A Guide To Buying Pale Foundations

Click the above picture to watch my latest video on tips for buying foundation when you have ultra fair skin!

Hopefully my points will help, and again I want to stress I am not deliberately trying to insult any counter assistant's out there. However, I can only go on my past experiences and I feel as if I have been royally conned on many occasions, and I want others to avoid the same fate.

Having said that, as mentioned in my video some of the best companies I have had a good match to are: Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier and Illamasqua. I feel these three companies best cater for pale skin, although of course there is always room for a greater spectrum of shades from these brands and others alike.

Over the years, my pale skin has been "colour matched" everything from Illamasqua skin base in 02 (the lightest shade as pictured above) to Estee Lauder in Desert Beige...

It just goes to show how different each beauty counter and company can massively mis-judge your skintone, especially when you are pale (and these people are supposed to be the experts!)

N.B: Although I have tried fake tan once in the past, never when going for a foundation fitting incase you were wondering. I have *only* been "matched" to my natural celtic skintone! </foundationpolice> 

I wanted to address a few points I feel are really helpful when shopping for foundation when you have pale (lighter than NC15) skin. Afterall, how much money do we actually waste on products we can't wear because they are too dark, or the wrong undertone... or just plain orange looking?!

Here are some of my top tips. Remember, if you'd like to share some of your counter experiences (good or bad) then please leave me a comment below or on my accompanying video linked at the top of this post!

1. Lighting

Remember that shop lighting, particularly in department stores is artificial. This means it can massively distort the colour of both your skintone (I always look tanned in Boots!) and also the colour of the foundation you are swatching. Always swatch the product and then have a look outside in good natural light to see both it's true colour, and the level of oxidisation that's occured once the product has reacted with the air. 


2. Research

Whilst computer screens and photography can give a slightly different picture, always google swatches of foundations you are interested in trying. It may take the fun out of it a little, but believe me... a counter assistant is unlikely to inform you they don't make shades light enough for your skin tone if they don't. I've been told "wow this shade is perfect for you!" when I trust them, end up parting with my cash only to get it home and see it is way off, to know this isn't the case. 

Better safe that sorry, and apologies if you are an honest counter assistant reading this, I know you are not all bad!

3. Always have contingency plans

Buying a white foundation is a must if you are pale, or perhaps only tan partially throughout the year. More on the art of mixing here. 

Remember, if a brand doesn't make a shade pale enough for you, as long as you get the undertone right you can cancel out any orange or yellow tones with just a drop of a white foundation. This means you can get the coverage and finish you want, but also at the right shade too. 

4. Look out for phrases such as "this will warm your skintone up a bit"

Foundation should be your skintone and your skintone only. Nobody looks good in foundation that gives them tide marks or is clearly too dark, so don't be fooled by such gibberish. How can you have a really warm toned face but a pale neck?! Exactly....

5. Don't be afraid to walk away

If you are matched at a counter and really don't feel comfortable, or want the second opinion of a friend, or even to look outside first and have a look in good daylight, then don't be afraid! You are the customer at the end of the day, and you should feel 100% confident in your purchase. 

Dainty Doll Foundation

Today I thought I would review the complete range of liquid foundations by Dainty Doll - the cosmetics company set up by Girls Aloud member Nicola Roberts. The brand is primary aimed at those with pale skin, after Nicola herself had well documented struggles with her own pale skin whilst being in a girl band whereby she was surrounded by the pressure to conform to the bronzed look. Not only this, but she too also recognised the lack of products (particularly foundations) available if you have ultra fair skin.

I was kindly bought the lightest shade of this foundation for Christmas, but wanted to wait to do this review until I have all four shades to compare. As I have mentioned previously, the problem with buying foundation is that if you have cool tones like I do, you do NOT want any deep orange/yellow tones to the foundation you buy, which is usually the case with shades labelled "ivory" or "fair" and it's often misleading because of that.

Dainty Doll Founder Nicola Roberts

As Dainty Doll has been created by someone who actually has pale skin therefore understands the requirements, I naturally had high hopes. I firstly have to commend Nicola for being brave enough to stand up to the expectations that you must be fake tanned at all times, let alone bring out a make up range to support the idea that pale skin is ok for all those who struggle.

I found the lightest shade 001 to be just a touch too light for me which I found quite surprising. However when you apply it to the face, the colour can look a bit sheer white particularly on the chin. I tend to mix 001 with just a drop of my Mac Studio Sculpt foundation in NC15. This allows me to get the perfect shade. The beauty about 001 is that is does blend beautifully with other foundations you've no doubt cast aside for being too dark like I have. As long as you are careful with how much you add - you can still get the real lightness without changing the pigment too much

The quality of the foundation is really impressive, and I apply it with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush as I do all my liquid foundations. It has a good thick consistency and is easy to blend. It's not one of these foundations that doesn't move well, although I do usually moisturize and prime my skin in advance to ensure a smooth application. I would say overall this foundation is a mid-coverage.

As for the packaging, firstly the product comes in quite a lovely little illustrated box. This means if you are giving it to someone as a present it does look rather special. The container itself is made of quite a sturdy plastic as opposed to glass, making it lightweight and ideal for traveling with. The foundation is released via a pump action as opposed to an open lid, which I generally prefer as it means you can use up every last drop of product and avoid waste... but you can't have everything!

One issue I would bring up with 001 is that I didn't have a concealer anywhere near light enough to use with it. This means if I use it exclusively on it's own, I can't conceal. This is another reason I tend to mix it with another foundation so that my concealer blends a little nicer. If you are going to purchase the lightest shade, it's worth looking at the Dainty Doll concealers because they are more likely to be a perfect match as opposed to another brand.

There are four shades of the Dainty Doll Liquid Foundation in total. In all honesty, only 001 & 002 for me qualify as "pale". Infact 004 is extremely dark in real life, comparable to Yves Saint Laurent shade "BR 60".  I do find it a little odd that Dainty Doll goes as dark as it does considering it is aimed at those with pale skin. I personally would have had the other two shades as pink undertoned shades to cater for all different types of fair skin. Interestingly, I also found 004 the most difficult to remove from my arm after swatching them which proves how strong the dark pigment is.

As for 003, I would say this is a very similar shade to the Maybelline Dream Satin Foundation I used a few years ago in the shade "Ivory". It's arguably fair, but does show up quite dark on your skin if you are extremely fair and don't have the right undertones to counteract it. I personally wouldn't buy a foundation in this shade if I swatched it on my hand, as I would consider it to be too dark for my skin.

Price wise, the Dainty Doll Liquid Foundation retails at £22 normally, however Boots are currently selling it for £14.67 online. If the price has generally come down on this product, then that can only be a good thing as it means it will be more accessible to those who can't afford £22 on a foundation. I do hope the price decrease doesn't mean Dainty Doll are going out of business though! They have taken a well needed step towards colour equality in make-up, making the rest of us feel less self conscious and helping us to embrace our natural skin tone.