Are you hesitating to buy a foundation online? These days, online shopping is the most convenient way to get essentials— all it takes are a few clicks, and waiting for the goods to arrive at your doorstep. But, quite often, what you see online is not what you get. Case in point: buying make-up such as foundation online. There are colour differences due to lighting and screen settings, and you cannot swatch them on your skin like a physical store.
Don’t worry, though, as we have listed down tips and guidelines on how to get the perfect shade of foundation online. Read on to find out more!
Figure out your undertones
The first step in choosing the right shade is knowing your skin tone. Are you cool, warm, or neutral-toned? If you are not sure what your undertone is, you can try the vein test. Examine the inside of your wrist and your palms. Your skin most likely has warm undertones if your veins are green. You are probably cool-toned if they are blue, and if you see both colours, you have neutral undertones.
If you still can’t figure it out, try wearing gold or silver jewellery to see which one looks more flattering on your skin. Gold tends to look better on warm undertones, while silver, rose gold, and platinum works best for cool undertones. If these two work great, you have a neutral undertone.
Choose your desired finish, formula, and coverage
Your foundation will be the base of your make-up, so it should make your skin look flawless without it feeling too heavy. If you regularly use foundation or only want to add a bit of colour to your skin from time to time, choose one with light to medium coverage. But if you would like to conceal your skin impurities, a full coverage foundation will do the trick.
There are many types of foundation suited for different skin types, so choose where you’re most comfortable. If you want a matte finish to reduce oiliness, you can opt for powder foundations. But if your skin is on the drier side, you may want to buy cream or liquid formulations to give you a hydration boost. An easy option is the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation a sheer makeup that provides buildable coverage and helps to even out skin while imparting a glowy satin finish. What’s more, it comes in a range of shades so there’s literally one for everyone!
Find out what your shade is
Yes, we know how this can be difficult, especially if most of the photos online are on a white background. Different make-up brands also offer shades with the same names—but take note that they’re not the same. Here’s a tip: when choosing a shade, opt for one that’s one level lighter, as you can always combine it with a bronzer. It’s easier than having to run through shade cards and decide what works for your instead.
When in doubt, buy both shades of foundation online
Although many brands carry a wide range of foundation shades, you can still find yourself in the middle of two different options. And that is perfectly okay! Sometimes you need to mix two shades to find the perfect match – remember that the closer you get to your skin shade, the better. The NARS Sheer Glow Foundation we featured above, gives you multiple options so you can choose the closest shades of coverage that give the desired effect.
Check out the reviews of your foundation online
When it comes to online shopping, buyer reviews are highly critical as they give you an outlook of other customers’ experiences in the products you want to buy. If you have doubts about your foundation, read reviews first before placing your order. For honest feedback, try not to read sponsored blog posts and look for genuine, constructive reviews that reasonably describe the foundation instead. There are a lot of good sites, forums, and even apps you can check for real people’s thoughts on a product’s coverage, texture, longevity and more. On Cosmetics Now, you can simply look at the product reviews alongside, to give you an idea of what customers love or don’t about that product!
