Beauty Q&A: I Bought The Wrong Foundation Shade — What Should I Do?

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Finding the correct shade of foundation can sometimes be a challenge, especially when you fall in between shades or are unsure of how to match foundation. What’s worse is heading home after a spree at Sephora only to realize that you chose the wrong foundation shade. Do you immediately turn around and return it, or should you add it to your makeup stash anyway? And even the Ulta Beauty and Sephora employees don’t always get it right.

If You’re Unsure of Your Shade, Go Lighter

If the shade is a little lighter than what you usually wear, you might be ok. It’s harder to lighten a foundation as there’s only really few tricks to do so, so it’s best to ask for a sample of the shades you think you are so you can take home and see. The samples are free. If you did buy a foundation that is a little dark, try mixing it with a lighter color concealer or use a foundation powder that is 1 or 2 shades lighter to lighten up the foundation.

Mix and Match the Same Formula

The best and easiest way to rectify purchasing a wrong foundation is to mix a lighter or darker concealer, in the same formulation, with the foundation to make it match your skin tone. If the foundation is extremely light, I suggest to strategically use bronzer to help deepen the shade. You can even try to mix the lighter foundation with a darker shade.

Contour to Your Advantage

The last tip is an important one: If you buy the wrong foundation shade, use your face structure to your advantage. “Since the face has natural contours to it, you can use that to your advantage when your foundation is slightly off from your skin tone. Highlighting and contouring in the right places will help conceal the foundation not matching your skin tone. So next time, before you run back to repurchase, play with some mixing and give it a whirl.

DIY Amazing Pore-Tightening Toner!

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It seems that everyone is ALWAYS on the search for extreme pore tightening! I have found so many things that work really well, but this one, in particular, is VERY strong! Of course, there’s nothing you can completely do about large pores! You can only make them appear smaller and use primers to mask them, but this toner really helps keep them tight and much less visible! Plus, Dr. Oz also swears by this, which is another reason why I love it 🙂

SERIOUSLY AMAZING PORE-TIGHTENING TONER

1/4 cup rose water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp witch hazel
5 drops almond essential oil (optional)

In a bowl, mix together ingredients with a whisk. Then using a funnel, pour contents into a bottle. After washing your face, use a cotton pad and wipe face with the toner. Focus on areas around your nose, and T-zone area. Use daily, and disregard leftover after 3 days.

Beat Dark Circles at Home!

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Looking tired lately or want to rid those dark circles? Try these at home remedies that work, remember these remedies are natural and gentle, so give it at least a couple of weeks before you see results.

Almond Oil: Massage gently under your eyes every night. Make sure to wash the formula off in the morning.

Lemon and Tomato Juice
In a bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of tomato juice, lemon juice, and flour. Beat the mixture with a fork until a smooth paste. Apply the paste under your eyes and leave for approximately 10 minutes. Remove the paste before it dries by rubbing very softly. Try doing this once a day, this remedy should show results after just a few days!

Cucumber Juice
Shred one cucumber in a food processor then uses the strainer to squeeze the juice out. Place in refrigerator for approximately one hour. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and mix. Saturate Cotton ball with mixture and place on each eye for 15 minutes, wash thoroughly and apply almond oil to the area for moisture. Repeat once daily.

Grated Potato
Grate a fresh potato and squeeze the juice out with a strainer. Dip your cotton ball in the juice and place on both eyes for 10 minutes. Wash the area thoroughly and moisturize with almond oil. Repeat 3 times a week. Note, potatoes contain an enzyme called catecholase found often in cosmetic skin lighteners.

How to Find the Best Foundation for Your Skin Tone, According to an MUA

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Foundation range is a vital part of the beauty world, and brands everywhere are accountable for creating a shade range that fits every skin tone and undertone — whether you’re cool, neutral, warm, and everything in between. Choosing your exact foundation match is the next step in the process, and in order to break down how to do so once you’re in the aisle at your nearest Sephora or drugstore, I found some tips that will help. Ahead, find three hacks to master finding the best foundation for your skin tone.

RULE 1: Swatch, Swatch, Swatch

My first tip is a no-brainer: You’ve got to swatch the product first and foremost. The side of the face along the jawline is the best place to swatch. If you can blend down to your neck and the color disappears, that’s a good match. This trick will help make sure that the foundation color you choose will not only blend seamlessly onto your face but will also perfectly complement your neck.

RULE 2: Mix if You Please

The next tip is that it’s okay to mix foundations if you find yourself falling between shades. When using foundation, sometimes it’s not necessarily about making your entire face lighter or darker, it’s about letting certain areas be their natural color. This means you can always mix two shades to customize as you please.

RULE 3: No One is One Shade

Especially for women of color, if you have different tones on your skin, you should use two different foundation shades. Leaving the perimeter of the face darker acts as a natural contour in this case. I don’t think anyone is one shade; even if you’re very even, you want to play with light and dark tones to add some dimension.