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Yellow, Gorgeous! If you’ve got yellow undertones or yellow skin, you’ve probably faced the challenge of finding the right yellow based foundation (aka yellow undertone foundation) for your skin. If you’ve done some research but aren’t sure if it’s right for you, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are all of your questions about yellow based foundation, answered. In this post, I will also recommend some of the best foundations for yellow undertones out on the market.
Contents
Our Picks For The Best Yellow Based Foundations
Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder (Shade: Pale Yellow)
It’s also 100% vegan and comes with a powder puff. The unique yellow base helps complement yellow undertone. It also looks natural on pink complexions. It provides a matte finish and is long-lasting (12 – 15 hours).
NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation (Shade: Fiji – Light with Yellow Undertones)
This formula is created using NAR’s Tone Correcting Technology which works to instantly reduce redness and discoloration and keep it that way in the long-term.
It’s super lightweight and can last up to 16 hours. It is also gluten-free.
The main ingredients are:
- Scarlet Spiderling Root Extraction – Helps to reduce discoloration and reduce the appearance of dark spots.
- Vitamins A, C, and E – Provides superior antioxidant benefits to protect your skin from free radicals.
This formula does not contain mineral oil, sulfates SLS and SLES, parabens, formaldehyde, formaldehyde-releasing agents, phthalates, retinyl palmitate, oxybenzone, coal tar, hydroquinone, triclosan, triclocarban, and fragrance.
Dermablend Professional Cover Creme Foundation (Shade: 30W Yellow Beige)
This foundation uses high-performance pigments to ensure that the color stays all day. Its creamy texture doesn’t feel cakey and is easy to apply. It’s great for covering scars, acne scars, birthmarks, bruising, burns, hyperpigmentation, lupus, vitiligo and post-operative and post-procedure marks.
This formula is transfer and smudge-resistant and can last up to 16 hours. It is formulated without parabens, phthalates, triclosan, and sodium lauryl sulfates. It is also fragrance-free.
It’s tested by Dermatologists and works great on sensitive skin. It’s also non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic.
BTW, I’ve written a detailed guide on the best foundations for dry skin that you may find helpful.
L.A. Girl Pro Coverage Liquid Foundation (Shade: Bronze)
The bronze shade provides a hint of yellow that works well on yellow-toned dark skin and helps to create an illuminating glow.
It contains antioxidants such as Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E) and Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A) to help improve the skin’s appearance and fight against free radicals.
This foundation is paraben and cruelty-free.
This foundation comes in a pump bottle, so you can control the amount of product used.
Best Drugstore Yellow Undertone Foundations
Maybelline New York Super Stay Full Coverage Liquid Foundation (Light Tan)
The Maybelline New York Super Stay Foundation is one of the best drugstore foundations for Asian skin with yellow undertones.
This is an oil-free full coverage foundation that is long-lasting (24 hrs) and non-comedogenic. The light-weight formula is created with saturated pigments to ensure long wear and lasting performance.
As with all foundations with saturated pigments, it’s advised that you choose a color that is at least 1 shade darker. That’s because the product usually looks darker when applied and then drys to a lighter color.
Being a drugstore brand, this foundation is not expensive and you can find it in pretty much any drugstore. It’s definitely worth looking into.
NYX Professional Stay Matte But Not Flat Liquid Foundation (Ivory)
The NYX Professional Stay Matte But Not Flat Foundation is one of the best foundations for olive skin with yellow undertones. Choose either the “Tan” or “Soft Sand” as these have a warmer pigment that will blend easier with yellow undertones on olive skin.
This foundation is full coverage, oil-free and water-based foundation with mineral enriched matte coverage. It’s very lightweight and allows for buildable coverage. It’s great for people with oily skin and it’s very smooth to apply. This foundation is on the thicker side and sometimes feels like a BB cream. As it’s full coverage, you may be able to use it without a concealer.
Yellow Based Foundations: What You Need To Know
What Is A Yellow Based Foundation?
It’s pretty much what it sounds like. A yellow based foundation is a foundation that has yellow undertones. No, that doesn’t mean that applying it will make you look like Lisa Simpson.
Essentially, all foundations have top tones and undertones. The top tone is the dominant tone, the color that is designed to match the skin color. The undertone is going to be the less dominant color that gives depth to the main hue. This is the shade that helps the color to seamlessly blend into the skin without looking like a layer of paint that’s been caked over a surface.
Yellow based foundation is typically designed for fair skin tones with warm undertones. This skin tone is commonly seen in women of Asian heritage, although other ethnicities may display it as well. If you aren’t quite sure what your skin’s undertone is, this helpful video can help you to determine which undertone category you fall into.
If you’re still confused, this quiz from PopSugar can help you to accurately determine your skin undertone. Remember, just because your skin might not seem yellow at first glance doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have yellow undertones. Analyzing the hues on the inside of your arm and considering what colors look good on you can be helpful in determining the true undertones of your skin.
What is Yellow Undertone?
Yellow undertones are skin colors that are fair or light with warm undertones that are more yellow-hued than they are peach or taupe hued. A yellow based foundation is designed to enhance skin tones that already have traces of yellow in them.
Do I Need A Yellow Based Foundation?
If you don’t have yellow undertones in your skin, be sure to avoid yellow based foundations, as it can give the wrong skin hues an unsightly pallor. For example, a fair skin color with a cool pink undertone would actually look vaguely orange under a layer of yellow based foundation. A yellow foundation can also create an undesirable look on olive skin tones, as it can give the skin a greenish hue. While yellow based foundations can be just what the doctor ordered for those with the appropriate skin color, it should be avoided if you don’t have yellow undertones.
How Can I Tell If A Foundation Is Yellow Based?
This is where it can get a bit tricky. Determining the undertones of a foundation is rarely as simple as taking a quick glance at the bottle or at the color online. Sometimes, a medium foundation with yellow undertones can look indistinguishable from a fair foundation with olive undertones at first glance.
This is why it’s important to do a bit of investigating before committing to any foundation shade. To tell if your foundation is yellow based, test the foundation on your forearms over your veins. If the product is a match, it should effortlessly blend with your yellow undertones and cover your veins. If the product has the wrong undertones, it will clash against your veins.
Product descriptions can be useful. While not all beauty brands opt to list undertones in their product descriptions, many do. If you’ve found a prospective foundation that you like online but don’t have the opportunity to test it out in person, do an internet search and look for makeup tutorials that used the product in question. If the artist in the video seems to have a similar complexion to yours, it might be a good match after all. It can also be helpful to know return policies when buying both online and in-store, just in case something looks off under natural light.
How To Make Foundation More Yellow Toned?
The best way to make your foundation more yellow toned is to use a concealer. Yellow concealer is primarily meant to cancel out purple and blue shades, such as the dark under eye circles that many of us get. A few drops of yellow concealer can be a great way to inject yellow undertones into your foundation.
Here are a few tips you should know:
- Mix a small amount of foundation and concealer in an external cup. Never use pour concealer into your foundation bottle as it may ruin the tone if you don’t get it right the first time.
- Avoid liquid pigments and food coloring. Some people may be tempted to try liquid pigments and food coloring to adjust the tone of the foundation. This is not recommended because these substances are not meant to be applied to the face.
- Always test in natural light and on a small area of your face first to ensure that your mix is right with your yellow undertones.
You can use this method to lighten your foundation. You can also mix serums, oils and moisturizers into foundations to create the exact texture that your skin needs.
How To Make Foundation Less Yellow Toned?
The best way to make your foundation less yellow is to use a purple foundation mixer.
Most people think that using white or peach color mixers will do the trick. However, these wouldn’t work as well because these colors do not directly cancel the yellow tone in your foundation. Purple is directly opposite of yellow on the color wheel. That’s why purple mixers are the best choice. You will still need to experiment with the amount of mixer to use with your foundation.
Best Foundation Brands for Yellow Undertones
Not all foundations are created equal and this is especially true for yellow based foundations. When shopping for a foundation for yellow undertones, it’s important to choose a reputable brand.
Remember, it’s not always about the shade as you can always mix or “cocktail” a shade that fits perfectly with your skin. What’s important are the ingredients and the skin benefits of your foundation.
Here are my favorite brands for yellow undertones:
1) Belloccio – I would say that Belloccio is a popular choice among Professional Makeup artists. They have a huge selection of airbrushed makeup that simply works great for covering marks and blemishes. As their products are mostly water based, their foundations work especially well for people with oily skin. BTW, if you’re looking for more foundations that are water based, check out my guide on water based foundations.
What you can expect from Belloccio:
– Most formulas contain Hyaluronic Acid which helps to hydrate and firm your skin. If you want to know more, I have written a post on selecting foundations with hyaluronic acid.
– Belloccio products contains Aloe which is a huge plus for anyone with irritated and sensitive skin.
– Does not contain Parabens or Fragrance
– With the use of an airbrush, the small droplets of makeup will not clog your skin or cause acne.
One drawback is that you do need to purchase an airbrush kit to apply the foundation properly. It is possible to apply the product with your regular makeup brushes, you will have to play around with the coverage a bit if you choose to go this route.
2) NYX – No matter if you are a makeup junkie or a professional makeup artist, NYX has something that will work for you. Their foundations come in liquid, powder, cream and solid formulas. You can find NYX products in literally any drugstore out there. Given the price point and the quality of products you get, it’s no wonder that this brand is popular among young bloggers and millennials.
What you can expect from NYX:
– They have tons of shades which means no matter which skin tone you have, there is probably a shade for you. This is great for those of you looking for a yellow based foundation. Where other companies are missing shades, NYX is sure to fill the gap.
– Products are relatively inexpensive
– Since they have a huge selection of makeup, you really need to study the skin benefits of the product you are interested in. NYX is tailored towards the masses which means what works for you doesn’t necessary work for others. The yellow based foundation that I have recommended on this blog works great (from my own experience), but you will need to test this out yourself to see if it works for you.
3) NARS – This is another famous brand that I often recommend to my younger clients. NARS is always on top with new and emerging trends. They are not the cheapest but sometimes, you really get what you pay for.
What you can expect from NARS:
– They have superior quality makeup products. If you search around the internet, you will often find NARS products being compared with high end department brands. Why? because their products are all about quality and this is no exception for yellow based foundations. Many products will contain key ingredients like magnolia bark extract, grape seed extract, and vitamin E to ensure that your skin stays healthy.
– They never do testing on animals!
– Although many products do not contain Gluten, some can still be found in their products. Be sure to check the label if this is something you worry about. Furthermore, some of their products do contain Parabens which is a huge let down for some people.
4) Bobbi Brown – What better brand is better than a brand founded by one of the best Professional Makeup Artists out there? When you buy Bobbi Brown products, you also get their tremendous support in the usage of their products.
Here is what you can expect from Bobbi Brown:
– Huge support team, if you don’t understand something, just ask! There is even a button on their website where you can talk directly to makeup artist! How cool is that?
– Bobbi Brown is committed to selling only safe products as suggested on their website. However, it’s truly up to you to educate yourself on the ingredients of the product you are interested in. So far, I’ve had no issues with Bobbi Brown foundations and they have worked wonders for my skin.
