Dear mL:

I’m like you — incredibly pale, and unable to find a match in foundation.  Some drug store brands have a match, but I hate that I have to take it home to try it out, and if it doesn’t work, I’m S.O.L.  What are your recommendations of brands that porcelain beauties like myself can try out?

Thanks!
Allison

Dear Allison (and readers),

That’s an excellent question, really.  I myself have searched for years to find a pale foundation that worked for me; most are far too dark, and even MAC foundations don’t work on me (which is a bummer, since I think their finishes are often gorgeous).  I’ve had success with a few brands, and by a few, I mean a few.  There’s not much out there for ladies like us — we don’t get the respect we deserve from cosmetic companies, at least in my opinion.  Also, I’m going to write for those bronzed and dark-skinned lovelies who have the same sort of issue — finding a foundation that doesn’t look silly and ashy on the skin!

Nixie is my first choice.  The prices are affordable, the color selection is fabulous!  They have quite the selection of undertones for skin, from the most pale to the darkest of skintones.  My personal favorites?  The full coverage cream foundation, and the even skin silicone foundation!  Since the even skin silicone foundation contains silicone (silica derivative), it helps to keep you with a natural and un-oily finish all day.  How can one beat that?  The cream foundation is great for a concealer, if you don’t want to use it as a foundation all over your face, and it’s also waterproof!

Next, a super favorite, Make Up For Ever!  Their foundations are downright fabulous, but definitely on the pricey side!  Their color range is excellent, and they have some of the best formulations I have ever encountered.  I keep their mat+ velvet in my kit for if I’m going to be anywhere near the water (don’t let the swatches on the site scare you, they’re lighter than they appear.  Here are the swatches from the official website!).  The stuff is waterproof and it helps keep my skin even!

Dior foundations also go to the very pale shades all the way to the darker shades, however, I must admit they are definitely on the pricey side — which I can’t bring myself to pay.  The finishes are wonderful on pretty much all of them, and most contain SPF, a definite bonus for everyday wear!  I love the Diorskin Forever make up which is a long-wear foundation, and Diorskin Nude which gives a nice and natural finish.

After that…. I’m at a loss.  Really, I haven’t found much.  People say Bare Escentuals, but we all know I’m not a fan of the brand, plus their shades on darker skin are downright awful, and ashy, thanks to the amount of titanium dioxide in the product.

My recommendation will almost always be that you go to your local cosmetics counter, and have them try foundations for you.  They’ll ask you a series of questions regarding coverage and finish, plus they’ll match it for you.  More often than not they’ll even let you take home a sample so you can see if it’s something that you’ll really want!

I hope I at least assisted some for you all