Foundation Dilemma!

lorebringer

The situation is:
1) I have light skin, very light skin.
2) I have a neutral undertone.

Combine these two situations and it becomes an issue. To show the dilemma let me name a few foundations that DO NOT work on my skin (too dark) - Bourjois Healthy Mix, EL Double Wear, Dior Show ... the list is long. The only foundation I have found that comes close to being ok on my skin is Revlon Colourstay but this is a bit too pink for my skin tone. Mixing different foudnations is something I do if I have to but it drives me crazy as I never end up with the same colour each time and often even mixing doesn't get the right colour. I have also tried setting with a slightly yellow tinted powder over pink toned foundations (and vice versa) but again, inconsistent and often hit or miss with the colour. I am at my wits end!

In the past I have used MAC Skinfinish and Face & Body but ended up with the mixing issue again as nothing was quite right on my skin - either too yellow or too pink. Also, I found MAC didn't really sit well on my skin, caused a bit of irritation, so I would rather steer clear.

I have heard brilliant things about Illamasqua foundations for lighter skin but don't want to be disappointed again, and it has cost me a fortune to keep experimenting, so I thought the lovely ladies (and lads!) on here could help my choose a good foundation that is light (really light!) and neutral undertoned. Is there a shade out there for me?

MiseryMary

Have you try No.7 foundation In Boots store they have this thing that can match you to the right foundation colour for your skin tone and pick out the bottle eg if your fair skin toned your bottle could be name vanilla cool or something or have you tried to use any of the BBs which is a tinted fountain but its also a cream.

lorebringer

Yes, I treid the No.7 match - the foundation was really yellow for me. The girl was very helpful and we tried a few different ones but none suited so I walked away empty handed.

I really want something with coverage - my skin is not the best - and BB creams don't really do that for me (I have tried a few drugstore brands, all have been passed on to friends/family). Plus, all I have tried have been too dark for me.

MiseryMary

Maybe Foundation just don't work for you then the only thing i could think of is just try putting on a moisturizer/primar cream first on and there's a press powder you can get its Collection 2000 ivory which is the lightest tone you can get , get a blush brush and just use the brush rub it in the powder and put it lightly on your face . It will also help to get rid of any shine on your face from the moisturizer you use and the moisturizer/primar cream is like a barrier that will stop dirt getting in .

bscm

Urban Decay Naked Skin I'm lighter than NW15/NC15 in MAC and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 is waaay too orange and dark on me, but UD Naked Skin is a fairly good match (I got the second lightest because I had a bit of colour due to the heatwave). It comes in pink and yellow shades so it suits a lot of people.

I know for certain the counters in Debenhams do shade matching and free samples of it, and I'd assume other UD counters would also shade match and give samples

Ilyana 2.0

I use Illamasqua's Rich Liquid Foundation and it gives great coverage. The site gives good descriptions of the shades so you can probably find something for pale skin with neutral undertones (shade 115 possibly). You can order it from Debenhams and it's more reasonably priced than the likes of MAC, in or around 23e.

It does tend to highlight dry patches though, so you'd need to be well moisturised and primed!

http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/products/face-and-body/rf-200-rich-liquid-foundation

AulBiddy

Illamasqua do a pure white foundation to mix in with your own foundation if its too dark, just a small bit with your normal foundation usually does the trick for me
I wear Rimmel Match Perfection in 100 Ivory, it's a very light colour and it doesn't come out pinky like the colorstay does (I noticed that too), I mix just the tiniest bit of the illamasqua and it's perfect for my extremely pale complexion

NaNaNa1

I find it horribly difficult to find a foundation that a) suits my skin tone but b) doesn't make me look like the Milkey Bar Kid at the same time I'm currently loving Mary Kay Timewise in Ivory 4. It's light, smells lovely (i have a thing about horrible foundation smells) and stays well!

Saaron

Face Atelier do a white foundation that works wonderfully! I bought it a few years ago and can pretty much mix it with any of my foundations. I still have a lot left, you only need to use a little bit. I find it better than illamasqua foundations because it's a lighter formula and doesn't alter the texture of the foundation you're mixing it with.
http://www.faceatelier.com/face/us/web.nsf/fmPublic!OpenForm&t=catalog&cat=uf

http://www.cloud10beauty.com/ultra-foundation-html.html

It's a bit pricy, but for me I thought it was worth the money because I can now use all the foundations that I've spent way too much money on and were too dark.

Illamasqua foundations have a decent colour range but I don't like how they work on my skin. The rich liquid foundations just do not last AT ALL. Great coverage, but they don't have staying power. They also settle in fine lines, and on dry patches. I tend to avoid using it now

Their loose powder foundation was a holy grail item for me as it had a wonderful smooth texture and was pale enough without being pink toned. Unfortunately last time I checked they had discontinued the shade I had used

I hope this might help you

Edit: I THINK this was the same shade (115) that I used with the loose powder. I haven't tried this one though so I can't comment on what's it's like in person. http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/products/face-and-body/pf-115-powder-foundation

rainbow kirby

Bobbi Brown Alabaster (00) or Porcelain (0)? I use their Skin Foundation in Porcelain, which is light-medium coverage, I think they do a heavier one than that too...

I'm super-pale too, Mac NW15 looks orange on me.

Pang

I find it really hard to get a foundation pale enough for me. I found Mac NW13 perfect colour wise but unfortunately too drying on my skin. They have a NW10 too which is very pale.

I have to say recently the only foundation I have found that suits me and doesn't cause any irritation or drying has been Maybelline's Fit Me. I bought it in 115 and I have found it amazing. It's not drying at all and doesn't oxidise as foundations such as Lancome Teint Idole and others have.

I also had one by Make Up Forever a few years back which I found very good too, but I forget what it was called. It was definitely the lightest shade they had.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

I love Bobbi Brown in porcelain, I find its a really nice foundation on but it wouldn't be a full coverage foundation if that's what you're after.

Dior Forever in 010 is a shade I would wear too. And I love the foundation too. I would be pretty pale

Twee.

I have Bobbi Brown in Alabaster and sometimes it's a little too warm on me! I LOVE YSL's Touche Eclat foundation, it comes in tons of colours, and they're usually fairly generous with the samples.

Other ones I like are MAC Studio Sculpt in NC15 and MAC BB Cream in Extra Light.

I've only ever had a sample, but Nars foundation in Siberia is lovely too. V expensive though!

Tiddlypeeps

I had a similar problem to yourself, took me about 6 months and about 20 or more different foundations to pin down the right one.

I eventually found Dior's Nude BB Cream, it's actually got decent coverage for a BB cream, especially when worn with a primer. I have fairly neutral undertones too, I think I'm leaning slightly on the warm side but most warm foundations are too pink and the cool ones are way too yellow. Might be worth getting a sample next time you are passing a Dior stand.

You say it is costing you a fortune to experiment so my main advice is going to be stop paying for foundation you are not 100% happy with. Always ask for samples before committing to purchase, even if the sales attendant puts it on you and you think it looks fine. When you get out into natural light it can look very different to inside of the shop, for both colour and coverage.

Nars put their Sibera foundation on my face when I was looking before and it looked great in the shop. I was ready to purchase there and then but they were out of it, so the lady gave me a sample pot to take home and said she'd call when it was back in stock. I was delighted they were out of stock because I ended up hating it, the colour wasn't right and the coverage was crap.

Some sales attendants will treat you bad if you ask for samples, ignore them, it's just a sh*ty sales tactic used to guilt people into buying there and then. Most of them are more than happy to hand out samples tho so don't be afraid to ask. A lot of them run out of sample pots early in the day so if you are brazen enough you can pick up a bunch of pots that are about the right size for samples in boots for about €3, so you can just produce your own if they say they are out, most are fine with this. The sample make up they have at their stand is there for customers to try so don't be afraid to ask.

Good luck with your search

fartyarse

lorebringer wrote: »

The situation is:
1) I have light skin, very light skin.
2) I have a neutral undertone.

Combine these two situations and it becomes an issue. To show the dilemma let me name a few foundations that DO NOT work on my skin (too dark) - Bourjois Healthy Mix, EL Double Wear, Dior Show ... the list is long. The only foundation I have found that comes close to being ok on my skin is Revlon Colourstay but this is a bit too pink for my skin tone. Mixing different foudnations is something I do if I have to but it drives me crazy as I never end up with the same colour each time and often even mixing doesn't get the right colour. I have also tried setting with a slightly yellow tinted powder over pink toned foundations (and vice versa) but again, inconsistent and often hit or miss with the colour. I am at my wits end!

In the past I have used MAC Skinfinish and Face & Body but ended up with the mixing issue again as nothing was quite right on my skin - either too yellow or too pink. Also, I found MAC didn't really sit well on my skin, caused a bit of irritation, so I would rather steer clear.

I have heard brilliant things about Illamasqua foundations for lighter skin but don't want to be disappointed again, and it has cost me a fortune to keep experimenting, so I thought the lovely ladies (and lads!) on here could help my choose a good foundation that is light (really light!) and neutral undertoned. Is there a shade out there for me?

Have you tried l'Oreal's True Match foundation? They come in Cool, Neutral, or Warm shades, from the lightest to the darkest shades!

lorebringer

fartyarse wrote: »

Have you tried l'Oreal's True Match foundation? They come in Cool, Neutral, or Warm shades, from the lightest to the darkest shades!

Yes - well, compared it in the shop to my own foundation - and the lightest colour was way too dark for my skin!

Saaron

Makeup Forever and Nars have a good range of shades, you should go in and have a look if at all possible.

quinevere

Vichy derma blend is colour correction and they always have samples ! Try getting a sample and see how it goes

Sheela

quinevere wrote: »

Vichy derma blend is colour correction and they always have samples ! Try getting a sample and see how it goes

+1 for Dermablend ... It's super pale. I'm NW10 and their Opel shade is perfect