Don't Settle For 'Almost Right'!!! You Can Get The Right Shade For you.

So if you're like me its very difficult to get foundation that exactly matches your skin tone. I end up having to buy two shades of foundation  and mixing them to together to get my perfect shade. I never manage to get it just right but I get it almost right.

I tried many different brands from House of Tara to MAC to Bobbi Brown to Nars to Sleek and even some whose names I struggle to pronounce. I do try the product out at shop and even have it put on my face but somehow somewhere when I get home they suddenly don't match.

 Anyways back in October I went to a makeup class by Urban Decay to learn how to apply smoke eye makeup. The teacher was great but after 3 failed attempts I just respected myself and accepted that applying my black eyeshadow and then my eye pencil in one shade was not so bad. But the journey and my money wasn't wasted as I was introduced to something called a foundation adjuster that has literally transformed my makeup and ,I am not even exaggerating, set me free. 

A foundation adjuster is a pigmented liquid than can adjust the colour or shade of your foundation. They come in various colours although why anyone would need a red, purple or green colour adjuster is beyond me. Personally I think all you need is white, to make foundation lighter and dark brown to make it darker. That's just my humble opinion. 

To my surprise though most of the big makeup brands don't offer foundation adjusters, I called them all, talk about missing a trick. Anyway after much research I narrowed it down to two main brands that I would trust....

Illamasqua £36 per 30ml

The first one is the Ilamasqua skin base mixer (this is the brand I used in the makeup class). It's a little pricey at about £36 (approx. 14,000 Naira) per 30ml, but as you only used a drop or two each time it should last a long time. It comes in a variety of colours including white, amber, terracotta and chestnut.

The different shades available

The second one and my personal favourite and one I use daily is the Body shop shade adjusting drops. These come in only 2 shades lightening and darkening (simple!). The price of this one is recession conscious at £10 (approx. 3,900 Naira) per 15ml. I just use one drop in my foundation and 'hello perfect foundation shade'. I have been using mine for about 4 months now and still have a quarter of the bottle left. I got the 2 shades but only very occasionally need the darkening shade when I get over zealous with the lightening shade. I find its easier to lighten the foundation that darken it. In other words

Body Shop adjusting drops £10 per 15ml

if you're between two shades of foundation get the darker one and then lighten it. The more drops you add the lighter it gets and a little goes a very long way so use very sparingly. It should not change the quality of your foundation. Mine doesn't changed the quality of my MAC matchmaster. My friend has used it with her NARS but I haven't tried any other brands. Please let me know if you do.

I should say that foundation adjusters are just that, they adjust your foundation and are not meant to substitute it. They should not be used on their own but always mixed with your foundation.
If you would like to get your hands on of these see www.nuerasshoppingmall.com