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The biggest foundation mistake you’re making

And how to avoid it, according to the pros

By Brittany Lane

Contributor / February 14 2018

And how to avoid it, according to the pros

Foundation: It's the one product you'll find in every woman's makeup kit. It evens out skin tone, covers any unwanted blemishes, hides dark circles and makes your skin look flawless. That is, if applied correctly.

It’s official; the biggest foundation blunder women are constantly making is not colour matching their foundation properly. And if you don’t get this crucial step right, then your foundation just won’t look right... or achieve the results you’re after.

“The biggest makeup mistake is not correctly colour matching their foundations. I find women tend to match the colour of their foundation to the colour on their face or the neck,” said Melanie Burnicle, Makeup Director for Revlon Australasia.

The reason this isn’t the best patch of skin to use for your colour match? The SPF ingredient in your product (kudos for using an SPF on your face, by the way) is causing your complexion to be lighter than your décolletage: an area that is often neglected when it comes to your sunscreen application. “I generally match the foundation to the décolletage. Most women use an SPF or a foundation with an SPF in it, so the face is often quite lighter than the chest and arms. When applying foundation, we apply it to the face and the neck so it makes sense that the colour should work in nicely on your décolletage,” Burnicle advises.

If you do, however, take care to apply your sunscreen evenly across your face, neck, and chest and have the same tone across all, this technique will also help you pick your perfect foundation shade.

Alphie Sadsad, pro artist for Bobbi Brown, also believes we need to be more aware of altering shades depending on the time of the year. “Women choose the wrong foundation shade and formula and don’t adapt for the season,” he explained. “Most women tan (even a little) in summer, while the skin is often drier in winter so it makes sense to alter the shade and formula slightly for the seasons.”

We recommend having two different foundation shades on rotation, one for summer and winter, and mix the two shades together when you’re in between seasons.

Looking for a new foundation? Check out the foundations we've got on rotation at the moment.