Step1
It is embarrassing to be told that your foundation is too dark or too light for your skin tone. Even if you tested several shades at a cosmetic counter in your mall, and you later learn the shade isn't right, you can wind up feeling frustrated or cheated.It is easy to choose a shade of foundation that closely matches your natural skin tones if you have the right materials. You need to work near a window that gives you ample natural light. You can find shade cards, which are clear plastic with ovals of foundation shades. These shades vary from very light to very dark. Hold the shade card up to your neckline and jawline area. When you see one of the shade ovals "vanish," you have found the correct shade for your skin. It's best to have someone with a good eye and a willingness to be honest and tell you if the shade isn't quite right.
Step2
Next, go to the store and find the shade that most closely matches your shade from the shade card. Don't just buy it and leave--ask for a tester bottle or tube of that shade of foundation and rub a dot of it into your skin, again in your neckline and jawline area. This is where your skin tone most closely matches your facial skin tone. Don't rub the foundation into the inside of your wrist. You will end up with a foundation shade that is too light for your facial skin tone because the skin of your inner wrist is lighter. Again, this is where it is helpful to have your friend with the good eye with you. She can let you know if the foundation is a close match or not.
Step3
Once you've chosen the best shade of foundation, you need to decide on a cream foundation, cream to powder foundation, a mousse foundation or a mineral foundation. Mineral foundations are natural, milled minerals that are good for your skin. Your best choice is affected by your skin type. Do you have dry, normal or oily skin? If you have oily skin, choose a cream to powder or a mineral foundation. If your skin is dry, choose the cream or mousse foundation.
Step4
Now that the basics of foundation have been settled, you need to choose a good blush. If you have a fair skin tone, choose a blush in the pink or rose family. If your skin tone is closer to olive, you can select a blush in mauve or berry colors. Your skin color will be complemented by these darker shades. If your skin is fair or ruddy, you can select blush shades from the corals or reds family. If your skin is very dark, you have some choices. You can choose beiges and browns or mauves and berries. The same shade selections will apply with lip liners and lipsticks. Just remember, if you are very fair, don't overpower your skin tone with a really deep shade of blush or lipstick, even though you love that shade. Try to incorporate that color, say in your wardrobe.
Step5
Choose the eyeshadow shades that will best complement your skin tone. Women with fair skin can choose pale or sheer shades, beiges or browns, pinks or rosy colors. Women with olive-toned skin can chose mauves or berries, deep heathers, blues, grays and plum colors. They can also use beiges and browns in moderation. Women with ruddier skin can select eyeshadow colors from the corals and reds, as well as judicial use of pales and sheers. Women with very dark skin tones can select mauves and berries, beiges and browns. Use an eyeliner that will complement the shade of eyeshadow you are using. Fair-skinned women should use brown or brown-black mascara; Ruddy-toned women should make the same choice. Olive-skinned women can use brown-black or black mascara and deep-toned women can use black mascara.
Step6
Now the finishing touch--lipstick. Use the same guidelines that you used for selecting your blush. You can select sheer color as well as a full color lipstick. Remember, if you are very fair-skinned, but you just love the mauve or brown lipsticks, they will overpower your skin tone and make you look washed out. If you must use these colors, again, incorporate them into your wardrobe or even your nail polish.
Novice 
