If your beauty budget limits you to the drugstore: Department store lighting tends to be way off and might look completely different when you see it in daylight.'

If a foundation makes your hand look wrinkly, or settles into the lines on your hands, then it will do the same to your face.'īarose says: 'Be sure to check in daylight to see how accurate it is. The back of your hand has small lines and pores on it, like your face. You know when something doesn't look right. Also, be patient when shopping for foundation and trust your instincts. Many foundations don't shift in color, but some do. See if the edges of the swatch turn a different color than the center when it dries - this is the color oxidizing, and it is the color it will turn on your face. Stiles says: 'The skin on the inside of your wrist is paler than the back of your hand, so that's a good place to see what the real undertones of the foundation are. If you're shopping at the makeup counter: 'Buying two colors that seem close will insure that you can mix the right color.' 'Everyone should have at least two foundations (even three) so that they have a color for summer and a color for winter, and they can mix these colors to match their skin throughout the year,' says Stiles. Which is why we called on the expertise of makeup artists Fiona Stiles and Nick Barose to help you figure out what type of foundation formula you should use based on your unique skin type, skin problems, age, the level of coverage you need and more.Īnd once you've determined which formula is best for you, you'll need to figure out what shade is perfect for your skin as well - and though it's not what this quiz is about, our experts wanted to share some helpful shade selection makeup tips: It probably correlates with the fact that if we can't afford facials and expensive skin care products, then we at least have to have winning face makeup to cover up imperfections and even things out a bit.īut with the dizzying assortment of foundation formulas out there, it can be difficult to know what's best for you. In recent beauty news, we learned that the topsy-turvy economy isn't stopping people from buying foundation.

Pick best foundation for your skin type