Things You'll Need:
- Foundations to try Tissue
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Step 1
Determine your skin type. There are five skin types: normal, dry, sensitive, combination and oily. Take a tissue and blot your facial skin with it. Be sure to blot the T-zone (nose, chin and forehead). If the tissue picks up a minimal amount of oil and your skin looks healthy and supple, it is normal skin. If the tissue picks up oil all over your face, you have oily skin. If the tissue picks up oil in the T-zone but is flaky and dry in the other areas, you have combination skin. If the tissue does not pick up a lot of oil, but your skin looks dry and red and is easily irritated by skin products, then you have sensitive skin.
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Step 2
Select a variety of foundations at a department store to try. These may include powder, matte, stick, and liquid foundations. The best foundation will be the formulation that is made to work with your skin type. In general, oil-free and powder foundations work best for oily skin. Oil-based foundations work well on very dry skin. Liquid foundations that are mostly water-based work well on normal skin and can work well on other skin types also.
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Step 3
Put a little of the foundation in your hand and look at the color. Foundations come with warm and cool undertones. Cool shades are shades you find in the winter and summer: icy blue, pale pink, and more. Warm shades are shades you find in the fall and spring: brown, orange, rust, and more. If you look better when you wear cool colors, then you will want to select a foundation with cool undertones, such as blue- based reds and pinks. If you look better when you wear warm colors, then your best foundation will have warm undertones like yellow and brown.
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Step 4
Test the foundation on your facial skin. Apply a small amount directly on the side of your face. Walk out in the sunlight and look at the foundation using a mirror. The best foundation will exactly match your facial skin color.
