Have you ever bought a foundation that looked perfect in the bottle, applied it… and something just felt off?
Maybe it looked too pink, too yellow, too grey… or just not quite like your skin.
I often notice this on people on the street, walking past and see that something on their makeup doesn’t look quite right. And the truth is, it’s not always about choosing the wrong shade — sometimes the depth is right, but the undertone is slightly off.
Undertones can be a little tricky to identify at times. Many makeup brands don’t cater for a very wide audience and some of end up sitting in the gaps of the foundations available in the market. And this is where knowing how to adjust foundation undertone completely changes everything.
Because once you understand how to tweak colour, you stop relying on finding the perfect foundation… and you start creating it. It is easier than it looks – I promise! In case undertone is something you are still very confused about I have a full post explaining the differences between skin tones and undertones and how you can identify yours
Why foundation undertone matters more than you think
When a foundation doesn’t match your undertone, it will never fully blend into your skin.
It might look okay in certain lighting, but as soon as you step into natural light, you’ll start to notice it — it can look too pink, too orange, too dull, or even slightly grey. As a makeup artist my job is to try to match every single client to the most natural shade for their skin. With time I learned to train my eye so I can easily see colour on the skin which makes it easier for me to identify undertones or mix colour in case I need.
That’s because your skin has its own undertone, and when the foundation doesn’t align with it, it becomes very noticeable and as I like to say to my students sometimes it looks like that face doesn’t belong to that body because the foundation just looks so different that it is hard to not notice.
This is especially common for olive undertones, where a lot of foundations tend to lean too pink or too yellow. And in all honestly, many makeup brands, I mean MANY, don’t actually offer olive undertones.
And this is exactly why learning how to adjust foundation undertone is such a powerful skill.
How to fix a foundation that’s too pink
This is probably one of the most common issues I see.
If your foundation looks too pink on your skin, what you’re actually seeing is too much red in the base. Pink is made of red and white mixed together. And this is where colour theory comes in.
If you look closely on the colour wheel we go back to our colour theory basics: Red and green are complementary colours, which means they neutralise each other. So if your foundation is too pink, the colour you need to add is green.
Now one important thing to remember is, the shade of the colour corrector must match your skin tone. So if you have fair skin tone you will be using a very pale green, if you have deep skin tone you will be using a deep green.
Colour correctors are available in a wide variety of shades this days, and most correctors have a strong pigment, so adding too much can easily shift the foundation too far in the opposite direction.
I like to take a small amount of foundation, add the tiniest touch of green, and mix it well before applying. As soon as you place it next to the original shade, you’ll immediately see the difference.
The pink will soften, and the foundation will start to look more neutral and closer to your skin.
How to make a foundation cooler
Let snow look at how we can make a foundation cooler. Blue is always going to be our hero here. The same rule applies when it comes to selecting the right colour corrector. The tone of the blue should match your skin tone (fair, light, medium, tan or deep).
Blue will make a foundation feel cooler, but one thing to remember is that blue is the strongest colour within our primaries, so a little goes a very long way.
Once you mix it in, you’ll notice the tone immediately change. The foundation will start to look cooler, and when you compare it side by side with the original, the difference becomes very clear. It is a very subtle change but definitely noticeable.
This is why I always recommend swatching next to each other, it trains your eye to see undertone properly.
How to warm up a foundation
If your foundation looks too flat, too cool, or slightly ashy, you might need to bring warmth back into it. This is where yellow comes in.
Adding a small amount of yellow will warm up the foundation and give it a more golden tone. This works beautifully for warmer skin tones or when a foundation looks a bit lifeless on the skin.
Important to remember again you don’t need much product, just enough to shift the undertone slightly.
When you compare the adjusted shade with the original, you’ll see how much more alive and balanced it looks.
One foundation, multiple undertones
One of my favourite things about this technique is that you can take one foundation and completely transform it into something else.
You can make it more neutral with green, cooler with blue, or warmer with yellow — all from the same base. As a makeup artist this is one of the most important skills we must master. Understanding colour and the complexities of skin tones is a must in our day-to-day job.
When you place these shades next to each other, you really start to see how different they are, even though they all started as the same foundation, just by adding a small amount of the adjuster you can completely transform the foundation shade.
Most of the correctors will not change the structure of the foundation or make it split, especially because we only need a VERY small amount of the colour to completely change the shape.
This is also one of the best ways to train your eye.
Sometimes it’s hard to identify undertone when you’re looking at one shade on its own. But when you compare multiple versions side by side, the differences become much more obvious.
What to use to adjust your foundation
You don’t need a huge kit to do this. If you’re just adjusting your own foundation, having a few small correctors — like green, blue, or yellow — is more than enough. Look for a corrector that matches your skin tone and you will most likely only need one, and that is if you cannot find a foundation that is your perfect match.
This is especially helpful if you have a unique undertone, like olive, where it can be difficult to find a perfect match straight from the bottle. Even something as simple as a green corrector can completely transform a foundation.
The colour correctors come in multiple formulas, and this comes down to preference, you prefer a liquid corrector and you may feel it blends in better with your foundation or you may like the consistency of a cream. Either way they all work well, and it entirely comes down to preference.
If you’re a makeup artist, this becomes even more important. Not every client will match a pre-made shade, so being able to adjust undertone gives you much more flexibility in your kit. I suggest having something like the Rainbow Wheel by Kryolan, this products has all the colours you need in one circle, and as a professional makeup artist this is more than enough to make multiple changes to foundations.
Choosing the right corrector for your skin tone
This part is really important, and it’s often overlooked. Your corrector also needs to match your skin depth. That means you need to know what your skin tone is.
If you have a deeper skin tone, your corrector should also be deeper. A very light green on deep skin can look ashy and won’t blend properly.
And if you have very fair skin, you’ll need a softer, lighter version of the colour — something with more white in it, like a pale green or a soft blue for example. The goal is always to adjust the undertone without disrupting the depth of the foundation.
On the image below you can see what I am referring to. A light corrector is ideas for fair and light skin tones, and the deeper shades of corrector are perfect for deeper skin tones.
When to mix vs when to layer
Most of the time, I prefer mixing the corrector directly into the foundation before applying. If the objective is to adjust the foundation undertone this is how you will be able to shift the undertone.
This gives you a more seamless result and ensures the colour is evenly adjusted.
However, if you only need to correct small areas, (spot correcting) you can also apply the corrector underneath and then go over with foundation. It really depends on how much adjustment is needed.
If the entire foundation is off, mix it.
If it’s just specific areas, correct only where needed.
Final thoughts
Learning how to adjust foundation undertone is one of those skills that completely changes how you approach makeup. You don’t need to be a professional makeup artist to understand how undertones work.
You stop feeling limited by what’s available in stores, and you start understanding how to create exactly the shade you need.
This practice will also help you see colour differently. You become more aware of undertones, more confident in your choices, and much more precise in your application. And honestly, once you get the hang of it… it becomes second nature.
