But I don't want to be pink toned! Why am I yellow toned? Questions and Comments MUAs get often #1.

So I've decided to create a new regular topic on my blog, which is questions or comments us Make Up Artist's get often and the most regular questions I face on a day to day basis with clients and customers.

Let's start with;

"Why do you think I am yellow toned? I want to be pink and I usually use pink toned foundations!"

Foundations are used to solely even out the tone of the skin before applying other products or layers on top to create the desired look.

People are different tones and shades and there is not a universal foundation out there for everyone to use, unless it's completely translucent, such as a blurring cream or primer.

Let me explain with some colour theory.
If you mix pink with a yellow or beige tone in painting, you'll get a dirty brownish orange tone.

Lets take out the words "pink" and "beige" and replace them with yellow and red, the basic colours that are included to create these colours.

If you mix red with yellow, you get orange.

So essentially, if you put a pink toned foundation on a yellow skin, or a yellow toned foundation on a pink skin, you will get the wrong toned foundation for you and you could possibly look an odd colour, more often than not a little bit grey and be left with a dreaded foundation tide mark.

I am mixed race, so in the summer I am more beige and as I lose colour I begin to have a pink undertone, which is something that can commonly happen with seasonal change. So mixing foundations or having a winter and summer foundation which are different tones is something helpful to have.



I've put some foundations on my arm here so you can see clearly that putting a wrong tone on your skin can effect how a foundation looks once blended.

I have used;
Smashbox 1.2 Studio Skin
YSL Yves Saint Laurent Fusion foundation BD40
Rimmel London (USA) Clean Finish Foundation Sand

As you can see, the Rimmel is more of pink tone and the YSL and Smashbox are more of a yellow tone.
Those have blended in practically instantly with virtually no marks, although a little too light for me, they have blended in well.
The Rimmel has left me with an orange patch and markings where the foundation has ended, as it is the incorrect tone for my skin.

Foundations can also oxidize, depending on brand and finish, meaning they could go lighter or darker as they come to contact with the air so be sure to wait for a foundation to fully dry before making a decision.

It is okay to go a shade lighter or darker depending on preference with foundation but make sure you have selected the right tone for you or it could end up with you turning an odd shade rather than a foundation blending in seamlessly.

If unsure ask to have a colour match at a counter in your drugstore or makeup store.