Although you may balk at the idea, foundation is really an excellent idea to even out your skin tone and complete your facial beauty look. Foundation can give you a ‘flawless’ look and really enhance your appearance. And today’s foundations are designed to allow skin to breathe and not to clog pores. The trick to getting the right foundation is to find the best color for you, so that you can eliminate that unsightly line between your face and neck.

When choosing your foundation color, it is wise to ask advice from an experienced cosmetic staff counter person. Not all skin types are the same tone. Your skin may have a bluish tone, pinkish, olive, black or anything in between.

Generally, pink toned foundation is best for sallow skin types. Beige-toned foundations are better for a pink complexion. If you have a highly colored complexion, you skin may benefit from being toned-down with a green-tinted moisturizer before applying any foundation. Olive colored or darker skins rarely need more than a bit of copper-toned foundation in winter, or even just moisturizer.

Although it is not foolproof, one way to test which shade is the best for you is to dab a bit of the foundation on your wrist. You should also try to test the foundation shade in natural lighting. The harsh department store lighting does not really reflect your true tone. To get a true reflection of your perfect match, apply a little foundation to your face and stand outside with a mirror. Experiment until you find the right shade for you.

Foundations come in various textures from light-weight to medium or one with heavier coverage. A light covering will be more flattering to younger, blemish-free skin. During the winter, a medium weight coverage may be needed. A heavier weight foundation is generally only needed for those with poor complexions where a lot of coverage may be necessary to mask the imperfect skin.

Here are a few tips for finding the right foundation:

1. Try 3 shades that you think may be right. Apply each to your jawbone and blend in. The one that you can’t see is the right shade for you.
2. Foundation should not be used to give skin its color. Blush will do that. Foundation is only supposed to be used to even your skin tone and make your skin look flawless.
3. Avoid foundation shades that create a line between your face and neck. That line is an indication of the wrong shade of foundation for you, or one that is not blended in properly.
4. Look for cosmetic counters that have custom blends. This will allow you to exactly match your foundation to your face.
5. Always do the final color-matching test in natural lighting.

Foundation gives your face the base canvas on which the rest of your make-up rests. Choosing the right foundation for you will allow you the polished, most beautiful look that you are looking for. Take you time in choosing the exact shade that is right for you.