One of the most important things I have ever learnt in applying makeup is custom blending. Many if not most of you probably have no idea what I am talking about but I am about to share with you one of the easiest but the most important technique when it comes to applying foundation. I am sure at some point in your makeup buying careers you have come across foundations, primers or concealers that are yellow, peach, lilac or green and have had no idea what to do with them?
We live in South Africa a country that is blessed with many different skin tones all unique in their tone. I always tell my clients that it is near impossible to step up to a makeup counter and buy your skin colour in a bottle, so many ladies are left purchasing a foundation that is either to dark to pink to yellow to light or just leaves there face looking grey and dull. We waste so much money on purchasing expensive foundations that look amazing at the makeup counter but within weeks is noticeably the wrong colour.
Ladies allow me to introduce custom blending! Custom blending is when you take two or maybe three colours and mix them together in order to achieve the perfect shade for your unique skin tone. Let me give you a brief background to explain why our skins pigments are never the same and can change over time. The skin is made up of four different types of pigments which we all have different combinations of oxygenated haemoglobin which causes our blood to be red, reduced haemoglobin is the pigment that appears blue in veins that we can see through the skin, melanin our most prominent pigment is darkened when exposed to sunlight and carotene which is responsible for the yellow tone in the skin. Our undertone in our skin is either predominantly blues (cool) or red (warm) however if the skin has a higher proportion of carotene it will have a yellow hue and appear warm as well.
Take the foundation you are currently using never do a colour match test on your wrist as your pigment colour is different there then to your face so always colour test on your jaw line to see that it matches up perfectly to your neck and chest. If your foundation is looking to dark mix a drop of your lighter summer foundation with it to lighten it. If it is to light mix your winter foundation and it together to achieve the perfect colour. If you still have not been able to achieve the perfect hue you will need to add a colour corrector.
A good colour corrector can neutralise the wrong colour foundation to match up perfectly to your skin. When doing your colour test if you find that your redness in your skin is not being properly covered mint/green should be added. If your foundation is dull and left your face looking sallow add lilac as this will minimize yellow and grey tones. Peach will work to hide dark spots, veins and under eye circles. White can be added to lighten your product.
This same process can be done by using a makeup concealer in the above mentioned colours in order to counteract a pigment. When adding a colour corrector to a foundation mix the colour with your ordinary foundation on your wrist and then apply on to your face, one drop of the corrector should be more than sufficient.
Treat applying your makeup foundation as an artist, mix colours together to find the perfect shade to compliment your perfect canvas!
Article By: Danna Gordon