This is something I see constantly. Women tell me their foundation never looks right. Either it's too orange or too pink, no matter what brand they try. It's not bad luck, it's a pattern, a pattern that can be fixed.
Here are some easy fixes. If your foundation looks too orange, look for one with a bit more of a blue hue to it. If it keeps looking too pink, you need more yellow or orange in it, so it doesn't look flushed or washed out.
Olive skin has its own version of the problem. When someone with an olive skin tone puts on something too pink or too orange, it looks drastically different, even uncomfortably so. This happens because most formulas aren't built with a yellow-green base in mind. If this sounds like you, look specifically for foundations labelled "olive" or "neutral-olive," rather than just warm or cool. That green undertone needs its own category, not just more blue or more orange.
Here's something else that makes this trickier than it should be: beauty brands don't all define "warm" and "cool" the same way. Some call a pink based tone warm. Others use warm for orange or yellow tones, and call the pink ones cool. There's no industry standard, so don't rely on the label alone, trust what you actually see on your skin.
Finding the right tone is different from your foundation oxidizing. You can read more about it here. 👉 5 Common Makeup Mistakes (And Easy Fixes)
Pro tip: always test foundation on your jawline, never your hand or arm, they're a different colour than your face. And don't expect one shade to be the answer forever. Most people end up blending two shades, especially as the seasons change, so grab a few samples and test them before committing.
👉 Shop my favourite foundations
👉 Want help choosing your shade? Book a private lesson