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

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.

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

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.

Vitamin 101 | Super Cool Toner!

My skin simply CANNOT be without a toner! If I skip toner even for one day, my skin breaks out really bad! Toner is great for everyone, it keeps our skin balanced and also helps to remove impurities! It helps keep our skin even toned and blackhead free, which is something I love! The other day, I couldn’t find my favorite toner anywhere, so not wanting to risk breaking out, I had to make a toner at home! I actually loved it so much I used it for an entire week (I might use it longer)!

SUPER COOL TONER

Ingredients:
3 Cucumber Slices
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Mix ingredients together and place in a jar. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before applying the mix to a cotton pad and rubbing gently all over face and neck. If your skin is slightly dry, try only using the mixture on your T-Zone!

Vitamin 101 | Even Skin Toner (Takes 10.5 Seconds to Make)

I try a TON of makeup and skincare products–needless to say, my skin takes a beating for it! Of course, knowing what to use on my skin really helps! Without some simple techniques, my skin starts to look dull and completely uneven! Not to mention I break out, veeeery easily!! One of the best things to do when I have no time but need some freshening up is to actually use cucumber juice and rub it on my face with a cotton pad! Of course making fresh cucumber juice can be time-consuming, so sometimes (like today) I just rub cucumber slices on my face for the same effect!

12 benefits of cucumber juice

Why this is awesome: Cucumbers are AMAZING at tightening our pores and help freshen up your skin immediately! They are also great for evening skin tone and keeping skin balanced, which means fewer breakouts!! Plus, they have vitamins A & C, plus great amounts of potassium, silica, and chlorophyll, which means it not only feels great but is so healthy for your skin!

Have You Tried This? Comment how you use cucumbers!