Makeup Matching 101: How To Complexion Set Shop

Some days it is far to easy to look back and note how the makeup industry grew overnight. Ten years ago a majority of makeup brands offered bare minimum quality and shade ranges to the general public. Presently, we are in the age of change, as makeup companies are flourishing and implementing diversity within their products. With the array of options to choose from it is now, more than ever, that it is almost too complicated to find the perfect complexion set. If you are a makeup newbie, shopping for a friend, or looking for additional pro-tips–this article will lay out all the tricks of the trade to help find your perfect shade.

The components of a complexion set include foundation, concealer, and setting powder. When shopping for a set it is best to work with the order presented as each product builds upon the other.

Foundation: The Base of Your Look

1. Always match your foundation to your neck. More times than not, our faces are a bit lighter than the rest of our body. Keeping that in mind, it is important to color match to your body in order to avoid the harsh lines that develop otherwise.

1. Know your undertone. With the general shade range of light, medium, and dark, we all individually poses different undertones. The range of undertones is: cool, neutral, and warm. Knowing your undertone will narrow done your choice of shades in foundation as you will be able to further specify what works best for you.

You can figure out your undertone by looking at the appearance of your veins on your wrist.

Cool Undertones: Your veins appear blue.

Neutral Undertones: Your veins appear both blue and green.

Warm Undertones: Your veins appear green.

Concealer: The Highlight Of Your Look

Working with concealer is a bit more complex than foundation because there are two types that you’ll need if you desire to serve a full face.

1. Face Concealer: This will be used for blemishes and hyperpigmentation. You can place this over your foundation to provide any additional coverage that was missed. This concealer needs to be an exact or seemingly close match to the foundation in order to blend together well.

2. Undereye Concealer: This will be used to highlight your undereye area. This shade should be no more than 1-2 shades lighter than your foundation to obtain a natural look. Anything brighter will bring on the drama!

Powder: The Final Step

Being that powder is a simple one-step product the best way to match it is to follow the general shade range. For the best natural results:

Light Complexions: Stick to translucent and pink toned powders.

Medium Complexions: Work with yellow to gold-toned powders.

Dark Complexions: Focus on gold-red toned powders.

If you have trouble finding a solid setting powder, a great rule of thumb is to stick to using your foundation shade as a reference. Most brands offer setting powders to match specific shades or a range of shades, which is always helpful.

As the holiday’s come around be sure to understand the depth and complexity of color matching to truly refine your complexion set. 

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