Questions for fellow fair-skinned lovelies ...

[MaloryMad]

I've been using a subtle facial fake tanner for ages and have matched my foundation appropriately. However, during a trip away last week I ran out and after a couple of days I saw my natural skintone and guess what? I think I look younger when I don't try to look 'healthy'.

So I'm thinking of keeping my skin tone au naturel.
My questions are can you recommend a foundation that is good for fair skin (I still get a bit shiny on my nose), and do you just let your natural pale beauty shine through, or do you use bronzer ? I'm a bit confused about bronzer I assume I'm supposed to use foundation that matches my skin but then add bronzer,rather than try to get my skin darker beforehand.

My skin tone tends to lean quite natural, perhaps a little peachy. It's neither noticeably pink nor noticeably yellow, and I find that a lot of foundations at the paler end of the spectrum can make me look orange.

Any advice much appreciated as I'm quite clearly rather confused about all of this.

I also have a hard time finding foundation that doesn't look really fake on pale skin. I usually wear a tinted moisturiser instead, looks much more natural.

I do have an Avene foundation that's pretty good, one of the better ones I've had:

www.kaboodle.com/reviews/avene-couvrance-fluid-foundation-corrector-30ml

boots no.7 intelligent colour foundation. Basically adjusts to your skin tone so no tide marks! Love it. Light enough to wear every day with a bit of blusher rather than bronzer.

I use a Clarins foundation. No bronzer but sometimes blusher.

Pasty Celtic type here, a veteran of the search for the non-Jaffa foundation. I can offer a veritable smorgasbord of pale foundation options.
Cheaper and sheer - Korean BB cream from eBay ( Holika Holika jelly stuff )

Dewy but well expensive - Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk

Excellent range of pale colours but expensive again Illamasqua Skin Base and Make Up Forever HD - both these can go from sheer to fairly substantial coverage.

This lot are my recent favourites, honourable mention goes to Diorskin Nude. You name it, I've tried it.

I am also pale with a slightly shiny nose. I use bourjois healthy mix foundation in 51. It's recommended by Lisa Eldridge for fair skins (and is rated as good as chanel foundations by many) and it's neutral enough for me. I used to get prescriptives to mix me foundation until they were discontinued, so this was a good find.
I also agree that I look older when I try to look tanned. I occasionally use bronzer but more as a contour.
this is the video by lisa eldridge on pale foundations: www.lisaeldridge.com/video/22873/foundation-solutions-for-very-pale-skin/

If you like mineral foundation, lilylolo do a very nice range of pale ones with matching concealers.

I like Clinique Even Better foundation, for a dewy finish, or Estee Lauder Doublewear in the palest shade which is quite matte. That's the best colour match for me.

The thing to remember about bronzer is that you don't blush brown. So don't apply it like blusher. Put on a blusher then add bronzer where you would naturally catch the sun. Lisa Eldridge also has a good video tutorial on contouring with bronzer.

If you want to work out if you have a warm or cool complexion, check how you look in fuchsia in daylight, with no make up on. If it makes you look yellow, you have a cool skin tone. Also check the colour your veins look - blue, cool, greenish, warm.

Diorskin nude is very good but when I mentioned that it looked mask-like I was told that it needed blusher......and it did, so I bought it. I only wear it in the evening though.

Liz Earle's fair skin tint is good.

I like YSL teinte parfait in apricot (it is very pale) for a daytime glowy but not made up look.

I am v pale and the Clinique mineral powder is fantastic. Lasts all day. I use it with a smudge of cream blusher.

Another vote for No 7 Intelligent Foundation. I am naturally quite pale with freckles and this lets my freckles show through which I think looks more natural.

Because it adjusts to your skin tone you also don't have to be too precise when putting it on which suits me.

I use it with some blusher rather than bronzer which can look a bit orange I think. I like Sleek blusher in either Suede or Flushed. Benetint is also good for a natural looking flush of colour.

Chanel vitalumiere number 10 for me

Thanks so much everyone. I've now got a great list of things to try.
I do use blusher, but I'm going to bin any idea of using bronzer except to contour.
I've been looking at a few of Lisa Eldridge's videos and they are very helpful.

I always think tanning, even fake, ages people. It shows lines more. Think about it, body builders use it to show all the lines in their muscles so it'll do the same with a face.
I use the incredibly cheap, shockingly good miss sporty so matte foundation in light which is very pale in colour with medium coverage and no shine. Usually I gotta pay lots more to get one that pale. I use no7 illuminating concealer and their powder too (I'm oily skinned).
I don't use bronzer, a nice apricoty blush on pale skin is lovely, I like the gosh cream ones and no7 powder blush in honey is nice and natural.

im very fair and i found the perfect shade for me from Estee lauder double wear - only need a very small amount, i have oily skin, so it stays put all day. i wear the "bone" shade.

Hmm, interesting about the Miss Sporty stuff Krumbum, I might give it a go. I have some nail varnish from them and it was great.

No bronzer, no fake tan (ever) and I've learned to wear colors that accentuate and compliment my pale skin tone.

Wouldn't leave the house without blusher.

I've had a lot of problems with pale foundation shades looking orange on me. The best: Chanel Lift Lumiere in Faience (0.5) and Revlon Colorstay in Ivory are good liquid foundations on me. Doublewear's lightest shade too, but I find it too heavy - and Double Wear Light in the lightest shade is too dark (orange, actually) on me.

AM veh pale. Don't use bronzer but pinkish cream blusher to make me look healthier.
Also use tinted moisturiser in the fairest colour (usual (am fickle with brands and usual HQ disclaimers apply but have used stila/clarins/no7 in the past) and topped up with whichever my normal moisturiser is.
HTH

I use foundation, blush and a setting powder. I'm very pale.

I'm just sad looking at my collection of foundations that are now a tad too dark but I'd rather young looker and embrace my paleness.

Deffo embrace the pale and look younger!

I flit between bare minerals loose powder stuff in the lightest colour (but tbh it sometimes does end up looking a bit jaffaesque by the end of the day) and Dermalogica tinted moisturiser in Light.

I second or third the importance of blusher for stopping us from being wheeled off to the morgue.

The thing that made the most difference in terms of me accepting my pale skin was having my colours done. It's only since then that I can see that highlighting the contrast between my light skin, eyes and darkish brows and hair is actually A Good Thing, rather than over-loading on the bronzer in the vain hope I'll look all tawny and Gisele-like.