‘How do I choose my makeup according to my skin tone?’
Sound familiar?
Endless afternoons spent at the supermarket makeup section, applying swatch after swatch of concealer and foundation until the back of your hands looks like a Jackson Pollock, only to end up having to take a gamble and settle for the closest shade.
Well, we say, enough! Learning how to find the right makeup for your skin tone and type can be very empowering and ensures that you have only the best tools to work with when creating art.
How to choose the best makeup for your skin type
Like most endeavours, if you want top-notch results, you need to start from the source! Our skin is our biggest organ and is completely unique to each of us – it comes in all beautiful shades with different freckles and lines, and textures. So find a mirror and start getting to know the skin you’re in.
As a beginning block, it is important to know that skin can be categorised into three main types: dry, oily, or combination.
The clues are in the name:
- Dry skin is prone to dryness and flaking, often craving products with a high moisture content
- Oily skin types usually produce more oil, making the skin more prone to breakouts and congestion
- Those with combination skin can suffer from both dry and oily skin at different points, and it can feel like you never know what it’s going to do from one day to the next
Different things can trigger our skin to flare up or become more sensitive; hormonal changes, stress or lifestyle and habit changes can all have an effect on our skin, and so finding the right base products to care for our skin before committing to makeup is vital.
There is an abundance of guides to determining your skin type online, giving you a good place to start. It may also be worth considering visiting a dermatologist or makeup specialist to get more specific advice on the needs and dislikes of your skin type.
What is my skin tone?
Finding makeup that matches your skin tone has become something of a beauty phenomenon in the last few years, with brands like No7 offering colour-matching services and L’Oreal becoming known for a more vast spectrum of colour-matching products.
With the wonder of the internet nowadays, it is fairly easy to access a skin tone chart online that will make sure you start looking in the right direction. While these are good indicators, to begin with, we would again recommend visiting a makeup specialist or even one of the makeup counters in your local shopping centre, for an in-person consultation and colour match service. This way, you can test different shades and undertones to find the perfect combo for your skin.
Another wonderful emergence from the beauty industry in recent years is the rise of brands that tailor their products to certain skin types and shades that aren’t always fully represented on the high street. Products in a wider range of shades for pale skin tones and darker skin tones have made a dazzling appearance, making ventures like how to find the right foundation feel considerably more inclusive.
All skin deserves to be celebrated!
Our top tips for matching and blending
There are several things to consider once you have found your perfect shade of makeup:
Finish – how your makeup will look once applied: will it be fairly translucent and work to show mostly your bare skin, brighten things up with a soft dewy glow, or leave you shine-free with a matte finish? Other powders and products can be added afterwards to achieve your desired look; it just makes sense to start as you mean to go on.
Coverage – if you are looking for a simpler, more natural vibe with your makeup, then perhaps a BB or CC cream rather than a foundation would be just the ticket. A medium-coverage product may work well for you if you want a slightly more vibrant look that is still light and buildable. And if you want to go all-out glam, finding a seamless high-coverage foundation and concealer will give you a smooth canvas to work from.
Base/concealer matching – it is important to find a concealer or base product that will compliment your top layer of makeup, adjusting any to work in unison with the rest of your makeup.
Tools for application – brush, sponges and beauty blenders, or just go straight in with your hands? The age-old question when it comes to makeup application, and in truth, all three have merit for different reasons. Brushes are great for focused, pigmented application, various brush styles and sweeping techniques, making it one of the favourite ways to achieve the perfect look. Beauty blenders and sponges have risen to popularity due to providing a more natural application and easy blendability. Using what nature gave us and applying our makeup with our hands can be detrimental if they are not clean – due to oil and dirt getting into the skin – but using your hands gives you full control, making it easier to cover all the areas of the face you want whilst blurring and blending with ease.
Want to know more?
Makeup artistry is an extremely popular and high-demand industry – whether you choose to work for a brand or build your own business from the ground up, this rewarding and highly sociable career is an excellent creative career choice.
But how do I get there, we hear you ask. Well, here at New Zealand Beauty School, we have an eclectic range of online beauty courses to kickstart your career. Our online makeup course based in New Zealand – our Certificate in Professional Makeup Artistry – is the perfect way to gather the skills and tools you will need to flourish in the industry. Our online learning system means you can learn and practice your craft from the comfort of your home, with your custom-designed beauty kit delivered straight to your door!
Our courses come with a downloadable brochure with further details about course content, module breakdowns, how to access your learning online and tutor support. We also offer course fee payment plans to make investing in your future all the easier. We’d love to hear from you, so do get in touch if you have any queries or questions about the courses and how we work.
Where will the magic of makeup lead you?