9 Foundations for Dark Skin Tones to Upgrade Your Fall Makeup

If you ask most women with deeper complexions, including myself, how easy it is to select foundation to complement their skin tone, there is good chance her answer will be “It can be quite the task” or “The struggle is real.” But just because it is not as easy to pick a foundation shade as it may be to figure out exactly how you like your coffee in the morning does not mean finding the perfect match is impossible.

There are actually more companies today that have made strides toward developing darker foundations. So much that there are even unique technologies such as the MATCHCo smartphone app, which works to virtually help women find their exact shades. Many brands have extended their lines with more hues to choose from, yet there are instances where the actual formulations could still use some tweaking. Could it be that these deep colors are simply that much more difficult to make?

With about 30 years of experience in creating shades, Victor Casale, the co-founder and chief innovation officer of Cover FX as well as the former founding partner, chief chemist, and managing director of MAC Cosmetics, explains it is less about crafting the formulation correctly and more about finding the right testers. “The most difficult thing when I’m formulating dark shades is finding models and skin tones that I can bring into the lab to verify the shades. But I have done that. I’ve set up color verification labs in universities and colleges where I send my team.” He also points out how diverse the shade range can be within deeper skin tones. “There’s a new shade born every day,” he says.

While experts agree that it isn’t necessarily a costlier undertaking to create darker shades, it is more about getting the most precise pigments in order to formulate the best colors that will sell and fly off shelves fast because they actually match.

With a better understanding of how deeper shades are created, Yahoo Beauty swatched and tested nine of the best foundations for dark skin. Have you tried any? Tell us in the comments section.

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