By Isake Tom

Whenever I mention the word “foundation” to some of my girlfriends I’m usually greeted with a response such as “ewww” or “no way”. Nine times out of ten those are my galpals blessed with the gift of flawless skin. For the rest of us that aren’t so lucky, foundation is an important investment in our makeup collection, which makes finding the right shade even more crucial.

Foundation has come a long way since its early days as your mother’s thick, matte cream and there are many affordable options on the market. It is important to remember that besides concealing blemishes; foundations should give the skin the appearance of health, youth, and flawlessness.

Choosing the wrong foundation is one of the most common mistakes that black women make, as there are fewer products available to us. Here is a guide on the several types of foundations and how to pick and test your shade before purchase.

So Many Options

Today there is an impressive array of foundation types available in retail. There are tinted moisturizers, mousse or whipped, liquid, cream to powder and mineral. Tinted moisturizers are great for those of us that don’t require a great deal of coverage and just want to achieve the appearance of an even skin tone while relieving dry skin.

Mousse or whipped foundation has similar properties of a tinted moisturizer, in that very light and smooth when applied. It can also be purchased in a spray or aerosol form. Liquid foundation is stocked in most drugstores and is preferred as it is very easy to apply, and great for around the eyes where most women require more coverage. Cream to powder foundations live up to their name in that they are applied as a liquid but dry to a powder finish. They are great for all day wear as they are long lasting and oil minimizing. Finally mineral makeup, which seems to be all the rage over the past few years is very popular due to the fact that the minerals used are all inert, making it perfect for people with acne prone skin, sensitive skin or allergies. With mineral makeup you can be sure that your makeup will not attract bacteria, either from your brush or the elements.

Picking the Right Foundation

For some, finding the right shade of foundation can be a tough task. This makes testers and the aid of a good cosmetician very important. Wherever you choose to buy your makeup, it is essential that the retailer has a liberal return policy. Before I discovered what brand and shade of foundation worked best for me, I definitely made a few trips back to the drugmart.

For some black women foundation is not only used as a tool to make our skin look as natural and youthful as possible. We also rely on it to camouflage brown spots if we suffer from uneven skin tone. Determining your skin type, and its special needs if any, is vital to choosing the right foundation. Skin types can fall into various categories; ranging from normal, oily, and dry, to combination, sensitive and finally uneven skin tone. A good cosmetician should be able to define which foundation works best for your skin type and how much coverage you’ll require.

Remember that the foundation should match the colour of your face and it shouldn’t be too dark or too light. Women of colour experts have stated that we should always go for foundations with yellow or red bases, as it’s suggested that these colours are the natural undertones found in our skin and will undoubtedly produce a more natural look for us. Finally, testing is a must when choosing a foundation. Narrow down your top 3 shades, applying the tester colours to the jaw line, if you can barely see any foundation Voila! You have chosen the right colour.

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