How to Choose Makeup That Suits You

With endless products and shade ranges, choosing makeup can be overwhelming. Here's how to simplify the decision and choose what actually works for you.

1. Identify your undertone before choosing shades

Check the veins on your wrist: greenish suggests warm undertones, bluish suggests cool, and a mix suggests neutral. Matching foundation and concealer to undertone matters more than matching to skin depth alone.

2. Match products to your skin type

Oily skin generally benefits from matte, oil-free formulas. Dry skin benefits from hydrating, dewy formulas. Combination skin often needs different products for different areas of the face.

3. Build a routine around your actual time, not an ideal one

A 5-minute routine you'll actually do daily beats an elaborate 10-step routine you'll abandon. Identify the 3-4 products that make the biggest visible difference for you specifically.

4. Test shades in natural light

Store lighting often distorts true color. Where possible, test foundation and concealer shades along your jawline in daylight before committing to a purchase.

5. Prioritize skin prep over product quantity

Good skincare underneath—moisturizer, primer suited to your skin type—often improves makeup application more than buying additional products to fix issues at the surface.

The bottom line

The right makeup choices start with knowing your undertone and skin type, not with following every trending product. A simple, well-matched routine consistently outperforms a complicated mismatched one.

Want personalized product recommendations? Let our AI help you decide.