Show Your True Colours

By: Ruth Donnelly
Created on 18th February 2011

Matching your foundation to your skin is always tricky, but for darker skins there’s a whole host of other things to consider

Hersha Chauhan has always had difficulty finding a foundation to complement her skin tone.

“I was always a Chanel girl,” she confesses, “but trying to find a base to match my skin tone was really difficult, because my skin does have a sort of yellow tinge to it.”

Since starting work as manager of Renew Medica’s Maddox Street clinic, however, Hersha has discovered mineral make-up – in particular the glominerals range.

Today, Sam Fane, make-up artist and manager of Renew Medica Muswell Hill and Barnet, is here to show her – and us – how to maximise the benefits that glominerals can bring. "When we colour match foundation, we always test it on the jaw line,” says Sam.

“But Hersha’s jaw line is actually slightly darker than the rest of her face, and that’s something you always have to take into consideration with a darker skin tone. Often you need to use two different shades of foundation in order to ensure an exact match. glo covers the whole range of skin tones, so you know you can always match someone’s skin exactly.”

Another problem that everyone can suffer from but is more prevalent amongst those with darker skin is pigmentation. “I never thought I would find a foundation to cover my pigmentation,” Hersha confesses, “but the glo range gives really good coverage.”

The big reveal

“That’s amazing!” Hersha exclaims, seeing her finished look in the mirror, and she’s right – her skin tone is completely evened, her eyes are shining and her face looks sun-kissed, and it’s only been fifteen minutes since Sam arrived!

Both Sam and Hersha agree that mineral make-up, and especially the glo range, is best for darker complexions and troubled skins, as well as for use after laser treatments and peels.

“And because all the glo products have an SPF of 18, they give you that bit of sun protection, which is more important than ever postprocedure,” says Sam. ”Also, the minerals are triple milled, which means they are much finer than in other ranges, so they give a much more natural look.”

Sam’s advice for a flawless finish? Match your colour exactly, apply correctly and you can’t fail.

Sam’s Three Top Tips

Less is always more. I tap the brush to shake off any excess and then brush in a downward motion, so it doesn’t catch in the hairs and look caked

To warm up the complexion I apply a sweep of bronzer on the cheeks, forehead and down the nose where the sun would catch it

For darker skins, I use concealer both under the eyes and on the upper lids where there are often darker patches

Sam’s Three Top Products

Hydrating mist

I spray this on before to help the make-up adhere, spray it on again at the end to set, and then it can be used throughout the day to keep your make-up looking fresh

Peach pencil

To make your eyes pop, line the inner eyelid with peach pencil

Shimmer brick

A fantastic new product that makes the skin look more alive and you can use it as eye shadow or blusher