What is essential, though, is to choose a powder that is the same color as your foundation. If your powder is lighter than your foundation, you can end up looking pasty and pale; if your powder is darker, you will look like you're wearing a mask.
Blend The Foundation Lighter Than You
When in doubt, always pick a shade that is slightly lighter than your complexion rather than darker. This can prevent your complexion from looking darker than the rest of your body.
If your makeup is too light, you will look ashy or as if you have a gray cast on your skin. If the formula is too dark, it can make your complexion look muddy. Look for the shade that disappears into your skin most is your right match.
The right foundation shade should match your skin's undertone. While your skin tone is how light or dark your skin is, the 'undertone' refers to the colours under the surface of your skin and can be warm, cool, or neutral. While your skin tone may change with the seasons, your undertone should remain consistent.
Your foundation should blend seamlessly with your natural skin tone. You don't want there to be an obvious difference between where your foundation ends and your bare skin begins. Otherwise, your foundation will look unnatural and caked on.
What is essential, though, is to choose a powder that is the same color as your foundation. If your powder is lighter than your foundation, you can end up looking pasty and pale; if your powder is darker, you will look like you're wearing a mask.
People with warm undertones look great wearing foundation with orange and gold hues. If you have cool undertones, then your skin has more blue or pink in it. In this case, you'll want to look for a foundation that has more of a bluer-base in shades of red and pink. Neutral undertones have a mix of both.
The face powder should be one shade lighter than your foundation. Pressed powder or compact powder is thicker than loose powder and more solid. Pressed powders are also available in different shades.
This will give you an extra layer of coverage, giving you that flawless look you're after. Just make sure the powder matches your foundation to a T to avoid changing the color of your face makeup.
Its ideally the same shade of your foundation that you go when buying a compact but if you want a brighter look. You can go for one shade lighter.
If you are COOL and pick a WARM or NEUTRAL foundation, it will look yellow on you. If you are WARM and pick a COOL foundation, it will make your skin look pale and icy. If you pick a NEUTRAL foundation, it will look grey.
Flip over your arm and take a look at the inside of your wrist. If your veins appear to have a blue or deep purple tint, you likely have cool skin undertones. If they look more greenish, you likely have warm or olive undertones. If you can't tell one way or the other, you may have neutral undertones.
How do you know if your foundation is too dark? If you use the wrong foundation shade, your face will appear tanned, but the rest of your body will not, and your skin will appear as if it has an additional layer.
“Always match foundation on your jawline where your complexion is most even. You want to match both the surface tone and under tone of your skin. It's more important to match the color in your chest than your neck which is normally always slightly lighter than your face.
Most people don't wear powder after foundation and still look flawless. The application matters however. You have to ensure that you start with a fine base and apply the foundation evenly. Some prefer dewy finish so applying a powder will not give that look.
Setting powder should be applied after foundation and concealer, but before blusher and bronzer, to help set your base makeup in place and keep oiliness at bay.
With a Brush
"For a natural and seamless finish, apply the powder foundation using a medium-sized powder brush, blending and targeting the areas that need coverage," Dalí says.
Your Skin Type Matters
Just don't pack them both on, “A common mistake people make is using powder foundation on top of a liquid foundation,” Major says. This can result in a cakey finish. Mature skin or dry skin types should reach for a liquid foundation, as powder foundation can settle into fine lines and wrinkles.
For Natural Looks
For weightless, natural looks, you'll almost always choose a liquid foundation. Powder foundations can look natural, but the more coverage you add, the more matte your finish becomes. For dewy, natural-looking skin, a lightweight liquid foundation is key.
Recognize the power of powder: If the shade is only slightly too light, then wear it as normal, but consider layering a darker powder on top. Or just add a bit of bronzer as a finishing step, targeting the cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin.
But when and why should you use it? Translucent powder is best used to set makeup or finish a look. A colourless powder isn't going to provide coverage or even your skin tone. A translucent powder is better for smoothing out uneven textures, such as scarring,visible pores,bumpiness, orroughness.
Your foundation looks grey or ashy because it is much lighter than your skin tone. Using a lighter foundation on your skin can highlight the foundation thus making your skin look unnatural. In order to prevent your foundation from looking ashy, you should add 2-3 drops of darker shade foundation and blend it well.