Foundation problems. How to get it just right?

[treaclesoda]

All my adult, makeup wearing life, I've struggled to find a just right foundation.

Here is my problem. I'm very pale. Common enough problem I know. But it's weird. If I did the 'match the colour to your jawline' thing it would just be far far too pale. I'd look like a goth. Yet so many foundations look orangey around my jawline, even in quite pale colours.

I use a brush, blend well, use quite a light covering but still it just doesn't quite please me. It looks good on my face, sinks in invisibly yet on my jawline, it suddenly looks not quite right. Have I got a weird two tone face? And can anyone recommend some (not too expensive) brands that do natural looking pale shades?

My friend is absolutely porcelain, beautiful creamy white skin. She swears by Dior.

My friend is the same skintone and always had the same problem.

For her birthday one year, I bought her the pure white MAC Face and Body foundation and she just adds a little to her current foundation to lighten the colour.

Have you been to a MAC store? They helped me greatly as I have yellow/gold undertones and most brown make up has red undertones so I ended up looking like I'd rolled around in blusher

My friend has very pale skin with almost black hair and we went along to MAC and they found a perfect foundation for her.

Avon cream to powder foundation, go for the shade 'ivory', the lightest shade they do. You dont get a line as the shade is very pale (im really pale) but I blend it anyway with a damp make-up sponge. I went years hating buying make-up looking orangey or just 'wrong'. Try this and you will never look back.

Sorry to hijack here but is the Avon foundation light enough for summer, I keep hearing about compact foundations being mask like, I'm over fifty, I fancy a compact but don't want it to look too heavy.

I am also very pale, I think the main problem with lots of foundations is more the yellow/pink tone to them, even the palest of colours looks awful if you don't have the right tone. Dior is fine for me, whilst Estee Lauder makes me look like I've ducked my face in an orange paint pot. Maybelline and Max Factor are fine, Rimmel and Bourjois I have to be careful.

Thanks for all the replies. Frustratingly, it is looking like I might have to spend a bit more to get a good result. Although I might try the Avon first.

Interesting you should say that about Bourjois Drank because it is Bourjois that I am using at the moment that is really annoying me. And I've only every tried one other Bourjois (a different formulation) and found it too orange as well.

I have a Rimmel though that is just ghostly pale on me. I look like Beetlejuice. But then, the next shade up from that one makes me look orange

I am very pale and have tried many, many different foundations over the years.

My favourite, by far, is the one I am currently using which is Boots No.7 - shade Calico.

I've had n7 calico as well, that was fine colour wise, the formulation just didn't do much for me.
The Max Fac creme something or other, (whipped creme?) was really good for a cheap as chips foundation.

I have to mix Bourjois 51 with a ghostly Dior Fusion to get the shade right...

I love Laura Geller balance and brighten, it's pretty much foolproof to apply and the shades are great for pale skin.

Have you thought about Liz Earle foundation? I found the perfect colour match for my skin (my face seems really pink compared to my white neck). However, for me, the formula wasn't what I wanted (not matt enough). I was gutted as it feels great on the skin, right colour, lovely smell too. I'm currently using the Clinique Beyond Perfecting - they seem to have a huge colour range so might be worth getting a sample?

Don't waste what you have, make them pale by adding this - here I bought some last week and it does work.

I use number 7 one in cool vanilla, best I've found so far and their colour match thing is great

Echo no 7 colour match ! Never found a suitable foundation but their soft rose is perfect ! I'm pale but with a hint of cool red and it's fab :) worth finding a store that can scan your skin and match you up

After reading this, I dug out the one that I've always thought too pale. Put it on. Thought it looked awful. But...then it occurred to me that I always panic when I see it and think 'no, too pale' but have never finished off with blusher etc and maybe that's all I need? So slapped on some blusher and suddenly I looked human, not zombie like. Still pale, but then I am pale!

The photo doesn't really illustrate what I'm saying because it's across the middle of my face that looks pale, not the jawline. But I don't want to post a photo of my whole face .

But based on the jawline, would you say that colour looks ok?

Colour looks great, perfect. It does come as a shock if your face is normally a bit redder than your neck, but the jawline is exactly where you should be colour matching.

VeganCow - snap! Mine arrived last week too.

My problem is very pale skin with both yellow and pink areas. However if I match the pink I look dreadful, it has to be the yellow tones I pick out. And I look ghostly and ill if I match the whole of my face to my jawline. Calico is nice and pale but too pink. So I'm currently using (last of the big spenders!) a brilliant oil free foundation from Superdrug's 2true range - alll of £1.99 - in shade 1. It is very pale, but not quite pale enough, and best of all, it is YELLOW. Not peach, or apricot, or pink, or neutral, but yellow. So I mix it with the white Stargazer foundation and apply it in a circle round the outside of my face, buff the very edge on the outside with a tissue (and sometimes after that with an elf studio flat top) then fill in the middle of my face with the 2true used 'neat' and again use the flat top to buff the line where it joins the paler ring. It sound an awful faff but it only takes a couple of minutes tops and means I get the perfect colour face.

I'd like to give an award to whoever at 2true had the courage to make a foundation that colour, and to let them know I will cry if they ever stop!

I use Benefit 'I'm pure for sure' and it's a yellow undertone shade. It's great.

Will look up the 2 true range. Great tip.

Treaclesoda - I completely agree with you .. When I put on just the foundation I look at it and think "ooh no, that's not right!" But then when I've done the rest of my face it does look better/right! I think the colour you are wearing looks fine, from what I can see.

I tried the no7 colour match and found the colour it matched me to alarmingly dark ... The consultant redid the test as I dont think she believed it was right either! Went back another day and had it redone and it came up with a different shade, but it was still too dark! Really not impressed with the colour match machine thingy!

I'm very pale and cool-toned with slightly uneven pigmentation - I tried the palest Bourjois foundation once. It looked like badly applied spray tan. Never again! I also have Chanel Lift Lumiere in shade 0.5 Faience that is a very pale yellow. Totally wrong for me but might work for someone warm-toned.

Lily Lolo has been brilliant for me, pale enough. However, as I like variety, I would love to find a truly neutral pale BB cream or light liquid foundation, neither pinkish or yellow. I was a happy user or Diorskin Nude and Forever for about a year and their concealer was the best I have ever tried but something in it triggered a cosmetics allergy that made my eyes itchy and red.

Treacle can you find a superlight bronzer that would fix the pale areas? I've always been too pale for bronzer but those stripy palettes work for me (mine is Lily Lolo, brilliant for pale gilrls not sold any more).

AkkerDemik I am going to try that foundation as I am also yellow pale, No7 Calico is pinky grey on me haha.

Which of the foundations is it AkkerDemik, as I have looked on Superdrug and cant see one for £1.99? The page is here

Your foundation looks to be a perfect match. If you still feel a bit pale, warm your skin up a touch with a light bronzer, over the areas that the sun would catch you (forehead, nose, top of cheeks ect) I also runs wee touch not even a loaded brush worth down my neck