Adding pigment to foundation to get perfect match - YouLookFab Forum

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Adding pigment to foundation to get perfect match

Gigi

Veteran

I have a pale olive complexion (fair olive), and it's extremely hard to find a good foundation match. Everything is either too yellow or too pink. I have found one that I like in a powder formula (Alima Olive 0), but finding a liquid one has proved a lot harder. Even if I can find a close match, I don't always like the formula (too heavy, too drying, etc.). I also enjoy using makeup products that are more natural (e.g., Jane Iredale, RMS Beauty), which limits my options further.

I have seen it suggested that people with hard-to-match complexions add pigment to foundation to get the perfect match. If I understand right, I would either buy a neutral foundation and add a little green pigment, or I would buy a warm foundation and add a little blue (since yellow plus blue creates green). This would enable me to use whatever formula I like and not have to worry about a perfect match. Has anyone tried this? What were your results?

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17 replies

Latest reply was from Staysfit

Joy

Veteran

It exactly. I have been using a tinted moisturizer with sun block the last couple of years. You have me wondering if I also have a complexion that tends toward olive as most are too yellow or too pink. The tinted moisturizer that I use comes in four colors. In winter “medium” works well. In summer with a bit of tan, “ medium/ dark” is better. Sometimes, like now, I mix the medium with a bit of the medium dark for a better match. It is worth a try to mix your own. Use tiny bits and go outside in the natural light to look closely, especially where your face meets your neck. Let us know how you do.

ophelia

Veteran

So many women have olive skin it's bizarre there aren't more choices. I once found a fabulous website where a woman tested massive amounts of foundation trying to find a pale olive match. I was going to post a link but of course can't find it now & can't remember her name. I did google "foundation for olive skin" & while most were for darker olive skintones, there is some info on pale.
I'll have to look into Alima. I thought they had gone out of business. They aren't cheap, but I appreciate that they are (or were) cruelty-free!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

This isn’t my ballpark at all, but if I was going to play, I’d take a different strategy. Instead of mixing in colors, I’d probably start with a darker olive foundation and then lighten it up, because I think there’d be less risk of undertones getting in the way.

nemosmom

Veteran

I have added MAC White to the Face and body formulation, but that only lightened the color; it did not change the undertone. I remember back many years ago some company made 'color correctors' that were fluid, in shades of yellow, purple, and green. Gosh, I can't remember who it was. Anyway... you apply them to areas of your face where the color is off and then put makeup over it (to conceal redness or cancel out dark circles, etc). Correctors only really worked (on me) if I wore a thick enough foundation to cover the other color. I have stopped wearing foundation for the most part, just because matching is nearly impossible. When I want a bit of coverage or evenness, I use Ilia serum foundation in a mix of Tulum and Formosa. Not a great match, but it is sheer enough that it's not super obvious.

I think Audrey Coyne did a YouTube video on makeup for olive undertones. Check there!

Anonymous

The liquid foundation I use in winter is a bit darker than the powder I use the rest of the year. I mix my yellow concealer powder in it to lighten it a bit, but my undertone is (per Prescriptives a zillion years ago) yellow orange. It could be done with a green tinged powder corrector or even one intended as eyeshadow.

Gigi

Veteran

Joy, I finally found a tinted sunscreen that matches my olive skin--SkinCeuticals, in their "universal tint." It's so nice not to have to mix things!

Ophelia, it *is* super frustrating that there are not more options for pale olives out there.

Nemosmom, I'll check out Audrey's channel again; it's been a while since I've visited. She does have cooler skin than mine. She looks beautiful in pale blues, and those make me look sickly. I know there is a debate about whether olive skin must be cool or not. I might have more yellow overtone than some, because I lean slightly warm.

Loepsie (YouTuber) also has a blog where she listed several different options for pale olives. If I remember right, most were quite pricey. So I figured, if I'm going to spend top dollar, I would rather have a formulation that is organic or natural, etc., and then correct for my olive cast.

Fashiontern, interesting strategy! I'll keep that in mind. Maybe I could use the MAC White that Nemosmom mentioned.

Suntiger, thanks for the input. One question I had was whether I could successfully use a powder pigment to change the color of a liquid foundation.

Gigi

Veteran

I decided to call Nordstrom and see if they had any color-correcting pigments. The gal I spoke with said they didn't have anything like that, but she was intrigued at the idea. Her best suggestion was to take a foundation with olive undertone that was too dark and try to lighten it by mixing it with a brightening primer. Her other suggestion was, if I find a shade match I like but the foundation is too heavy, to thin it out with a serum. I'm not too much of a fan of the latter idea, because I have had problems mixing products with foundations in the past, because it seems that solubility depends a lot on the balance of oil and water in the foundation.

The makeup rep recommended starting with the following lines because they have lots of shades of foundation: Bobbi Brown, Dior, Lancome, and Estee Lauder.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Is it wrong that I feel like I scored here, or just a sad commentary on my day?

Gigi

Veteran

I award you my Gold Star for the day.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Awesome! I’m taking a bow. And appreciating the silly smile you gave me to end the frustrating day happily.

danskogirl

I know this isn't the question you asked, so feel free to ignore. I, too, have an olive undertone (and the Skinceuticals Physical Fusion tinted sunscreen works really well for me in fall/winter months), so I've searched for an olive-undertoned foundation. My complexion is a little darker though -- it's light/light-medium.

If you're interested (and don't know if it would fit your criteria on natural, etc.), you might look into Make Up For Ever's Ultra HD Foundation in the shade Y225 - Marble. On me, it was too pale but the olive undertone was perfect. (I ended up going with the Y245 color, which is a shade darker than Y225, and with also an olive undertone. Applied with a Beauty Blender, the finish is not heavy.)

Gigi

Veteran

Thanks, danskogirl. At the end of the day, it might be just too much work to find something natural, so I may end up purchasing something at Sephora or Ulta. I think the Sephora near me carries MUFE. It's worth checking out. I'm glad that the finish is not too heavy.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

Have you tried Ilia? https://iliabeauty.com/products/kamari-st13

Minaminu

Veteran

I second UmmLila, Ilia offers a wide range of tones! Korres is also very good.

For me, a tinted moisturiser blends better with the natural skin tone. Foundations are always tricky !

Gigi

Veteran

I think my local sephora carries Ilia. I'll check it out!

lisaflex

Veteran

have you tried the Charlotte tilbury (sp?) unisex glow stuff? it is fabulous!

Staysfit

Veteran

Elea Blake makes custom shades and has a kit so you can mix the pigments. Very helpful and knowledgeable. You can do it, I did!