By Jasmine Winters

Finding the right shade of foundation can be difficult. But, when you finally find the right one, it can be the most rewarding feeling ever. You’ll never want to let it go!

Let’s start with finding your undertone. Is it cool or is it warm? One way to find that out is by doing a vein check. This will help narrow down your hunt for the perfect foundation. If your veins are blue or purple, you fall in the category of cool undertones and If your veins are green or olive you may have a warm undertone. Are your veins blue/green? You my friend, have a neutral tone.

Hang in there, girl! The hard part is over, now that we’ve found our undertone and the search has narrowed down. Finding a foundation just got easier. It’s now time for a swatch! With some online help, a lot of brands will specify if a shade is marked for your particular undertone.

Whatever your undertone is, the best place to swatch is in between your cheek and jawline. For some, the chest may be a better spot to get a for sure match. Find the best lighting in a room and let’s begin. Take a few of the best matches and apply in a row to the specified area, blend it from the cheek toward the neck. Don’t worry if your neck tone is just a little off from the shade that matches your face (tone) the most.

Most of us all have a different neck tone than our face. Certain blending techniques will help mask that. Whichever swatch melts into your skin the most and has your skin still looking like your skin, you’ve found your match!

This also goes with finding the right shade of lipstick because a lot of us can relate to the struggle of finding the right nude lipstick. So if you are looking for that everyday nude lippie that doesn’t wash you out or make you look like the ashy monster, try checking out your skin tone. And the best place to swatch for lippies is on the lips! But if that’s not an option, try a spot on your arm that matches the color on or around your lips the most. Have fun with it!

When it comes to eyeshadows, I say go for whatever makes you happy and feel more confident. Play with the colors and have fun, babe!

What about skin illuminators? Well this is easy - the shade options per brand in illuminators/ highlighters are quite a small list. Most skin illuminators/highlighters come with about 4 options. You can look at the product by not even swatching to tell which matches your skin tone the most.

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