by Nancy Tozier, Director of Education and President, Take up Make-up Cosmetics
Once you have determined the shades that are best suited to the person, you will begin the process of mixing foundations to correct or enhance the actor’s skin tone.
First, be sure that the client is seated in good daylight, just as you did in the color exercise. You will need to have the following on hand:
1. Several shades of foundation that are close to your client’s natural coloring.
2. Several shades of corrector in mint green, pale yellow, violet, and white.
3. A glass beaker to mix your new foundation in.
4. A skin-care spatula for mixing.
5. An empty foundation bottle in which to pour the finished foundation.
Test the color on the client’s jawline. You want to match the color of the client’s neck. A foundation that matches the client’s neck will give the most harmonious appearance. We’ve all seen too many faces that appear to be a completely different color than the person’s neck. A sure sign of unprofessional makeup!
Now determine if the foundation needs correction. If, for example, the client’s skin is more golden than your foundation, you would add more gold. This is called intensifying a color. If your client’s skin is less golden than your foundation, you want to lessen the amount of gold in the foundation. This is called neutralizing a color. If you add too much color, you can always neutralize it by adding some of the opposite color, easily identified using the color wheel.
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If the client needs less yellow, add violet.
• If the client needs less pink or is covering rosacea, add mint green.
• If the client needs less peach, first add mint, then violet.
This method can be used with translucent powders as well. Most private-label makeup companies offer the tools to custom blend, as well as empty bottles or jars and larger – sized foundation bottles to work from.
So, in review, to intensify a color, add more of the same color; to neutralize, add the opposite.