Colour matching foundation

[WarmWishesBeauty]

What are your techniques and ways of colour matching foundation to the client? Do you prefer liquid foundation, cream foundation or powdered foundation?

As I'm expanding my portfolio I am wanting to diversify the skin colours that I work with and finding the perfect foundation colour matching.

So I must ask, do you have any tips on how to colour match foundation?

I look forward to the replies

 

[makeupbyomar]

What are your techniques and ways of colour matching foundation to the client? Do you prefer liquid foundation, cream foundation or powdered foundation?

As I'm expanding my portfolio I am wanting to diversify the skin colours that I work with and finding the perfect foundation colour matching.

So I must ask, do you have any tips on how to colour match foundation?

I look forward to the replies

It doesn't really matter what type of foundation formulation you use to colour match someone. As long you (I am speaking generically here... everyone) are comfortable with whatever formulation you are using, use it. And of course use the formulation that works for their skin's pH.

In the film / TV industry, we just colour match their skin tone with whatever foundation formulation we're using. Typically we just colour correct, reduce redness, cover blemishes, dark circles that sort-of-thing, without applying it full coverage. Sometimes we don't even cover dark circles, or we add more redness... Depending on how we create a character and how that character looks like in a particular scene.

An example, I worked on this film, Longing (2024) and the director, Savi, much to the female actors dismay, didn't want their under eye circles covered up and didn't want the teen actors blemishes covered up. But I colour corrected everything else including tattoos. There was some initial push-back from the actors, but they eventually understood the assignment.

For street make-ups, sure, applying it more full coverage to whatever level that makes the person more comfortable wearing works.

For tips, use a shade that matches their skin tone exactly. However, on some black skin tones that have two different tones, (usually, they are lighter near the centre of their face and darker around the periphery of their face). You want to blend the lighter tone out towards the darker tone without making them look ashy.

In other words, it's a bit of a trial-and-error, and you have to mix more than one shade of foundation to match their overall skin tone. And you need to two powders to set each shade, or use a no-colour powder to set it.

As usual, everyone is different, so your approach is going to be different with every person.

 

[WarmWishesBeauty]

It doesn't really matter what type of foundation formulation you use to colour match someone. As long you (I am speaking generically here... everyone) are comfortable with whatever formulation you are using, use it. And of course use the formulation that works for their skin's pH.

In the film / TV industry, we just colour match their skin tone with whatever foundation formulation we're using. Typically we just colour correct, reduce redness, cover blemishes, dark circles that sort-of-thing, without applying it full coverage. Sometimes we don't even cover dark circles, or we add more redness... Depending on how we create a character and how that character looks like in a particular scene.

An example, I worked on this film, Longing (2024) and the director, Savi, much to the female actors dismay, didn't want their under eye circles covered up and didn't want the teen actors blemishes covered up. But I colour corrected everything else including tattoos. There was some initial push-back from the actors, but they eventually understood the assignment.

For street make-ups, sure, applying it more full coverage to whatever level that makes the person more comfortable wearing works.

For tips, use a shade that matches their skin tone exactly. However, on some black skin tones that have two different tones, (usually, they are lighter near the centre of their face and darker around the periphery of their face). You want to blend the lighter tone out towards the darker tone without making them look ashy.

In other words, it's a bit of a trial-and-error, and you have to mix more than one shade of foundation to match their overall skin tone. And you need to two powders to set each shade, or use a no-colour powder to set it.

As usual, everyone is different, so your approach is going to be different with every person.

I highly agree with using the foundation that works with the clients skin's pH levels.

I've dabbled in the film/TV industry as a model and I can confirm that it usually is up to the model to some degree. Obviously, if the commercial is about an acne product they would prefer covering up any blemishes as well as covering up any dark circles and the model wouldn't really have a say. But for the most part models/actors can decide how much makeup they'd like to wear.

I personally find it easier to colour match with liquid foundation so I usually use liquid foundation. I find with cream based it can be a bit more trickier.

 

[makeupbyomar]

I highly agree with using the foundation that works with the clients skin's pH levels.

I've dabbled in the film/TV industry as a model and I can confirm that it usually is up to the model to some degree. Obviously, if the commercial is about an acne product they would prefer covering up any blemishes as well as covering up any dark circles and the model wouldn't really have a say. But for the most part models/actors can decide how much makeup they'd like to wear.

I personally find it easier to colour match with liquid foundation so I usually use liquid foundation. I find with cream based it can be a bit more trickier.

In my previous post I was speaking generally, as the thread topic was Colour Matching Foundation.

You are very correct in your experience in the film/TV industry, as we always ask non-continuity day-players what make-up they bring with them, and we use a combination of what we have and what they have. Usually we use their foundation and mascara, sometimes lip, but normally we have a larger lip colour range and assortment including nail colours.

What we normally do is when an actor is cast, is we do make-up tests, and they usually request certain specific branded products as per their contract and we make the necessary purchases as per our department's budget.

As for how much make-up an actor wears and what the look is, is that they have no say in it, unless it's a health issue. All of that is determined beforehand in pre-production and production meetings as per union contracts where everything is hashed out. Actors know and understand this process very well. Ultimately the Director has the final say.

Depending on what type of format (long = film, short = TV) and what the budget is, the pre-prodcution process can take between 4 months to 1 year to complete with all the departments doing their prep before going to camera.

Yeah, Commercials are a separate beast unto themselves. As it all about the positive effects of the "hero product", whether it's skin care, food, beverages, vehicles, furniture, etc. If it's a nail polish commercial, we usually hire a Nail Technician.

Yes, exactly in terms of personal preferences in colour matching. For me I find it easier to work with creme based make-ups. The most difficult foundation textures for me to colour match is alcohol based make-ups and adhesive based make-ups, PAX for short, (Pros-Aide + acrylic paints) as both these types of make-ups set instantly when applied and they don't move or blend.