MAKE UP FOR PALE SKIN: THE BASE

Being pale skinned is usually seen as endearing and interesting by those blessed with a natural tan, but for us pale girls it's a bit of a struggle, especially when it comes to make up! It's taken me quite a while to figure out which products and colourways are best for my ghostly complexion, and there's been some orange tide line disasters along the way, but I think I've got it now. That's why I thought it would be good to put together a mini series on the blog, showing you the best products that I've found to compliment my skin tone, and lots of other little tips. I'm kicking things off with the base, as it seemed like the logical place to start, but over the weeks I'll be talking about blush, bronzer, eyes, lips and nails. Let's get in to it!

Foundation is definitely the most tricky thing to get right, and it's taken me a while to find ones that work for me. Some old favourites of mine are both from Rimmel, a brand that I usually find to be pretty good for paler shades. For days when I want a lighter coverage I go for the Rimmel BB Cream in the shade Light. After a good half an hour testing out BB Creams in Boots, this was pretty much the only one that didn't look orange on me, so I snapped it up quickly! If I want a heavier coverage on those days when blemishes make an appearance, I opt for the Wake Me Up Foundation in the shade 100 Ivory (I've learnt that anything with 'Ivory' in the title is my friend!) which is probably one of my all time favourite drug store products.

Nowadays though, there are two recent additions to my make up bag that I am completely head over heels for! These are the Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation in number 15 Opal, and the Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Mont Blanc. Now these two are more on the pricey side (one more so than the other), but in my eyes they are definitely worth the money. I'd say these two shades are a teeny bit better matched than the Rimmel colours but still a great match. Nars Sheer Glow is a medium coverage with a lovely healthy looking finish, and the Vichy Dermablend is slightly heavier with a similar finish. 

When it comes to concealer, I try not to go too overboard, particularly around the eyes as I don't want to make my skin any paler than it already is! There are two products that I always reach for every single day. After applying my foundation I dot a small amount of the Bourjois Healthy Mix Correcting Concealer under my eyes and blend with my fingers. I use shade 51 Light Radiance, which is a touch lighter than my foundation, so it really helps to brighten up my under eyes without making them super white. I then go in with the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (please excuse the packaging - I need to repurchase!) on my blemishes, and for this is I use shade 1 Fair as it's a near match to my foundation and covers redness really well. 

Finally to finish of my base I'll powder my face really lightly, focusing mainly on my T Zone as I get pretty oily around there throughout the day. There is one powder that's my absolute holy grail, but I haven't had the chance to stock up on it lately, and that's the MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Natural in Medium (I was surprised not to be colour matched to a lighter shade, but this one is just fine for me!). It's a bit of an old school product in the blogging world and is something I started using back in uni around four or five years ago, and I must have gone through around six of them since! Whilst I've been out of that though, I've been using the Rimmel Clear Complexion Clarifying Powder in 021 Transparent. The great thing about this is it's transparent, so it doesn't really have any colour to it once on the skin and it has a lovely silky finish. Definitely a good alternative whilst the purse strings are tight!

So those are my top picks for the base! I''m not saying these shades will work for everyone, but for me they are spot on. Us pale girls obviously won't all be the exact same colouring, so you may need to try a shade or two lighter (or darker maybe - you lucky thing!). Next week I'll be back with blusher and bronzer, so stay tuned for that!

Let me know if you like this series of posts I've started, or if you have any other recommendations for fair skin!