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As a woman of color with dark skin prone to hyperpigmentation, picking a good foundation is akin to gambling in Vegas: victory is uncertain, getting played is likely, and expectations are generally better than reality. Plus, mistakes are expensive — makeup will cost you coins. My foundation journey kicked off when I was 16 with a Fashion Fair product I received as a hand-me-down from a cousin who was not even the same skin tone as me. Let’s just say I am so, so glad camera phones were not a thing back then because there are no living records of that ashy monstrosity.
After moving to the U.S. from Burkina Faso, I started worshipping at the altar of the M.A.C. counter and upgraded to Studio Fix Fluid in NW58. While that was likely much better than whatever I was rocking before, I learned with time and research that I could still do better. Social media (especially YouTube) played a large role in my education, but I also listened to several professional makeup artists and did a lot of research on my own. The tips below are the ones I used to find my holy grail complexion products; I hope they are useful to anyone on the market for a new foundation.
For reference, see my bare skin below (only my brows are done because they are bald AF and my microblading is fading). I have combination skin, with an oily T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and mostly normal skin on the rest of my face. I also have a bit of hyperpigmentation around my mouth and under my eyes, as you can see.
1. Determine your undertone
What even is an undertone? I will not even lie — I spent way longer than I would like to admit trying to answer this. The best way I can explain it is that an undertone is like your skin’s personal Instagram filter...except it’s always there. Every complexion product therefore has to take that “filter” into account because its tint will affect which colors complement the skin. Undertones can have warm hues (gold, yellow), cool hues (red, pink, blue) or neutral hues (olive), and where they fall will influence which kinds of foundations one should gravitate towards. Still with me? Awesome.
Follow up question: How do I find my undertone?
There are several ways to determine undertones. A popular method is to look at the color of one’s veins on the wrist; if they appear green, the skin’s undertone is golden or yellow, hence warm. If the veins instead appear blue, the skin’s undertone is pink or blue, hence cool. My issue with this method: I can’t tell whether my veins appear blue or green because hello — dark skin tone. So, no.
Another method consists of looking at the clothes and jewelry one looks best in; cool-undertoned people will rock blues, cool reds, other jewel tones and silver jewelry, when warmer-undertoned humans tend to look great in yellows, oranges, warmer hues and gold jewelry. That trick is also great… for people who love experimenting with color. I wear black 99 percent of the time (and yes, that’s not the method's fault, but whatever.) That said, I have always gravitated towards silver jewelry, so that’s that.
The one method that did work for me consists in standing in front of a white background and determining which colors appear the most apparent in the skin, using the stark contrast with the white to make that observation. As you may see in the photo below, my skin appears reddish when juxtaposed with a white towel, which therefore makes me cool toned. If you have a sec, watch this video by @Ronkeraji, where several women of color sit in front of a white background. It is super easy to see their undertones become apparent.
One last thing that I recommend is using Color IQ at Sephora. It is not always accurate, but it does give good inklings. I prefer using it in person, but based on my favorite foundations, my Color IQ is between 2R15 and 4R15 — meaning that I am on the darkest end of the spectrum with some red undertones. These are some of the shades that could match me in theory. (I can already tell that half of them are off, but again — good directional findings.) Here is a pretty good explanation of how to read Color IQ results. For reference, other cool-toned black women include Lupita Nyong’o, Alek Wek, Nyma Tang and Duckie Thot.
2. Finding the right shade
When it comes to shade, finding the right color can be annoying because the majority of brands don’t carry dark shades — period. That makes an already arduous task even harder. When dark shades are available, there are many schools of thought when it comes to matching foundation; some people match shades to their face, some use their necks, chests, or even wrists. I personally use my chest because my neck is a tad darker than the rest of my body; matching my foundation to it would estrange my face from the rest of my body. Matching to the center of my chest makes me feel like my face and my body know each other, you know?
Also, as a woman of color, I would personally never (evah) match to my wrist because it is a solid 2-3 shades lighter than my face. (See above: those are the same shades as the swatches below — no ma’am.)
In the images above, I swatched 10 foundations on my chest (borrowing a page from @cocoaswatches aka Ofunne Amaka’s book; she does chest swatches like no other). From left to right, we have:
- Becca Radiant Skin Satin Finish Foundation in Cacao (ed note: discontinued)
- Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra in 560 Suede C
- Nyx Stay Matte But Not Flat in Deep Dark
- Dermablend Flawless Foundation Drops in 90N
- Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Rich Mahogany
- Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation in 490
- Black Opal True Color Pore Perfecting Liquid Foundation in Ebony Brown
- The Ordinary Coverage Foundation in 3.3N
- The Ordinary Serum Foundation in 3.3N
- Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Stick in 555 Suede C
All the shades above are the darkest in their respective shade ranges, but you can see how wildly they vary on my skin. While a couple are just not deep enough, a lot of the variations have to do with the undertones we discussed above.
Becca and Nyx (neutral, beige) look like milky sorcery, shades from The Ordinary (neutral, likely olive) look a smidgen greenish, Dermablend (neutral) and Fenty Beauty (cool) can hang, Lancôme Teint Idole in 560 C (cool, pink) melted into my skin but a closer looks reveals it is a smidge greenish, and everything else is just really red (like Teint Idole 555 C).
So, while undertones help to identify which foundation to pick, a few of the ones above are still a little baffling, which leads to my next point.
3. Watch out for oxidation
I am sure it has happened to some of you: a foundation acts right in the store, so we take it home and proudly wear it the next day...only to look orange a few hours into wear. That, honey, is oxidation, which can cause a foundation to change colors throughout the day, due to the chemistry of our skin and exposure to air. And yep, it should absolutely be taken into account when picking a product, because it can ruin the best foundation match on earth. Oxidation is caused by the pH of our skin reacting to certain ingredients in foundations called oxides (examples are aluminum oxide, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide and iron oxide). Marlena Stall from Makeup Geek explains this in detail, but the skinny is that oxides are used to add SPF or sometimes coverage to foundations. The issue is that they can react with the skin, causing the product to change colors during wear.
The foundations with the most coverage on my chest are the two Lancômes and the Estée Lauder ones. Oxides are generally more present in full-coverage foundation, and some quick Googling reveals that all three products have some; however, the Lancôme 555 C (on the far right) has far more than either of the other two, as it is the second ingredient on the list. That explains why the swatch turned into a flaming tangerine stripe on my chest. Moreover, the ingredient list for Teint Idole 560 C (the best color match out of the 10 swatches on my chest) mentions that it contains “NAI Pigments: Specially-coated pigments maintain consistent pH level with skin, so color stays true all day." Ooooh.
Choosing a foundation should include a wear test for at least a few hours. If you find out the foundation of your dreams oxidizes like crazy, wear a good primer to separate your skin from the product, or mitigate the effects by wearing a cooler-toned powder in conjunction with it.
4. Choose the right coverage and finish
Finish: We all have different skin types: oily, combination (yours truly), normal (those lucky bishes) and dry. We also all have a way we prefer to look with makeup on: matte, dewy, "natural," and so on. The foundation we pick should therefore balance the way our skin naturally appears to help us achieve our desired look. What I mean is: girl, don’t pick mattifying products if you have dry skin but are trying to look like you have a normal skin type. Dry skin plus drying formulas do not equal a skin-like finish, and you would be better off with a more hydrating product.
Same logic: don’t pick glowy or dewy-finish products if you’re oily but like to look matte. Oily skin plus dewy products = very, very glowy (some may even say greasy) and that is far away from matte. A mattifying foundation and powder would be better suited for your needs. Play around with finishes to find what you like. I personally live for a good matte foundation, but I have a few glowy ones I sometimes reach for. (I pair them with a solid skin-care prep routine and a mattifying powder to avoid the oil-slicked look.)
Coverage: Just like finish, coverage is a personal preference. Some ladies love a beat face with full-coverage foundation and concealer, some love barely-there makeup. I am somewhere in the middle, happiest with a medium-coverage foundation.
Those preferences obviously have to be remembered when picking your products; my personal opinion is that it is always best to get a buildable foundation to achieve different levels of coverage with it.
5. Don’t be afraid to mix-and-match
At the end of the day, all the yapping above can be summarized in one sentence: find what works for you. Having the knowledge above will arm you in your research, but you have to remember a few things:
- You may have several undertones in your skin — that’s OK and actually common.
- You may find the perfect product and be in between shades. That’s also pretty common.
- You may realize that you like having warmer tones in certain areas of your face and not others.
- You may want to add coverage in certain parts of your skin and leave the rest sheer (makeup artists like Lisa Eldridge do that for acne prone skin).
With time, you will customize a formula that works for you, whether it means mixing foundations shades or undertones to create the perfect hue, or playing around between dewy and matte.
Below I'm wearing my best foundation matches of all time: Lancôme Teint Idole 560 Suede C and Beauty Bakerie Cake Mix in #1. They are both on the full-coverage end, but I wear them pretty sheer. (I use only one pump of the Beauty Bakerie and maybe two pumps of the Lancôme.)
The Lancôme one has undertones with a tiny bit less red than I would like, but it has been my holy grail for the longest time because it still matches so well. The Beauty Bakerie foundation is newer to me; I received it in the past few weeks, and I absolutely adore it. The color match is the best I have experienced to date (it has that extra hint of red the Lancôme is missing), and it performs really well all day. As a matter of fact, I have traveled with it as my only foundation and I love it. Hopefully, with these tips, anyone with dark skin will be able to find their holy grail foundation (or combination of foundations), as well.
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