Complexion · Shade matching
Olive undertone foundation
Depth is the easy half of a foundation match. Undertone is what decides whether it disappears or greys.
Written by Lamyaa Aissi, professional makeup artist, Casablanca.
Decide the intensity before the first product goes on, not halfway through.
What actually decides it
Test three candidates along the jawline, in daylight, never on the wrist. The correct shade vanishes because it matches the temperature of the neck.
The specific case of olive undertone foundation. Start from the condition it has to survive — how long, in what light, photographed or not — and work backwards to the formula. Choosing the product first and hoping is what produces most of the failures.
On Moroccan skin, in a Moroccan climate
Most Moroccan skin runs olive or golden, and a shade matched on depth alone against a neutral or pink base goes grey within the hour. Expect to mix two shades rather than find one.
What it will not do
No shade compensates for unprepared skin. A perfect match on a dehydrated face still slides by hour two.
Questions
What decides olive undertone foundation?
Test three candidates along the jawline, in daylight, never on the wrist. The correct shade vanishes because it matches the temperature of the neck.
Does this change on Moroccan skin or in a Moroccan climate?
Most Moroccan skin runs olive or golden, and a shade matched on depth alone against a neutral or pink base goes grey within the hour. Expect to mix two shades rather than find one.
What will it not do?
No shade compensates for unprepared skin. A perfect match on a dehydrated face still slides by hour two.
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