Every time you get a tan, the color of your skin changes, which means you also need to adjust your makeup accordingly. However, getting the right shade to flatter your skin tone isn’t that easy. If you have tanned skin, wearing the best foundation for tan skin that will compliment your tan will give you a stunning look.
Tan skin often has warm undertones, which means bronzed makeup shades are the best to give you that ultra-flattering pretty look. A foundation aims to match your natural skin tone and even out the natural appearance of your skin. During the summer, your skin tone tends to be a bit darker than during the winter so you need different foundations for each season. If your skin dries up a lot during the winter, you should get oily or cream-based foundations instead of water-based foundations. To help you understand how to select the right foundation shade, you need to first understand your skin’s natural undertone.
What is an undertone?
An undertone is simply the underlying shade of your skin and it falls into four categories: warm (golden light or yellow to medium skin tones), neutral (balanced light and medium tones), olive (medium and medium deep tones), and cool (red light or pink to medium tones). However, how light or dark your skin has nothing to do with your undertone. The amount of redness on your skin due to acne, eczema, irritation, or rosacea also does not affect your undertone. Focus more on matching your foundation with your undertone instead of your skin color.
Warm undertone
Such a skin shade has very light hues of golden or yellowish tones, and you can tan easily and not get burnt often. Go for a foundation with golden or yellow undertones.
Cool undertone
Your skin shade has very light hues of pink, red, or bluish undertones with a more coffee or chocolate skin tone with varying degrees of cream. When out in the sun, you will burn faster, so go for a foundation with cool undertones.
Neutral undertone
Your skin tone has a mix of warm and cool undertones, which means your skin has a balance of golden and pink with no obvious undertone. You can get a slight tan, so go for a very subtle foundation with golden tones, but stay away from bright yellow or cool pinks.
Olive undertone
Your skin tone has a variation of yellow or green undertones, which gives you a muted bronze with hints of green coolness. When you’re out in the sun, you can tan easily, so go for a very subtle foundation with golden tones.
How to match your foundation with your tan
Once you achieve a beautiful summer tan, all over sudden your foundation doesn’t match your glow and you might end up mismatching your foundation. However, you can still achieve the perfect match foundation each time, but if you aren’t sure where to start, here are a few tips you can keep in mind.
Pay more attention to your base color
The biggest mistake most people make when selecting their base color is trying to match it to the color on your hands instead of your face. You might also go for a darker color thinking it will add color to your skin, but instead, it just ends up looking muddy.
Don’t get a new foundation color
A grave mistake you might do is changing the color of your foundation completely as you try to match with your summer tan. Instead, test out a few shades to see which one blends with your skin tone. You can also add a liquid bronzer to your foundation to easily boost your color.
Go for a foundation with a lighter formula
During the summer, it’s very hot and you already have color on your face, so you need to wear less makeup. Instead of wearing your full coverage foundation, try a tinted moisturizer or a CC cream that will easily blend with your tan.
Blend and blend
If you don’t apply your foundation in the right way, it won’t look flawless. The secret is to start with small amounts then build on it and don’t forget to blend and buff down your neck with a big makeup brush.
Get a good concealer
You must remember to use your concealer after your foundation. Go for a concealer with one lighter shade than your natural skin and don’t overdo it; just a little will go a long way. Since you have a darker base color, so will your imperfections. To help hide your pigmentation and other problem spots invest in a color-ranging concealer palette. This way, you can mix your darker color with your foundation or apply it on the outer parts of your face.
Use a loose setting powder
The loose setting powder will help to lock in your makeup so that it can last all day.
Wait a few hours before applying your makeup after tanning because your skin is very sensitive at this time, so it’s best to wait for some time before applying your makeup to avoid skin irritation.
Table for the best foundation for tan skin
Foundation | Coverage | Check on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
Full | ||
Natural to full | ||
Medium to buildable | ||
Blendable | ||
Full | ||
Buildable | ||
Buildable | ||
Medium to full |
Lancome Teint Idole ultra long-wear foundation
This is a full coverage foundation that you can wear on those long days when you don’t have time to retouch your makeup. It’s great for dark skin tones and it will create a very realistic smooth matte finish that is long-wearing. Its formula is oil-free so you don’t have to worry about the foundation clogging your pores or causing any allergic reactions. It’s formulated to ensure that the pH levels of your skin are well maintained, which helps the color to stay for longer without creasing or caking. It contains silica and perlite which help to ensure that your facial oils are quickly absorbed, leaving you with a shine-free velvety matte finish. This foundation is ideal for people with oily and combination skin types and is available in 40 different shades, so you’re guaranteed to find one that suits your skin tone.
Pros
- Long-lasting foundation
- Offers good coverage
- It’s oil-free
- Lightweight and shine-free
Cons
- Has a strong scent
- Doesn’t cover all your imperfections
Verdict
A lightweight foundation that is great for keeping shine at bay while providing you with a smooth matte complexion.
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L’Oreal Paris true match super blendable foundation
This is a great foundation for dark skin tones that will provide you with a natural to full coverage for that smooth and even finish. It’s super blendable to the point where you can’t tell whether you’re wearing any makeup. It truly matches your skin’s undertone to give you unbelievable results. It’s oil and fragrance-free, so it won’t clog your pores or cause any acne breakouts or allergic reactions. It contains a titanium dioxide sunscreen with an SPF of 19 to ensure that your skin is well protected from sun damage. It’s very easy and smooth to apply with your fingers. Thanks to its precise match technology, this foundation can give you the most natural true-to-you coverage for that beautiful, radiant, and flawless look. It’s formulated with vitamins A and C, grapefruit extract, and wheat germ to ensure that your skin stays nourished, healthy, and protected. It’s available in 33 true to you shades you can easily blend.
Pros
- It’s light, creamy, and moisturizing
- Doesn’t irritate your skin
- Provides good coverage
- Easy to apply and stays on for a long time
Cons
- It comes in a smaller than expected bottle
- Might cause an allergic reaction to very sensitive skin
Verdict
A lightweight creamy foundation that will blend in very well with your skin tone to give you that flawless natural finish.
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Becca matte shine proof foundation
This foundation will help to control shine on your face all day. It’s formulated with microfine powder, which means you get both the liquid and the powder in one foundation. It helps to absorb excess oils on your skin while hiding your imperfections for a shine-free matte finish. It’s formulated to provide a medium to buildable coverage to give you that natural look without making you look flat or dull. If you have uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation, blemishes, and redness, this foundation will hide them very well. It’s formulated with boron nitride and nylon-12 to give you that soft feel and vitamins A and E for antioxidant benefits. It will help to reduce the appearance of your wrinkles, pores, and fine lines and is perfect for combination and oily skin.
Pros
- Gives you an even and dewy skin tone
- A great foundation for sensitive and oily skin
- Good coverage that isn’t too thick and cakey
- Keeps your skin shine-free all-day
Cons
- Not ideal for dry skin
- It’s expensive
Verdict
A great foundation that will help to effectively keep shine at bay all day and buildable coverage that will leave you with a natural matte look that will hide all your imperfections.
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Hourglass vanish seamless stick foundation
This is a creamy stick foundation that has a lightweight and long-wearing waterproof formula for a beautiful natural finish. You can conveniently carry it and use it to do touchups to certain areas on your skin throughout the day or concealing some imperfections. It’s formulated with macadamia seed oil that makes it easy to glide on your skin as you apply and has a great concentration of pigment to give you maximum coverage with just a small amount. You can easily mix this foundation with other creamy makeup formulas like eyeshadows or blush for that seamless finish without looking shiny. It’s available in 32 different shades so that you will find the right one for your skin tone.
Pros
- Very convenient to carry with you
- Provides good coverage
- Covers all your blemishes well
- It’s long-lasting
Cons
- It’s pricey
- It’s a bit greasy
Verdict
A convenient easy to carry stick foundation that makes it very easy to touch up your makeup anywhere and provides great coverage for all your blemishes.
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This is an oil-free water-based foundation that makes it perfect for oily to combination and sensitive skin. This liquid foundation will provide you with a smooth luster look with an undetectable coverage and a fresh hydrated glow throughout the day. It has a formula that is specially formulated to work with your skin, so instead of coating and covering your glow it gives you that luminous lustrous look. It also helps to reduce the appearance of your fine lines, acne scars, pores, and all other imperfections. It’s oil-free so it won’t clog your pores and it will keep your skin hydrated all day which will help the foundation to stay on your skin for longer. It’s available in 30 shades.
Pros
- Has a smooth texture that is not thick or oily
- Very easy to apply
- Excellent for sensitive skin
- It has a long-wearing SPF of 15 to protection
Cons
- Can be too watery
- Doesn’t cover all your imperfections
Verdict
A great water-based foundation that is perfect for sensitive and oily skin to cover up all your imperfections for that natural glow that will last all day.
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Revlon colorstay liquid makeup
This is a waterproof liquid foundation that will provide you with a medium to buildable coverage with a matte finish for combination to oily skin. This lightweight foundation will smoothly glide on your skin to deliver a long-lasting shine. It has an oil-free formula that will give you an even-toned flawless matte finish with an SPF 15 protection for all-day wear and buildable coverage. It contains salicylic acid that helps to control the oil on your skin and provide a poreless finish. It has a pump dispenser so it’s very easy to apply and you can enjoy a mess-free application. You can wear this foundation all day without having to retouch it. It’s available in 43 shades so you can easily find the shade that suits your skin tone.
Pros
- Provides medium to full coverage
- Doesn’t feel heavy or caked
- It’s waterproof
- Keeps your skin dry and flawless
Cons
- The pump might be faulty
- The shade colors can be confusing
Verdict
A great waterproof liquid foundation that has buildable coverage and an oil-free formula to give you an even-toned flawless finish without shine.
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Giorgio Armani luminous silk foundation
This luminous silk foundation has a lightweight formula that will help to conceal all your imperfections to give you a beautiful bright skin tone with very inconspicuous makeup. It has a unique formula that uses a silicone-based fluid that contains contributive oils that specifically help in the evaporation and nourishment of your skin. This foundation has buildable coverage that will glide effortlessly on your skin to reveal that flawless inner glow and healthy look. It provides a physical barrier that protects your skin without settling on your pores and keeps it safe from pollution and sun damage while improving the texture of your skin and making sure all your imperfections are completely concealed. It has more beige shades that would be perfect if you have golden and olive tones and richer tones.
Pros
- Stays in place all day without looking heavy or cakey
- Great coverage
- Leaves your skin with a long-lasting glow
- It’s very lightweight
Cons
- May give you a bit of shine
Verdict
A lightweight foundation that contains silicone and other beneficial oils that help to keep your skin nourished and healthy while hiding all your imperfections for that natural flawless look.
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MAC studio fix fluid foundation
This is a great foundation for dark skin tones which provides a natural matte finish and broad-spectrum protection with an SPF of 15 that ensures your skin is well protected every time you step out into the sun. This oil-free foundation will provide a matte finish, which is ideal for oily skin and a blendable coverage so you don’t need to worry about getting your pores clogged or acne breakouts. If you’re looking for a foundation with a medium to full coverage, this is a great option to handle that job. It provides good consistent coverage for 42 different shades, which means you will easily find the right color for your skin tone amongst all those shades.
Pros
- It stays on all-day
- It has a lightweight formula
- Provides full coverage
- A quality product
Cons
- It’s a bit expensive
Verdict
A lightweight foundation with an SPF of 15 for protection and to provide a natural matte finish with a blendable coverage.
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Conclusion
Nothing makes you feel and look good as a fresh tan; however, don’t make the mistake of mismatching your foundation with your tan. Instead, look for the best foundation for tan skin like Lancome Teint Idole ultra long-wear foundation that is oil-free and will provide you with full coverage leaving you with a shine-free velvety matte finish.
Maria Martinez
Maria Martinez has been working in the beauty industry for the better part of her life and has a vast knowledge of the constitution of various makeup products with a focus on foundation. Maria is a wife and a mother of two and when not researching the various cosmetic products, she loves to read.
