Foundation (Skin Coloured Cosmetic)
Foundation is a skin coloured cosmetic applied to the face to create an even, uniform colour to the complexion, to cover flaws, and, sometimes, to change the natural skintone. Foundation applied to the body is generally referred to as body paint.
Modern Formulations
Foundation Color
Color may be identified by a name, number, letter or any combination of the three. However, unlike the Pantone or Munsell systems used in the art and fashion industries, commercial cosmetic product names are not standardized. If a make-up artist requests a "Medium Beige" foundation, the result can vary drastically from brand to brand, and sometimes, within one brand across different formulas. Cosmetic companies can also edit and adjust their formulations and shades at any time, so the Medium Beige foundation a consumer has been wearing for years can, without warning, be made darker, lighter, and more or less yellow than it had been before.
Foundation Color Classification
Many companies classify their shades as Warm, Neutral, or Cool. Adding to the confusion is the different color wheels used between the art and beauty industry. The traditional artist's palette places the line dividing Cool and Warm across Primary Blue, whereas the cosmetic palette places the line across Primary Red. Thus, on the artists’ color wheel, Yellow is always Cool, Red is always Warm, and Blue can be Neutral (Primary), Warm (Violet), or Cool (Green). In contrast, the cosmetic palette classifies Yellow as always Warm, Blue as always Cool, and Red as either Neutral (Primary), Warm (Orange) or Cool (Blue-Red). The cosmetic palette is never used outside of make-up, and is very common in the industry — though a handful of professional lines, such as William Tuttle, Ben Nye, Visiora, M.A.C. and even Max Factor all use the conventional artist's palette. Thus, a Warm Beige foundation may either have a yellow tint or a pink tint, depending on the palette the company's creative director uses. Note that the artist's palette is designed to be used on canvas (which is white) compared to the make-up palette — which is used on flesh (an ivory to brown tone).
Foundation Selection
Although most artists squabble over the significance of selecting an exact match to the wearer's skin tone, intentionally using a mismatch can achieve a desired result. An excessively red complexion can be minimized by using a clear (meaning neither yellow nor pink) beige toned foundation. A sallow or dull complexion can be brightened with a rose to red to tint mature skin that has lost its color and appears pale and dull can be brightened with a tint of clear pink; and olive or ashy skin can be brightened with a shot of peach. A crucial point in selecting a foundation shade is to recognize that the appearance of the shade in the container may not accurately gauge the colour impact on the skin — a foundation that appears very yellow in the bottle may go on much less yellow, or not appear yellow at all.
Foundation Coverage
Coverage refers to the opacity of the makeup, or how much it will conceal on the skin.
- Sheer is the most transparent and contains the least amount of pigment. It will not hide discolorations on the skin; however, it can minimize the contrast between the discoloration and the rest of the skin tone. Although pigment technology has evolved dramatically since 2004, the traditional protocol for sheer foundations called for pigment to compromise 8–13% of the finished formula.
- Light can cover unevenness and slight blotchiness, but is not opaque enough to cover freckles. It contains 13–18% pigment.
- Medium coverage can, when set with a tinted (instead of translucent) powder, cover freckles, discolorations, blotchiness, and red marks left by pimples. It will contain 18-23% pigment.
- Full coverage is very opaque, and used to cover birthmarks, vitiligo, hyperpigmentation and scars. It is sometimes referred to as “corrective” or “camouflage” make-up. In general it will contain up to 35% pigment, though professional brands, designed for use on stage, can contain up to 50% pigment.
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