Online shopping is such a blessing. Who wants to spend their Saturday walking around a packed mall when you can shop for your favorite beauty products right in the comfort of your own home? However, people often brave the crowds so they can actually swatch and test foundations and concealers against their skin tone. But, what if we told you that finding your perfect foundation shade could be achieved without having to walk up to the beauty counter? Here are three key secrets to finding the right foundation shade online.
1. Know your undertone
Let’s start with the basics, shall we? If you have pink, red or bluish undertones, you should search for a cool-toned foundation. If you have a yellowish, peach or golden tone, you need warm-toned foundation. Lastly, if you can’t tell (or if you’re a mix between warm and cool undertones) you might need neutral shades. Use the shade finder above from Ulta Beauty to help you find your match, and if it feels like a struggle, you can always buy two shades of the same foundation and mix them to create the perfect blend if needed.
The Fashion Spot shared an easy way to discover your undertone: start by looking at the inside of your wrist. If your veins are bluer, your undertone is cool. If your veins are greener, your undertone is warm. If you have both blue and green veins or if they’re somewhere in between, your undertone is neutral. Easy as pie, right?
2. Read foundation reviews
Reviews are so underrated but oh-so important, and don’t forget that these are actual people giving real and valuable input. People will often tell whether or not the foundation oxidizes, which is key when shopping online. Don’t know what oxidizing is? MUA Troy Surratt explained to Glamour that “a foundation in the bottle in its liquid state is a certain color, and it can oxidize on the face and change color as it dries or sets.” This means it can get darker depending on its formula and not appear the same color as in the bottle. Making an educated guess isn’t always going to work, ladies, so give that comment section a good read-through since cosmetic companies aren’t going to include this piece of info in their product description.
3. YouTube videos are your bestie
YouTube is another platform for beauty lovers, and we must say, it’s a BLESSING. Research beauty channels where people swatch all of the shades of your desired foundation. It’s a lot easier to compare a foundation shade on someone’s skin than to sort the pictures shown online. Beauty guru Melissa Alatorre does a fantastic job with foundation reviews. She includes all of the shades and swatches them right on her face for viewers to see. Once you know your undertone, search for some beauty YouTubers that have the same undertone as you and check out their foundation swatch videos.
With these three simple tricks up your sleeve, you’ll never have to spend hours in a crowded beauty store again. Happy online shopping!