Find Your Shade

Selecting the right shade is important to a natural and beautiful complexion. However, if you can't decide on which shade to select, don't stress about it. Because the minerals reflect light, they have a much wider color tolerance than most makeup; a single shade can match a wider range of skintones. Read on for tips to assist you in selecting the right shade.

Skin Color Basics

The combination of your undertone AND skintone determines the color of your skin. First, determine your undertone; it is the hint of color under your skin that makes your skin unique. There are four possible undertones: cool, neutral, golden, and warm. Second, determine your skintone; it is the natural color of your complexion that falls into a range from fair to deep.

Sampling Tip: The key is to first determine your undertone. Once you've established your skin's undertone, select a shade that you think matches your skintone, plus one lighter and one darker. This way, you'll be able to cover all possibilities. You may want to consider purchasing additional samples.

NOTE: Extended exposure to the sun or tanning will darken and can bring out more yellow or gold in your skin; if this is the case, you may want to consider shades with golden or warm undertones*. Women of color with tan to deep skintones may fall into any of the four possible undertones.

Cool Pink/Olive Undertone*

You have pale or obvious pink color without much yellow in your skin, with redness showing, especially on the areas of the cheeks. You receive the most compliments when you wear shades of pink, rose, or pastel shades. When looking at your veins in natural lighting, the underside of your wrist will look bluish in tone. Some Caucasian and Mediterranean women may fall into this category*.

Neutral/Balanced Undertone*

Your skin is not too pink or too yellow. You receive the most compliments when you wear a variety of shades. When looking at your veins in natural lighting, the underside of your wrist will look greenish in tone. Most Caucasian and Mixed Race, and some Mediterranean women may fall into this category*.

Golden Yellow/Olive Undertone*

You have pale or obvious yellow or gold color in your skin with no hints of redness or pink. You receive the most compliments when you wear shades of brown, dark green, and orange. When looking at your veins in natural lighting, the underside of your wrist will look greenish in tone. Most Asian and Latino women may fall into this category*. Women who experience extended exposure to the sun or tanning may also fall into this category*.

Warm/Peach Undertone*

You have a soft peach complexion with yellow or gold as the dominant color tone and no hints of redness or pink. You receive the most compliments when you wear shades of brown, dark green, and orange. When looking at your veins in natural lighting, the underside of your wrist will look greenish in tone. Women who experience extended exposure to the sun or tanning, or women with golden/yellow undertone who desires a warmer look, may want to consider this*.

Custom Shades

Are you in between shades of foundations? You can try mixing different shades together; this can be fun but messy AND costly as it requires the purchase of multiple shades. Hence, we offer a foundation custom blending service, at no additional charge. For example, your undertone is neutral but your skintone is between light and medium; we can custom blend a Neutral Light-Medium shade. Or let's say your skintone is light, but your undertone is between cool and neutral; we can custom blend a Light Cool-Neutral shade. This service is available on full size orders only. Before submitting a custom shade request, we highly recommend that you order samples first; then mix and test it at home to ensure you're happy with the blended shade. Click here to place a custom shade order.

*These are only general guidelines to assist you in selecting a shade. Because everyone's skintone is unique, your situation may be different.

Shade Tip 1: Need help in selecting a shade? Just send us picture(s) of yourself in natural light without makeup; we'll provide you recommendations on possible shades. Please send photos and request to info@bisousminerals.com.

Shade Tip 2: Your skintone can change with the seasons and with age; hence, you may need to update your foundation from time to time to make sure the shade is true to you. It is common to wear a darker shade during the summer and a lighter shade during the winter.

Shade Tip 3: We encourage you to try our generous sample sizes before committing to full-sized products; it is an inexpensive way to sample our mineral makeup to ensure the correct color and shade as we are unable to accept returns or exchanges on any cosmetics due to FDA requirements and for health reasons.

Colors and Monitor Display: We have tried to display and describe our products, including the color and shade, as accurately as possible. Because the colors are dependent on each individual computer monitor, please note the colors you see on your screen might not resemble the actual products received.