Perfect skin. I think all of us at some point in our lives have wished for…
‘Put your best face forward’ is exactly that, it is the first thing people see when they meet you and most want it to look as good as it can, hence why we grab out foundation or concealer to give it a little help – the instagram filter of makeup!
A lot of women struggle to find that perfect foundation match and are not entirely sure if the on they are wearing is really the best they could be wearing.
MB PRO TIP – When selecting a foundation shade, it is vital to know your skin undertone – pink or yellow base? You normally know if you are pink base as you will see a more pale and visible pink tones through the skin whereas olive skin – normally of an Asian or European background, can often look dull because of the flat, yellow colour visible.
If unsure, the back of the wrist can give a true colour guide – the little veins on this point are either of a blue or green shade… Blue means pink base and green means yellow.
When testing a foundation colour, it is important not to only test on the back of the hand, but on the actual face skin where the foundation will be applied as often due to sun exposure, the skin shades can be different.
When it comes to a darker skin tone, they often have concerns of uneven skin tone or pigmentation and even complain of a dullness running through the skin. This means that colour correcting can be used and important to not make the skin look muddy, using flat or too brown looking foundation shades being applied. One common mistake I see on anyone with an olive to dark skin tone is using too much light shades on their skin…
Yes, you want to brighten the skin, but you still need a shade suitable for the depth of yellow in the skin, otherwise it can go grey and very ashy looking, taking away a bright effect and making it look unhealthy – no thanks!
Know your skin tone, know its depth and only ever take highlighting x2 shades lighter, this meaning that some highlighters/concealers on the market will be great on a pale skin, but can do damage to a darker skin tone in that it will not create the effect you are after.
MB PRO TIP – Avoid any silver base highlighters when you have a darker skin tone. The light will catch so much being such a dramatic different in sin tone, you can end up looking like a disco ball and will often turn the skin ashy. The highlighting concealing pens have become so popular, but make sure you are getting a deeper, light shade to suit the depth in your skin and not using a top seller that may be too light – taking a photo wearing a shade on your skin can always give you a great instant guide.
Someone like Oprah is the perfect example how someone with a darker, uneven skin tone can achieve a flawless result.
Her skin is very pigmented and her makeup artists actually use x2/3 shades of foundation to create one even skin tone.
A lot of women would see this picture and assume her Makeup team have just used a lighter foundation over the top over skin, to make it even and brighter – seems simple enough, but no, that isn’t the case and is a very similar case when we talk covering dark circles.
Ill Break it down for you…
Step 1 – Find the darkest areas of the face, where the most pigment is and cover/even these areas in an almost matching skin shade – it needs enough depth to match the pigment, but still even out the dark areas.
You always need to correct before you can highlight or brighten.
Going for a lighter shade at this point will not correct but almost enhance the dark pigment, turning it grey – exactly the same principle for dark shadows under the eye.
Step 2 – Next apply a foundation shade x1 lighter than your skin over the entire face, even over what you have just applied on the darker pigment spots.
This will create a veil of brightness over the face, now that the deepest pigment has been blended out and corrected first, it won’t emphasize the deep pigment, only blend it looking as one skin tone.
Step 3 – Now you can highlight using either a foundation and/or a concealer that is x2 shades lighter than your skin tone, but only on the high points of your face.
Above cheekbone, under eye area, centre of nose/forehead and chin etc… This will bring forward highpoints and bring light to the face for the ultimate brightening effect – no more dull skin.
Step 4 – Continue with makeup as normal.
Apply bronzer under cheekbones to contour and lift, add to eye sockets, add a liner, mascara, brow pencil and then lipstick – BOOM you are Oprah!
MB PRO TIP – Makeup is all about using highlight and shade correctly, the above pic of Oprah proves this point.
You can see Oprah’s eyes without makeup are so small, but with some deeper shading applied, the once hooded, puffy lid is now receded by this deep shade, opening up her eye area – magic!
No matter what skin tone you are, using two shades on the face can work wonders to highlight and shade and the deeper your skin tone, you may just need that deeper again third shade where pigmentation is present…
My first choice for foundation for a deeper skin is the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick (RRP $65)
It has a very large shade range, suiting any skin tone especially the darker skin. Use x2/3 shades for best results as in some cases; you may have pigmentation or uneven skin that will need correcting first, before your exact shade is applied, to then adding a highlighting shade for the ultimate celebrity result.
It is very weightless on the skin, yet delivers great coverage!
A great concealer palette that I love from M.A.C Cosmetics (RRP $65) is my go to for dark skins. They have a few palette’s, so every skin tone is able to purchase one, but sometimes one shade just isn’t cutting it, so blending your own shade or starting with a deeper correcting shade and finishing with a lighter highlight shade works best!
The Pro Conceal/Correct Palette in Medium or Medium Deep would be best for dark skin tones.
So ladies, make sure you don’t go too light to avoid looking grey and ashy and spend the time on always correcting concerns first, and only then using a brighter shade on top for skin perfection!