Foundation for very fair skin

My foundation frustrations are going to be the death of me, I'm sure of it.

I have very fair skin with a lot of redness. My skin is combination, mostly an oily t-zone but I get some dry patches due to cystic acne on my cheeks/chin. I believe I have neutral undertones.

To make my search even tougher I have really weird skin texture so I have to have a foundation that works with it. I can only apply my foundation with a beauty blender because if I use a brush it all just swipes back off my face. My skin is just too smooth/slick and nothing will "stick" unless I smush it in with my beloved beauty blender and use the Wayne Goss powder method beforehand.

I'm looking for something full coverage with a matte finish. I work long hours so something with long wear is ideal. There are plenty of foundations that offer this but I can't find anything light enough.

The closest I have found is Estée Lauder's Double Wear in the lightest shade, I believe 1N1. I love the finish and the wearability; however, it is still too dark for me. I set it with translucent powder to try to tone it down a bit but it's not enough.

I have tried UD Naked in the lightest shade and it was too dark. Also hated the finish. I have Bare Minerals in Opal which is fine for day wear, but even it is too dark for me. I've also tried countless drug store brands in their palest shades and nada. I wore Revlon Colorstay when I was younger and I believe the lightest shade was close, but I'd need to try it again to see.

At this point I don't have a budget. I just want a foundation that covers my redness and doesn't make me look like I'm wearing a yellow or orange mask.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Even with all of my research I feel like I don't know where to go from here.

Thank you in advance! And sorry for the novel.

Hi! Welcome to MUT! Finding the right foundation can be really frustrating. EL Doublewear is great. Have you tried any Korean skin care? They have foundation shades that are suited for more fair skin tones. I've also found that Korean skin care is superior compared to Western counterparts. Target carries some of the Korean skin care brands now. They have Laneige line too and their cushion foundation is great. Not sure if the lightest shade would be light enough for you. It has a little bit of yellow tint to it but doesn't look as yellow once blended in. I layer it with powder and the result is great. Also Korean BB creams come in really light shades and they cover more like a foundation.  Jane Iredale is a great brand and they have some lighter shades in the pressed mineral foundation. I used to use the foundation and loved it.  Hope others have suggestions for you too.

Thank you! I've heard of the Korean skin care but haven't looked into it much. Will definitely have to.

I'm looking at the Too Faced Born this Way in Snow. I'm not sure if I will like the finish but I'm thinking Snow may be close. I'll go to Ulta tomorrow and see what I think.

I'm basically having the exact same problems with wanting full coverage matte for ghost white acne stressed skin. I just got Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3in1 in Ivory, which is pretty light with not so orangey undertones and I've been able to wear it on its own without harsh lines where it ends, and when it's mixed with Manic Panic in Virgin, about a half and half to 1part/2part ratio, it comes out gorgeous for me. It's also super nice that it has a primer and concealer built in, though over really red acne I still do use my normal concealer or layer it with the beauty blender. Setting it with a transleucent powder I've been able to wear it all day and no changes or shifts for at least 12 hours.

Tayrunyon said:

Thank you! I've heard of the Korean skin care but haven't looked into it much. Will definitely have to.

I'm looking at the Too Faced Born this Way in Snow. I'm not sure if I will like the finish but I'm thinking Snow may be close. I'll go to Ulta tomorrow and see what I think.

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Born this Way is a good one. Hope Snow is light enough for you. Have fun at Ulta tomorrow!! Hope you find a great match.

thatgeekygirlfriend said:

I'm basically having the exact same problems with wanting full coverage matte for ghost white acne stressed skin. I just got Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3in1 in Ivory, which is pretty light with not so orangey undertones and I've been able to wear it on its own without harsh lines where it ends, and when it's mixed with Manic Panic in Virgin, about a half and half to 1part/2part ratio, it comes out gorgeous for me. It's also super nice that it has a primer and concealer built in, though over really red acne I still do use my normal concealer or layer it with the beauty blender. Setting it with a transleucent powder I've been able to wear it all day and no changes or shifts for at least 12 hours.

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The joys of pale skin, right? And imperfect pale skin at that. An old beau used to say my foundation shade was "000 copy paper white."

I'd been reading about mixing the manic panic and wondered if it really lightened foundation without funking up the formula. Something I really may have to look into if I continue at this rate. Thanks for your input!

Thank you, Reija! Kills me that I have to hope that the shade "snow" is pale enough. LOL.

Just stumbled on this thread. My daughter and I spent two hours ar Sephora today trying to find a light enough foundation. The only one light enough IN THE WHOLE STORE is the KVD tattoo foundation in 42, her lightest shade. I've been researching the Illamasqua white mixing foundation and stumbled across the manic panic white mixer too. Does anyone who uses that find it greasy at all?

I have pale skin and I'm a fan of IT Cosmetics Celebration Foundation in Fair. It's a powder foundation, though, so it's better if you don't have super dry skin.

Krystyn Lowe said:

Just stumbled on this thread. My daughter and I spent two hours ar Sephora today trying to find a light enough foundation. The only one light enough IN THE WHOLE STORE is the KVD tattoo foundation in 42, her lightest shade. I've been researching the Illamasqua white mixing foundation and stumbled across the manic panic white mixer too. Does anyone who uses that find it greasy at all?

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I'm going to have to look into those mixers.  I can find foundation that's light enough, but I haven't found a shade light enough to use for highlighting.

feemia said:

I'm going to have to look into those mixers.  I can find foundation that's light enough, but I haven't found a shade light enough to use for highlighting.

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The Youtuber Glam and Gore has a whole pale skin video and she talks about the mixers and highlighters. My daughter uses sparkly, shimmery or matte white shadows, the Becca Pearl poured highlighter and a white NYX highlighter. She had the same problem, other people's highlight shades often looked like bronzer on her, lol.

Foundation is the base of makeup and you should choose it wisely. And its really time consuming and frustrating.

wisely

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Thank you so much for the suggestions, everyone.

I haven't splurged on the Too Faced just yet because I think I'll be unhappy with the dewy finish. However, it is still on my list.

After watching a million more videos and reading a thousand more reviews, I went ahead and ordered the Dreamtone lightener that I am really hoping will make my Estée Lauder workable, because I loooove the Double Wear formula. I will update once I'm able to give it a try.

I've used the lightener three times now and I can say I'm pretty darn happy with it.

I am still playing around with it to find the perfect foundation/lightener ratio, but I have now actually been able to blend my foundation into my jawline without a glaring orange line! One of the days I almost got it TOO light, which is something I never thought possible!

The only con I have found is that it does mess with the longevity just a bit. It will now begin to separate on my chin and nose after a few hours, whereas the Double Wear alone lasts a full work day. However, it still goes on very nicely and still has a matte finish. I'm willing to deal with the separating in order to have a foundation that actually matches my skin.

I'm definitely happy with it. Much cheaper than trying a million shades that will all end up too dark anyway!

So glad to hear @@Tayrunyon that the lightener is working for you! Nothing is more frustrating than trying to find the right foundation shade.