Nancy explains that sometimes a person’s skin color presents a special problem. For example:
• Someone with rosacea needs help managing redness.
• Someone will naturally have so
much golden (yellow) tone that they look sallow.
• Some skin tones have an almost greenish hue that can actually appear unhealthy.
Here are some techniques:
If a person has very red skin, find a foundation that matches the neck (which is usually much less red), and begin by adding mint green to it. The color of the foundation will begin to look dull, but when applied to the face, it neutralizes the unwanted color and gives a calmer, less red appearance.
For someone who is overly yellow, adding violet to a foundation that matches the neck will neutralize the yellow and look
beautiful. In this situation, often the neck is yellow as well, so foundation will need to cover the neck and be well blended at the base of the neck.
Nancy gives us valuable lessons and understanding on skin color analyses and foundation mixing. In today’s fast-paced industry, we work with premixed foundations, as well as concealers, tinted primers, and camouflage creams to correct if we are not mixing colors. We also mix these “premixed” foundations together on palettes to get the match needed. You will be mixing and matching on your feet, and working in environments that require you to be time sensitive. You will be doing a practical color analysis of the skin by testing the foundation on the skin at the jawline to see if it matches with the face and the neck.
You will be draping your actor with a barber’s drape or hairstylist’s cape. They come in several colors, but most Makeup Artists use black. If the actor is wearing clothing in a color that is not suitable for the color palette designed for the project or is not good for their skin tone, the drape or cape will help you neutralize this problem and let you see how your color choices are working with the individual’s skin tone.