Need pale foundation!

Aug 17, 2012

Sarah M.

Hey, i always buy foundation in ivory or the lightest possible shade, and its always too dark for me, i'm very fair, i was wondering does anyone know of any white based foundations i could mix with my original ones as i like them, e.g i use estee lauder, ELF, STILA + MAC, and they are still too dark! Any help greatly appreciated!

Aug 17, 2012

Noelle M.

I believe from what I remember that a MAC Pro store carries more foundation colors then is typical in some. Including a white lightener that you can mix with your regular foundation to lighten the color. You might want to call around and see if any of your local MAC's are pro stores and see if they carry it.
Also heard that illamasqua has some very pale shades. I'm typically ivory or the lightest shade in most foundation lines. In MAC I'm an NC15, however.. I was really surprised when I purchased a Bobbi Brown foundation that I was not the lightest shade. I'm color "Sand 2" which is like 2 or 3 colors from the lightest color.. a bit pricey but they get pretty pale. I duno if any of this helps but I hope it gives you some choices of places to at least check out :)

Aug 17, 2012

Kelly G.

I'm an NC 15, but not all MAC NC 15s are created equal. The Studio Tech NC15 is much lighter than the pro long wear NC 15.
I truly feel your pain. I'm actually an NC10.
I use the MAC Tinted moisturizer in Light all over my face, then a little Studio tech where I need a little more coverage.
If you are looking for liquid though, definitely check out Illumasqua. I had to skip on it because I can't use anything that needs to be set with a powder. My dry skin decided powder is bad when I hit 30. Also, if you want to try a mineral foundation, check out an English company called Lily Lolo. In my 20s I used their mineral powder and it was perfect! Also, they let you buy a sample size so you don't have to commit to a huge jar of powder. (check out their eyeshades too!) 

Aug 17, 2012

Shelly T.

<<I'm an NC 15, but not all MAC NC 15s are created equal.>>

This. *nods* And that can be said for all MAC shades, actually (this is why I sometimes ask "NC/NWxx in which foundation?" when someone is asking for a foundation match, because each shade is different in each range).

Illamasqua is a good place to start, liquid-wise. They're one of the most pale-friendly brands I know of (they also sell white foundations in their Rich Liquid and Skin Base ranges). Bobbi Brown also runs quite pale. Drugstore-wise, Sleek's liquid foundation has a range of 30 colours (some are very fair), and you can order testers online; L'Oreal True Match (the original range) comes in 33. NARS has some pale foundation colours (I wear Sheer Glow in Siberia, personally). You can also try theatrical/professional brands like Kryolan, Graftobian, and Ben Nye -- massive colour ranges.

If you want to get away from liquid foundations altogether, you may want to think about BB Creams -- mainly the Asian ones -- as they tend to run a bit paler than their western counterparts.

Aug 18, 2012

Kelly G.

Shelly: which Asian BBs have you found that are fair? So far I've tried six and the only ones that are fair enough are Missha M #13 and Skin79 orange. (I've tried Skin79 Pink, BRTC jasmine and Holika Holika also). 

Aug 18, 2012

Shelly T.

Those are the ones. There are others, I'm sure, but those are the only ones I know of.

Check out the BB Cream tag at Musings of a Muse as well; she's reviewed loads of them (Asian and western) and will probably have more information.

http://musingsofamuse.com

Aug 18, 2012

Kelly G.

Rotfl! I always send people to The Muse when they have questions about BB. I did a ton of research before ordering samples. I was curious if there was anything I missed.
I think I'm going to try the illumasqua skin base. I'm hearing good things. 

Aug 18, 2012

Shelly T.

Skin Base is, oddly enough, based on BB creams (although it isn't one).

Aug 23, 2012

Sarah M.

Wow amazing response, thanks everyone, i'll be sure to check all this out! :D