makeup

COMPLEXION PERFECTION

POST + PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY NADINE, GRAPHIC DESIGN BY EUNICE CHUN

A lot of us have uneven skin tones and I’m here to tell you it’s not that big of a deal. Really! It’s so easy to correct so please don’t stress! It’s a rare thing that someone’s skin shade is the same from her forehead to her neck… most of the time our foreheads or our lower cheeks and chin are darker than the rest of our face. Here’s how to even everything out in a way that still highlights our eyes.

TOOLS:

• Cream Foundation — I love a cream foundation stick but you can also use a cream foundation palette or even a cream concealer, just make sure to only go a half shade lighter than your true foundation shade. I used Shu Uemura Nobara Cream Cover Stick on Bria Murphy above and I also love the color range from Bobbi Brown Foundation Sticks (warm/cool, olive/fair/beige/almond/espresso…. you name it). The important factor is that you pick a shade that is a half shade lighter than your real shade. I say “a half” knowing that you’re thinking “how do I know what shade is a half shade lighter?” and bear with me… I say that because most shades are about a half shade variance between shades! So just go to the color in your favorite brand that is one level lower than your foundation and you’ll be fine. Or play with what you have in your makeup drawer and test shades on your neck.
• Liquid Foundation — Pick one that is your true shade. To help, revisit my Foundation Shade Finder Tutorial and Undertones Tutorial. I used Bobbi Brown Luminous Moisturizing Foundation above because again its shade range truly matches everyone. I’m also obsessed with Covergirl TruBlend Liquid Foundation because it’s water-based so it really blends into your skin instead of sitting on top of the skin like silicone-based foundations.

STEPS:

1. With the foundation stick, draw a figure eight (8) on its side around the eyes like a Zorro mask. Then blend inwards to fill in the whole area (including your lids) using your fingers.
2. Next sweep the liquid foundation on the rest of your face (not the area you just did) and don’t forget your neck. We used a Beauty Blender (slightly dampened first) but you can also use a foundation brush.
3. This step is key: blend the edges of the two areas with a buffing brush. Swirl the brush in circles so half of the time it’s blending the liquid foundation up into the cream foundation and the other time it’s blending the cream foundation down into the liquid foundation. It sounds trickier than it is. You can totally get it right, I’m not worried in the slightest!