We all know that foundation is supposed to cover up any imperfections, thereby giving you a smooth, picture-perfect complexion. But, alas, it’s not as easy as it sounds – particularly for women with olive skin, who have a slightly greenish cast in theirs. The right foundation, however, will warm up that green undertone, which is why it is crucial for those with olive skin to experiment with different formulas until they find the perfect one.
Here, Savoir Flair shares a handful of tips to help you identify your undertones and choose the right foundation, followed by a retail edit of the top five choices out there.
Testing, Testing
“One of the biggest beauty mistakes that women make is not choosing the right shade of foundation,” says makeup maestro Bobbi Brown. “Master this and you can look like you have perfect, youthful skin.” Her key piece of advice? Don’t ever buy a foundation without testing it on your skin first. Compare three or four different shades by swiping them onto your skin. “Apply a little on your forehead, where your skin tone is most even,” she explains.
Additionally, she advises to check your reflection in natural light and go with the shade that perfectly matches the color of your skin. “Foundation shouldn’t change your skin’s color. You know you’re using the correct shade if it disappears into your skin,” says Brown.
Know Your Undertones
Not sure how to determine your skin tone? Put on a white T-shirt and look in the mirror against natural light. The contrast of the white against your skin will help its undertones show better. If you have dark hair, dark eyes, and skin that tans easily, you’re more than likely to have an olive skin tone. Your skin will have yellow, peach, or golden undertones but can also look a little sallow when you’re tired or feeling under the weather. For the perfect finish, look for foundations that warm up your skin with a slight yellow, peach, or golden tone rather than bases with cooler, pinker undertones.
Find Your Perfect Shade
With the hundreds of foundations on offer, it can be a little baffling to pick one that’s going to work for your skin, but don’t worry. Savoir Flair has done the legwork for you, picking the top five foundations that cater perfectly to a range of olive skin tones. Get ready to say hello to a flawless finish!
MAC’s ‘Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation’ has over 50 shades to choose from, so there’s one to suit virtually every skin tone, including olive. You should pick one of the shades that start with a “C”, which stands for “cool”. These are the most flattering because they’re slightly leaning toward green.
The Bobbi Brown ‘Skin Foundation Stick’ is a best-seller and features a unique, transparent base alongside pigments designed to correct skin tone for a natural finish. Amongst the 31 shades available, ‘Honey’, ‘Cool Honey’, and ‘Warm Honey’ are best for olive skin tones.
Charlotte Tilbury’s ‘Magic Foundation’ is great for olive skins. In fact, a whole host of her celebrity clients, such as Salma Hayek and Kim Kardashian, swear by it. Try ‘Shade 6’ for neutral-olive undertones and ‘Shade 7’ for medium-olive undertones. ‘Shade 8’ and ‘Shade 9.5’ will work better if your skin’s undertones are a deeper shade of olive.
The Clinique ‘Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick’ offers sheer coverage in a number of warm tones. If your skin tends to look sallow, it’s also ideal for applying to specific areas that might need evening out or brightening up. Depending on how deep your olive tones are, try the following shades: ‘Bountiful Beige’, ‘Gargantuan Golden’, or ‘Ample Amber’.
The light-diffusing minerals in Ellis Faas’ ‘Skin Veil Foundation Pen’ will give your skin a luminous glow without making it feel caked in makeup. A number of the shades have been specially formulated for darker, warmer skin tones – try ‘S104 Medium’ for light-olive skin, ‘S106 Tan’ for medium-olive tones, and ‘S107’ for dark-olive tones.
