently something you don't even know how to define properly. If you use any form of face makeup, it's critical that you understand your skin tone in order to pick the right shade.

However, determining your correct skin tone does not have to be a tricky problem. You only need to learn a few unfamiliar phrases first. To simplify the process for you, there are three (broad) color groups into which your skin may belong, which are:

• Light: Light or fair skin tones are typically more vulnerable to the sun and burn considerably more easily than darker skin tones.
• Medium: Medium skin tones have a neutral, well-balanced beige hue and will make it much easier to pick the proper foundation color. If that's really your skin tone, you most likely tan quickly in the sun.
• Dark: Dark skin tones are often the most exposed to UV radiations and have the darkest skin tone range.

These three skin tones are expressing themselves in broad, generic words that may be broken down into much finer details. Light and fair, for example, can be distinguished, but "dark" might refer to brown, or raven. Determining skin tone and its subtle changes rely on your particular undertone.

What is an Undertone?

In a beauty store or while purchasing foundation online, you may be asked what your skin's undertone is — whether it is "cool," "warm," or "neutral." In fact, it is one of the most crucial variables in picking the best foundation hue for you. 

Undertones are the hues that show through and contribute to the overall tint of your skin. Undertones do not have to be related to skin tones because skin tones might fluctuate with the seasons but the undertone of the skin does not.

If you have a peachy, yellow, or golden sheen to your complexion, you have a warm undertone, whereas women with cool undertones have hues of pink, reds, and blue. The neutral undertone is a well-balanced blend of warm and cool tones.

A brief test will help you discover your undertone:

• Your undertone may be assessed by the color of your veins. Check the veins in your arms to see if they are blue or green in hue.
• If your veins are blue in color, you have a cold undertone. People with lighter skin tones are more likely to have cool undertones. 
• You have a warm undertone if the color of your veins is more green than blue. People with whitish or dusky complexion tones are more likely to have warm undertones. However, there may be some exceptions, so you should double-check.
• There's also the probability that your veins are a combination of blue and green. You have a mixed undertone in such a scenario.

Identifying the undertone is the most important component of choosing a foundation shade because if you wear the wrong undertone foundation, it will look uneven or flashy on your face and make you look like a walking talking Barbie doll!

Acknowledge your Skin Texture

Your skin type or texture is another necessary piece in defining your foundation type. Even if you choose the correct shade of foundation, it may still be a letdown if the foundation texture and finish are incompatible with your skin type or texture.

Your skin can have 3 textures – dry, oily or a combination of both.

• If you have dry/ flaky skin, choose a hydrating (liquid-based) foundation with a satin or velvet texture. It will compensate for your skin's dryness and keep it looking nourished and fresh.
• Similarly, if you have oily skin or work up a sweat, look for foundation sticks with a matte finish. It will not only keep the oil off your face, but it will also keep you from popping up like a bag of deep-fried chips.
• If you have combination skin, you can use any of the foundation types. It is a hit-or-miss strategy for determining which foundation type is best for you and your skin tone.

Swatch Foundation Shades to Find the Best Match

It is a routine trend to swatch the colors of any beauty product on your hand or arm. While it may work well for picking lipstick or eyeliner tones, it does not work well for selecting foundation shades. The arms and hands are often brownish and darker than the face.

Swatching on the arms before applying to the face is not a good idea. It's advisable to sample the multiple foundation shades around your jawline, with a little foundation swatch on the cheekbone and a little on the neck. That way, you'll be able to see which foundation shade looks best on your face and neck.

It is encouraged to choose a foundation shade that is the closest match to your skin tone. Don't use brighter or darker foundation tones since they might make your makeup appear harsh and cakey. We aim to have an even skin tone that isn't too light or too dark.

Pro Tip: It is advisable to wait a few minutes after applying the swatches before determining the precise color of the foundation. Foundations oxidize with the heat of the skin and, to some extent, alter color. So, after swatching the foundation, wait 5-7 minutes for the final color to settle into your skin. Then you can determine which foundation color matches your skin tone the best.

Pick the foundation color based on your Undertone

• In terms of undertones, those with warm undertones should choose foundations with yellow and beige tones.
• Foundations with pink or ivory undertones are best for those with cool undertones.
• Those with a mix of undertones can experiment with both foundation tones to see which one goes best with their skin tone.

The preceding was an in-depth approach on selecting foundation shades. We hope you learned a few new strategies that will aid you in the future while choosing the correct hue.