- I literally have so much foundation underneath my nails,
it's not even funny.
Ew!
Hey, guys!
My name is Nkisu, and I am a content creator from Perth,
and today, we're gonna be talking all about trying
to find the perfect foundation shade, or better yet,
the struggle to find the perfect foundation shade,
because the struggle is real, guys,
the struggle is very, very real.
There are four things that, personally,
I think you should really look out for
when you're going to find a foundation.
Number one, the shade, two, the undertone,
three, your skin type, and four, the finish.
So, I got my first own foundation
when I was probably about 16 or 17.
I was in my final year of high school,
and my ball was coming up, so I was like,
"Let me get some makeup,
"'cause I wanna look cute."
And I remember I had to buy the foundation online,
because going into the pharmacy
and trying to find a foundation
that wasn't beige was like "Mission Impossible,"
unheard of, unfathomable.
So I had to buy it off eBay,
and that pretty much started my journey.
Since then, I would say the majority
of the foundations I own, I've had to purchase online,
and um, none of them match.
(laughs) I have about 12
or 13 foundations in my collection,
and yeah, none of them match.
But I am hopeful that one day,
I will find the perfect matching foundation for my skin.
There are definitely a lot of challenges
when it comes to trying to find foundation,
especially if you've got dark skin,
number one being shade availability.
Oh my goodness.
(sighs) We have definitely come a long way
in terms of shade availability in complexion products.
Five years ago, it was a hot mess.
It was so, so difficult to find a foundation
that was as deep as my skin, let alone deeper.
I'm really happy that brands have become
a lot more inclusive in the shades that they're offering.
I find the darker you are,
the more limited you are in your options,
which totally sucks.
And in those cases, a lot of the times,
you have to go more on the high end route
if you want more options, if your skin is deeper,
which brings me to my second challenge,
which is accessibility.
Sometimes, you'll find the perfect shade of foundation,
but it'll just be totally out of your price range.
Buying foundations online can be really, really tricky,
because you have to take into consideration things
like studio lighting, and editing,
and your computer brightness.
So that, yeah, can be really, really hard,
because although you might think that it's the right color,
when you get it, in real life,
it doesn't actually match up.
Another challenge that I've found is,
you know, just down to personal preference
in terms of finish, and also your skin type.
So not all foundations are formulated
to work well with everybody's skin type.
Personally, I have oily combo skin,
so you'd think that matte foundations would be my jam,
um, (clicks tongue) but no!
Guys, I really don't know what it is,
but when my face is super duper matte,
I feel like a Dementor
has descended from Azkaban
and sucked the literal soul
out of my body.
I don't know, it's just, it's a no from me.
I just, I prefer more of a satiny finish, you know?
Something more natural, and skin-like,
a dewy finish, I don't mind that.
You know, I don't mind a little,
I like a little bit of shine.
Just, just a little bit.
And then you also have other things,
like, "Oh my gosh, do I match to my face,
(laughs) "or do I match to my body?"
If your face and your body
are two different shades, like me,
my face and my chest are sisters, not twins.
My face is darker than my neck,
my neck is darker than my chest.
So basically, I'm like a chocolate Neapolitan ice cream.
And it can be really difficult
when you're going in-store and trying to swatch,
because it's like, "Okay, if I match to my chest,
"then it might be too light for my face,
"and I'll end up looking ashy,
"but then if I match to my face
"and it's a little too dark,
"that is going to be really, really obvious
"unless I bring the foundation down
"all the way to my collarbone."
The stress level, it just,
it just keeps on piling up.
And then you also have things like undertones.
Undertones are basically the color
underneath the surface of your skin.
So you can be the same skin color as somebody
but have completely different undertones,
and there are three groups of undertones
that you can be categorized in.
So you've got cool undertones,
so that means that the color underneath the surface
of your skin is more red, your pinks, your blues.
Warm undertones, which are more golden, yellow, peaches.
And then you also have neutrals, which are,
you're basically smack dab in the middle,
a little bit of both.
If your skin is a little on the ashen,
grayish side,
there is another undertone that you can be, which is olive.
Not as common, but it's in the realm,
it's somewhere there.
To check what undertones you have,
there are a couple of different methods you can choose from.
The two easiest ones, I would say is,
number one, check your veins.
So if you look down at your veins
and they're looking more on the blue, purplish side,
then you have cool undertones.
If they're looking a little bit more green,
then you have warm.
And then if they're kind of a mix of both,
then you're probably neutral.
Another thing you can do is check
how well your skin is complemented
by different types of jewelry.
So, silver, and platinum, and even rose gold jewelry tends
to be a lot more flattering on cooler undertones.
If you have warm undertones,
then your skin probably looks a lot better in gold.
And then neutral, you can,
you're lucky, you can pretty much get away with anything.
For me, when I look down at my veins, they look green,
so I've just gone off the assumption
that I have warm undertones.
Personally, I don't,
I just, I don't see the yellow.
Maybe hints in my chest, definitely.
What is the truth?
What is the truth, guys?
To be honest, I've never used a foundation
with warm undertones.
I find a lot of the times, when you go dark,
they tend to run really red and orange.
But I am pretty happy, I do actually have
a warm foundation here that I'm gonna try out today.
I have a couple of foundations from Adore Beauty.
(clapping)
I picked my shades using Findation,
which basically tells you what foundation
you're compatible with in a particular brand,
based off the foundation that you're currently using.
Something like that is really beneficial
if you have a foundation that actually matches your skin,
so that then you can get another foundation
that matches you pretty well.
So the foundation that I used as a reference
has got a lot of red undertones in it,
so I was expecting the foundations
that Findation gave me to be really red,
but I got a spectrum of undertones.
I've got some that are cool,
I've got some that are warm, some that are neutral.
Definitely, the more foundations that you enter into it,
the more accurate it's going to be.
But, yeah, so I've got a couple here
that we're just gonna try out.
And fingers crossed one of them is okay-ish.
So, the first foundation I have here
is the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD, in the shade R530.
It's about $67 on Adore Beauty,
and it's a medium buildable coverage,
with I think a satin finish.
It's supposed to be good for all skin types,
but especially if you've got normal or combo skin.
Don't mind my little friend here,
who just decided to take up space on my face
as if it's free real estate.
How rude!
You're not paying rent.
So I'm just gonna swatch it down here.
Uh-huh.
So that's how that's looking.
The next one I have is from Bobbi Brown,
and it is the Skin Long-Wear Weightless foundation,
in the shade
Cool Walnut.
So it's got cool undertones.
It's got SPF 15 in it,
but that does not mean
that that is enough protection
for your face from the sun, okay?
Matter of fact, if you're not wearing sunscreen right now,
pause this video, go and put on some sunscreen,
and then come back, because the SPF in foundation is not,
it's not gonna protect you enough.
So do yourself a favor and make sure
that you're always wearing SPF,
even if you're not going outside,
because they can penetrate through the windows.
So I'm gonna just swatch this
right next to it.
Okay.
So I can definitely see
that it's a lot cooler than the first one.
Interesting!
And that one is $72.
This is great for oily skin, by the way.
So if you've got oily skin, it's really good,
and it's a medium to full coverage.
If you want more recommendations
for foundations that are good for oily skin,
definitely check out Shanthi's video below.
I know she mentioned that one,
as well as the Estee Lauder Double Wear.
So this is the next foundation.
It is $59, and I have the shade 7W1, Deep Spice.
So this is warm.
A lot of people love this stuff.
I it is a medium to full,
with a natural matte finish,
and that is how that looks there.
Look at us, we've got a little rainbow going on.
Next foundation I have is the Smith & Cult Veiled Thread,
Veiled Threat. (laughs)
This is actually the first time
I've ever heard of this brand before.
There are a ton of brands on the Adore Beauty website,
so definitely have a look on there,
because there's a lot that
I have never even heard of, like this one.
I got the shade 430-Neutral,
and I already know it's too light.
When I used Findation and it gave me this shade,
I was like, "Um, are you sure?"
And this is a medium coverage.
Look at that. How much is it, $64 for 33 ml,
and it's good for all skin types.
And it's got a matural,
matural? (laughs)
A matte natural finish.
The last foundation I have
is The Ordinary Coverage foundation,
in the shade 3.2R.
So this has got red undertones.
I've actually used this before.
And this is about 12.90, $13.
Full coverage.
All right, and I'm just gonna swatch it down.
I put those foundations a lot closer
to my chin than I wanted.
The lower part of my face is a lot darker
than the rest of my face.
I mean, I'm not gonna bother trying on The Ordinary one,
because I've already used it before,
and I'm (laughs) not gonna try on Veiled Threat.
Yeah, it's even lighter than my chest.
I maybe could use it as a highlight.
I'm more curious about these three.
We're probably gonna go with the Make Up For Ever,
and I'm gonna try the Estee Lauder one,
because it's warm.
Okay, complete side note, but if you don't have a Face Halo,
get your hands on one, because they're so great
for taking off makeup.
I can already see a glare on my face.
This side looks lighter, this side looks darker,
because of where the sun is hitting.
Oh my god, I'm nervous!
I'm going to apply Double Wear on
I guess this side of my face,
and the Make Up For Ever on this side of my face.
I feel like with all of these,
I'll probably have to mix them.
And blend.
Okay, so that's how that's looking.
I don't know if you can really tell, (laughs)
but I think it looks all right.
It applies and spreads really easily,
but when I look at my neck.
Usually, I do color correct around my mouth anyway,
so maybe it wouldn't be as bad.
Okay, I'm not mad at that.
Make Up For Ever.
And it's a lot waterier than the Estee Lauder one.
Is my brush wet?
I washed this brush yesterday,
and I think it's still wet.
Okay, so that's how that one is looking.
Do we like?
I feel like the Estee Lauder one is really matte. (laughs)
So the Make Up For Ever one
is supposed to be more of a satin finish,
and I think I like the finish a lot better.
It could also be because my foundation brush
is kind of damp, so maybe that's why
it looks a little bit more glisteny,
a little bit more dewy, like I like.
Ugh, I don't know which one I like better!
'Cause the thing with foundation is,
what you're trying to do is just get an even base.
Before you start adding dimension with contouring,
and highlighting, and all of that,
you want your foundation to be seamless,
and you want it to be even,
so that you have a good base to work from.
Okay, so I'm in my bathroom right now,
just to show you guys what
it looks like in different lighting.
And can you see the line of demarkation?
So you can definitely tell the Make Up For Ever one
is a little bit lighter than the Double Wear.
I don't know! (laughs)
Which side do you guys think looks better on me,
the Estee Lauder or the Make Up For Ever?
The more I look in the mirror, directly in the mirror,
and I look at how the finish is,
I definitely do prefer the Make Up For Ever HD.
I'm gonna take off the Estee Lauder.
Okay, I can definitely see a difference
when I look in the mirror.
So it's not a perfect match, but,
you know, it's not bad!
Guys, I don't know!
Well that's good, I at least have one foundation
that I can definitely wear!
So that is pretty much it from me, guys.
I look so weird with just half my face.
You know what, whatever.
So my recommendations,
if you're confused about undertones,
then just try out as many as you can.
You want to give yourself as many options as possible.
And I'd also suggest getting two different foundations,
so one for summer and one for winter.
I find that I am a lot darker in summer,
because I'm getting some sun, I'm getting some vitamin D.
I tan, I get dark.
And then in winter, I'm a little bit lighter.
So as long as you know what your shade is
and what your undertone is,
then you'll be able to pick
a summer and a winter shade as well.
If you guys have any tips that you've used
to finding your perfect foundation,
make sure you pop them in the comments,
'cause we wanna help everybody find
their perfect foundation.
I wanna find my perfect foundation!
So if you guys have any tips that you've used,
definitely pop them down in the comments.
Make sure you subscribe, and you hit that notification bell
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I will catch you guys later, have an amazing day.
Bye!
(relaxing hip hop music)