Need Foundation Help? Please post here.......

[JenW]

Thanks for your reference.
How about the perfecting powder? Date bait or temp tryst I wonder?
And the concealer to hide the scars? Sleep in a jar or just equalizer?

I would try samples of Date Bait and Tempt Tryst. Both are in the color range for you (Love Lure would be too dark for all over), and Perfecting Powder would work, too, if you did not want to add any color. Equalizer might be a good finisher, too. It is hard for me to predict which you will like best, and why we offer samples.

Concealers usually require more experimentation than foundation. For concealer, I would try samples of Unblush, Equalizer, Sleep In a Jar. Some even mix a lighter shade than their foundation and in a heavier formula.....

[kbryant1126]

Can you please tell me what foundation color you think would go best with my skin tone and what other makeup colors I should use? I hope these pictures are good enough...

[kbryant1126]

Here are some more pics if it helps...

[JenW]

kbryant1126-

I would try Buttery Gold. I think 1 scoop color to about 7 white.

[kbryant1126]

Really? I thought I had more neutral to cool undertones so I am surprised that you picked such a warm color

[kbryant1126]

If I have a neutral undertone, then what foundation color should I use? All of them seem to be pink, green, or yellow tinted and I don't think my skin has any of those if it is neutral

[JenW]

Really? I thought I had more neutral to cool undertones so I am surprised that you picked such a warm color

Actually, your pics read yellow to me. However, pics are only as good as the lighting they are taken in.....

If I have a neutral undertone, then what foundation color should I use? All of them seem to be pink, green, or yellow tinted and I don't think my skin has any of those if it is neutral

For neutral, try Ebony.

[EmSilkNat]

Hi Jen!
Though I sent an email thanking you, I haven't responded to your comments on this board. Thank-you for the initial advice! So here are how things worked, for reference, and... since I have more questions!:

I would try Ebony with Pink Booster. Samples will still be your best bet as you are testing the formula as much as you are working on the color. The refill is 1 tablespoon of powder. Peach is red plus yellow. Ebony is neutral on the cool side, so beige. I am unfamiliar with Alima's color lines. Even though they label it cool, it might not really be all that cool-toned. It might be slightly cool toned. From the pics you emailed to me, I would think Ebony1:about 7 White (depending on which formula you choose) plus a little pink booster. I would try without the pink first. I suggest trying the All Purpose Foundation.

I got the little All-Purpose White starter kit. This is what ended up working after some trials:
I mixed 1 Ebony : 12 White; let's call that P for pink
I also mixed 1 Buttery Gold : 12 White; let's call that Y for yellow
Then I mixed 6 P : 3 Y and still needed to add 3 White,
so that simplified ratio is 2P : 1Y: 1 White

So this is, I think: 2 E : 1 BG : 24+12+13 A-P W
more clearly, 2 scoops Ebony : 1 scoop Buttery Gold : 49 scoops All-Purpose White
Am I right? I don't want to mix up a useless mess with my next order!
Is there a faster way to measure 49 scoops with a teaspoon or tablespoon measure? How much is it? Approximately how many scoops are in a tablespoon? What scaled-up mix could I make with a tablespoon?

What now? First, I'm using a combination of the Ebony and the Buttery Gold as I found that as I added more white, the Ebony base started looking more pink on my skin, and I found that to match my closest true face/neck/chest colour, it looked like I needed a bit of yellow. So would one of the other bases possibly already have this mix, so I might not need to use two? Warm Gold? Olive? I thought I'd ask just in case. If there isn't a clear substitute, I guess this isn't too complicated.

For others' reference, the above mix looks good on me. It also nicely balances or covers excess redness in certain areas of my face. I am trying it as an alternative to Alima's Cool 3 because though that is alright when applied lightly, it does also tend to be a touch dark and over-pink on me, and their next "warmer tone" the Neutral isn't right for me as I need to offset the pink with yellow, not orange or brown, if that makes sense. Hence the benefit of Silk Naturals mixing!

I observe that this foundation has a different characteristic as it settles on my skin (I don't think it necessarily oxidizes, but the mix looks lighter off the skin than on for me; and it certainly looks lighter than other companies' mineral foundations), meaning that I found I needed to add much more white than we originally expected to get a good match. Actually close to double. I don't consider myself that fair, so I was a bit surprised.

How would this mix translate into the Original Formula?

Concealers are even more variable than foundations. Unfortunately, I think sampling is your best bet. You may decide powder concealers don't work for you under your eyes. WE do have cream versions you might try. Also, if what you have is working for you, you may want to consider sticking with it. Some even mix up a lighter/heavier coverage shade of their foundation for concealer.

In terms of concealers, I'm not convinced on the sleep in a jar powders for me. I get too much layering leading to a bit of a crepey plastered look. The 2-Light Cream Concealer is OK, but not ideal. I think I need more yellow in it so that "my cream" could act as a corrector to counteract blue and purple in my undereyes. It just doesn't seem to cover/correct enough as is, though it works on other parts of the face. Any suggestions on how I could combine things (I don't know - anyone with luck making their own cream corrector with the heavy foundation plus a moisturizer/serum and some sleep in a jar or something else for yellow?) to make a slightly yellower and lighter cream corrector with your products so I could avoid certain ingredients in the current winner for me? Any mix ratios to suggest for Heavy White : Ebony : Buttery Yellow : Mystery Yellow enhancer : moisturizer/serum based on my foundation tone with the All-Purpose White?

Thank-you for all input on this in advance!

[JenW]

The small scoop is 1/32 of a tsp. 49 scoops would be 1 tsp (32) + 1/2 tsp (16) + 1 small scoop. Make sure the tsp measures are as level as possible. I usually make a double or triple batch at a time. A TBS is equivalent to 96 small scoops, and since this is an entire bag, I would just stick with the tsp in my blending. For a double recipe, your white is 3 tsp plus 2 small scoops, your color is 4 Ebony and 2 Buttery Gold. I would still measure even if a refill bag is supposed to be 3 tsp or 1 TBS. There will be some settling and some might stick to the bag.

You might be able to make your recipe more simple with Ebony, Yellow Booster, and All Purpose. However, since what you have is working, and you have the ratios worked out, I would go with what you have worked out for now. In Original Formula, it will be close, but you will likely need more scoops of white. Some of the differences in how foundations look in the jar has to do with the opacity of the ingredients. Also, premixed foundations will have been ground together rather than just shaken up. As the ingredients are more finely mixed, the color will show more. There is also some blending that occurs as you load your brush.

(If this is the way of your foundation for years to come, I recommend a personal blender...a cheap one works very well. I bought an off brand one for about $13 a few years ago and mix foundation and tint Sheer Zinc for my friends and family. It is not necessary, but it was a good investment for me.)

As for the colors changing as they are 'diluted' with white...this definitely happens. Red is the last color to lighten, yellow is the first. This is why the Ebony turns slightly pinker as you add more white. It is not linear which makes it confusing.

You could always try a few things with your concealer. I am not a great one for advice when the usual methods are not quite right. In my experience (wrinkles are definitely present for me ), I found that most under eye concealers made what I was trying to conceal more noticeable. I just quit using them as for me powders made more wrinkles, and the creams would settle in the fine lines. You could try mixing with a serum, but minerals change color slightly when wet.

(If I missed answering something, please don't hesitate to ask again. )

[EmSilkNat]

Hi Jen!

Thank-you for your responses. It is really interesting to have the explanations/verifications to why this looks so much lighter than other mineral foundations and why the pink stands out so much in ebony at certain times during the "dilution".

After some use, I've now verified the following observation - it seems this foundation wears off my face faster. What would you recommend for that? Might the medium or heavy ivory bases work better for me? Do they tend to adhere better? I am not specifically looking for heavier coverage (the foundation with the all-purpose base looks good initially), but I would like better lasting coverage. Is there something (along the lines of silk/zinc/primer powder) that I should add to the foundation or apply beneath to help it last better?

If I did use medium or heavy ivory, what would be the approximate ratio for me?
[2 scoops Ebony : 1 scoop Buttery Gold : 49 scoops All-Purpose White]

Also how would you differentiate Buttery Gold and the Yellow Booster in terms of their effect in the foundation? Would I need more or less yellow booster in comparison to the Buttery Gold?

With my previous mineral foundation, I do not apply anything other than serum, moisturizer, and some concealer/corrector beneath it. It lasts the day for me. This is what I was trying with the Silk Naturals one as well, but by 5 hours, I have more skin flaws visible than I did at application, enough that I would need to apply more, which I don't want to need to do as I risk getting a cakey look.

Blender - do you mean something like a Oster or Kitchenaid blender that can mix drinks and crush ice and make smoothies?

Ditto for me for the under-eye and challenges of "fine lines". But I find that correcting the blue/purple/red makes such a difference in my appearance that for me, it's worth the effort of trying to find a good natural solution, or, alternately, sticking with what works for now. I've continued trying the Light Cream Concealer 2. It would be super if it hid a bit more of the blue/purple. Maybe if I moisten it up with something and mix in some yellow sleep in a jar? What could mix well with the cream concealer to make that possible? Cream seems to work better than powder or liquid under powder for me.