How Choose Your Foundation Colour

How to pick the right foundation shade

Even subtle shifts in your skin tone may require a new colour match to find your ideal foundation shade. To achieve impeccable results every time, we suggest a five-step approach to colour-matching:

1. Start with the obvious – identifying your skin tone.
2. Next, determine your skin undertone.
3. Always shop your colour with bare skin.
4. Swatch foundations in natural lighting.
5. Update your shade with the seasons.

Continue reading as we break down our expert tips on how to pick your foundation colour.

1: Identify your skin tone

To achieve a flawless foundation match, you’ll need to consider both skin tone and undertone. We’ll start with skin tone, which is the surface colour of your skin and the easiest to identify. Skin tone is a broad spectrum that ranges anywhere from deep to fair. Our Luminous Silk Foundation has an extended range of 40 shades, so you can easily find a foundation colour that complements your unique skin tone.

2. Understand your undertone

Knowing how to choose a foundation colour also comes down to the undertone in your skin. Undertones are the hues that come from underneath the surface of your skin – they can be cool, warm, or neutral. Your best foundation shade match will share the values of your skin’s undertones. If you’re unsure of your undertones, there’s a simple trick to figuring them out.

First, evaluate the veins on the underside of your wrist:

• If your veins are blue or purple in colour, you have cool undertones. Cool undertones best suit foundation shades with a pink, red or blue base.
• Green hues indicate you have warm undertones. In this case, opt for foundation shades that have a peach, yellow or golden base colour.
• If it’s hard to tell, or somewhere in-between, you likely have neutral undertones. A neutral undertone calls for foundations that sit somewhere in the middle – so look for peach or slightly golden-hued formulas.

3. Shop with bare skin

When choosing foundation, the goal is to find a shade that matches your true skin tone, rather than your current foundation – so going makeup-free is imperative. If you’re shopping in-store, be sure to cleanse and moisturise your face before you leave home.

If you’re wondering how to pick the right foundation shade online, Armani beauty’s virtual try-on tool allows you to find your closest possible match. Simply use your live camera or upload a photo to see how different foundations will look on your skin. For best results, ensure your face is clean first, and use natural lighting when operating the camera.

4. Swatch in natural lighting

Foundation shades that look similar to your skin tone in natural lighting are always going to be your closest match. So, our top tip for how to find your foundation shade when shopping in person is to swatch three to four foundation shades on your cheek near the jawline.

If you can, stand near a window to evaluate which shade matches your skin tone best. The jawline is an ideal placement for swatches because skin colour isn’t consistent across the face and neck, so it’s best to choose a foundation shade that suits both areas.

5. Adjust your shade seasonally

Your skin tone can subtly fluctuate with your exposure to the sun, so it’s important to colour-match foundation to your skin tone each time you purchase a new bottle. You might even find it useful to have both your ‘summer’ or ‘winter’ foundation shade on hand.

If you’re struggling to find the right foundation shade when you’re between colours, try mixing shades until you settle on one closest to your skin tone. Remember, you can always lighten your foundation with a lighter face powder – such as the Luminous Silk Glow Fusion Face Powder – or warm up your complexion with our Luminous Silk Bronzing Powder.

Now that you know how to choose a foundation colour for your skin tone, find out how to achieve a dewy makeup look with our Luminous Silk collection.