If you check out the cosmetic aisles for foundation colors that are available, what do you see? A plethora of possibilities for the Caucasian woman, and a mere handful for the women of color. Many of the cosmetic companies who have decided to offer foundation shades for darker skin tones in past years have done so simply by darkening colors that were already available. This will hardly be a help for those with ethnic skin tones, whose complexions are just as unique and diverse as Caucasian women’s are. For some women of color, the only answer has been to mix their own shades of foundation, or to settle for a color that was never quite right. However, it appears that the cosmetic industry is shifting to make room for this market share that has been so grossly neglected until now.

Choosing your Foundation Shade

To help you to determine which foundation shade is best for you, you will need to do a bit of homework before you ever head to your cosmetics store. First, it is important to understand that women of color will require a foundation that contains a higher level of pigment than those products that are purchased and used by Caucasian women. Next, you need to wash your face thoroughly and examine your complexion in a good light, like that from an open window. Determine if your undertones run in the red, yellow or blue ranges, since this will help you to find a foundation that will most closely match your skin tones.

If your skin tends to the yellow end of the spectrum, select a foundation with a golden shade. While darker skin colors tend to work better with a brown to red-orange shade, some skin tones in the darker range will still include a blue undertone as well. This is especially true of some of the darkest skin tones. In order to ensure that your foundation will be the best shade for you, test a bit on your jaw line, as well as a couple of other areas of your face so that you know which color will be best overall. If you have more than one color in your complexion, it is best to find a shade between the two.

When you find a foundation shade that works well for you, it is a good idea to purchase a concealer and powder at the same time to make sure that these products all match each other. If you are still having trouble finding a good foundation with the additional shades available today, you can spring to have a customized shade created just for you. While this is a pricier choice, it can be a good one for those who have a makeup drawer filled with unused foundations because an exact match could not be found. Ethnic skin tones do not have to settle when it comes to foundation any longer. Today you can find a much better selection of foundations for ethnic skin tones that will help you to find the right makeup no matter what your skin color.

Related Articles
	Makeup for African American Skin Choosing the right makeup is often confusing when it comes to eye color and hair color, but what about our skin tone? No skin tone is created equally and at times we tend to forget that. Thankfully, manufacturers have improved dramatically over the years, when it comes to makeup and specific   ...Read more		Makeup Tips and Colors for Asian Women Thanks to today’s focus on multicultural groups, the cosmetics market offers extended choices for women of various ethnicites. No longer dominant are cosmetics intended for cool skin tones such as heavy, pink based foundations, blue and purple eye shadows and pink or red lipsticks. ...Read more