Finding the Perfect Foundation

Finding the perfect foundation is a challenge every woman has faced in her lifetime. For some it is an ongoing quest that seems almost futile at times. Others seem completely oblivious to the fact that their foundation is making them look like they are wearing a Halloween mask. There are several challenges to finding the perfect foundation:

• Color: the wrong color sticks out like a sore thumb and distracts from everything else you do with your make-up and wardrobe choices.

• Coverage: young flawless skins can opt for sheer coverage while those with more imperfections need a medium to full coverage.

• Formulation: you might choose from powder, liquid or cream foundations depending on which is more comfortable for you to use.

Now I will give some guidance for each of these areas beginning with the one where the most mistakes are made:

Color:

This is an area that many COSMETIC COMPANIES as well as ladies get totally wrong. I recently read an eBook that claimed to reveal "make-up secrets". The book was nothing more than a marketing ploy for a lesser known cosmetic company and it claimed that "most women have a yellow undertone to their skin so all of our foundations have a yellow undertone". That is really a silly comment. There are actually 4 undertones a person's skin can have: Yellow-orange (most common to be sure, but certainly not even close to everyone), Red-orange, Red (least common--less than 4% of people have this undertone) and Blue-red. The Yellow-orange (think golden) and Red-orange (think peachy) are what are known as warm undertones and the Red and Blue-red are the cool undertones. Some companies classify their undertones as Warm, Cool or Neutral (a lot of Red-oranges will find themselves here). The best way to determine your undertone is with a stripe test where a stripe of foundation from one of each undertone in an appropriate shade is placed on the jaw line. The correct undertone will fade away and the wrong ones will stand out.

Some companies will tell you that your undertone has something to do with your hair and eye color, but this is completely off base. I am a prime example of this. I have auburn hair and tawny-hazel eyes which would by this type of standard classify me as having a warm undertone, BUT my skin has a blue-red (cool) undertone. If I wear foundation with a warm undertone it is difficult to blend and may leave a line around my jaw. However, I do look really good in warm colors for my eyeshadows, lipsticks and blush. It is important to understand the difference between a skin's undertone and complimentary make-up colors and I hope this example sheds some light.

Coverage:

This may be listed right on the label, but if not you should ask your beauty consultant. Some foundations even have "adjustable coverage" which means you can layer it to get more coverage (without getting "cakey"). Healthy skin without a lot of flaws should go with a light coverage to let the natural beauty shine through. More coverage in the RIGHT COLOR will not give a mask appearance, but rather, will still look very natural.

Formulation:

This is mainly a matter of personal preference, but some formulations lend to different types of coverage, so be aware of that. Mineral powder foundations are all the rage right now, but they aren't for everyone (I still love my liquid, but sometimes I dust a little mineral powder foundation over the top for an extra glow).

Well, there you have my mini-guide to finding the best foundation for you.

You can find the foundation that I think is the best, plus a variety of other high-quality skin care, cosmetic, nutrition and aromatherapy products at: http://healthynatural.myarbonne.com