CHOOSING A COLOR

Yellow = hint of beige + yellow
Yellow/Beige = hint of beige + yellow + hint of pink
Neutral = beige + yellow + pink
Pink/Beige = pink + beige + hint of yellow
Pinks = hint of beige + pink
Peach = pink + yellow + hint of beige
Snow White- no color added, just white.

We loosely base our color system on the familiar “warm or cool” undertones theory. The idea is, if you have yellow, a.k.a., warm undertones, you will probably be best off with a Yellow or Yellow/Beige foundation. If you have cool undertones, Pink or (most likely) Pink/Beige is probably best. There is also a Peach foundation shade, which is simply a balance of yellow and pink, with little beige. We also have a neutral color, which is a balanced mix of pink, yellow, and beige- the result is a bit peach-y in tone, but not as much as Peach. (There is actually no real “beige only”; we tried it and it just isn't something ANYONE could wear… Pink/Beige is the closest to straight up beige.) Interestingly, we have discovered in our testing (as always, on family and friends, not animals!) that every single person we mixed foundation for looked best in Yellow/Beige, from blondes to brunettes... so it's very universal!

The numbers indicate how light or dark a shade is- level one is the lightest, on up through level 5. Level 1s are very pale; I know first hand how aggravating it is to never find a light-enough shade, so I always intended to make a really pale option for those of us who cannot wear 99% of drugstore/department store foundations because they're all too dark. Therefore, you might find that even if you're used to wearing the lightest option possible from larger companies, ours might be too light for you.

You may find that you're in between colors or shades, which isn't that unusual; if, for example, you find that Level 1 is too light but Level 2 is too dark, our foundation is very easy to mix, just put into a lidded container and shake it really well... no need to use a coffee bean grinder or anything.

There are several ways to figure out what your undertones are- one is to look at the skin on your wrist. One nice thing about our foundations is that the colors are fairly forgiving- one might find two or three colors are a perfect match (for example, I can wear three different level 1 shades and they all look perfect in the sun).

We could use some feedback on our foundation shades... I was able to test them out on a good number of family and friends (never animals!) but this being the Seattle area, even those with naturally dark skin weren't terribly dark. So, if you feel we need to stock darker shades, or some other undertones, please let us know! Also, if you'd like to see a full matte version of Striptease, we need to hear from you too!

YELLOW (WARM): If the veins look slightly greenish, and your skin has a golden hue, you're probably purely warm- this often goes along with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. You're likely to look best in yellow gold, and warm colors in your clothes, like browns, oranges, yellow-greens, off-white rather than pure white, etc.

YELLOW/BEIGE (WARM-ISH): If you are a little unsure but your veins do have a greenish look, and you're pretty sure you don't see much pink, OR you're really pale skinned but with warm undertones, you're likely to be served well with the Yellow/Beige shades. Likely to go with hazel or blue eyes and lighter brown hair. It is a lovely creamy color and looks great on many, many people. You might gravitate towards yellow gold, and warmer toned clothing, but not as strongly as warm toned folks. For some reason this is the shade group that is the most universally flattering - generally if you read all this and go “eek! I have no idea!” start with some Yellow/Beiges, odds are it is likely to be a good guess.

PINK (COOL): If your wrist and veins look bluish, with pinky undertones to your skin, you're most likely in the cool. Often this goes with blonde hair and blue eyes. You probably look best in silver and white gold jewelry, and cool-toned clothes like blues, blue-greens, snow white, and cool pinks.

PINK/BEIGE (COOL-ISH): If you're seeing blue veins but not really seeing much of a pinkish tone to your skin, but you're pretty sure it isn't yellowish at all, you might want to start with the Neutral/Cool colors. A neutral/cool wearer would likely be a blonde with hazel eyes, or a lighter brunette with blue eyes. You might gravitate towards silver and white gold jewelry, and cool toned clothing, but not as strongly as a cool. After Yellow/Beige, this is the second most common match.

NEUTRAL: Veins in wrist not really greenish or bluish, and your skin is smack-dab in the middle of pinkish or yellowish undertones. You look equally good in yellow and white gold, and you look as good in warm colors as cool ones. This color does tend toward peachiness, simply due to its nature.

PEACH: Not really your average “warm” or “cool”, this is not a typical undertone but for those who need it, it's hard to find. This would probably be the one you'd try after trying other shades with no luck; it really is exactly as described, peachy. Not many people have this hue as the primary undertone to their skin.

SNOW WHITE: No color added whatsoever; this is just pure white foundation. Excellent for mixing with your summer shade to create your winter color, or if you happen to be paler than the lightest shade we offer (our level 1 shades are super light though, so it's not too likely to be necessary!)

Don't be afraid to mix several shades, if straight out of the box they aren't quite right for you. To mix, you don't need to grind them or anything- just put in a jar or baggie and shake really well.

APPLICATION

Our foundations do not require any special application technique (i.e., “buffing”) or anything like that. You can apply them in many different ways. The brush application technique is perhaps the most recommended- using a large fluffy brush, like a kabuki brush, swirl this in the foundation and tap the excess off. Brush on gently. This is a great way to get sheer to medium coverage, just apply a few layers if you want medium coverage. If you want a bit more coverage, a sponge is a great way to get it… it naturally applies more foundation with less need to build up layers than a brush. Finally, for the highest level of coverage possible, the quickest method is the damp sponge. (You don't really want the sponge dripping wet- that'll make your foundation uneven usually, and rather sheer; squeeze it out and when it stops dripping then you're good to go.) You can also take your favorite facial moisturizer or facial sunblock lotion and mix it with our foundation to create a liquid foundation. However, our foundation actually isn't the most ideal one to mix with moisturizer, it is possible to do but it doesn't emulsify real well, a trade-off we made to make sure it wears as long as possible.

CONCEALER

We are working on a concealer formula to release in the next week or two. It is a loose powder concealer which can coordinate with In the Buff or Striptease quite well... it is a very stripped-down formula, which is similar to In the Buff ingredients-wise but with more coverage. To use concealer with our foundations, we would recommend a loose powder one ideally. First apply your foundation, then use a concealer brush (or even your pinky finger) to dot it on where you need more coverage. Some might find that you don't actually need a separate concealer at all- using the foundation itself in this manner works perfectly for me, in fact. It is possible to use your favorite liquid concealer... you would simply need to apply it first, then put foundation over it. This is not my favorite method of applying concealer, because you can end up over-using it. It's better to do foundation first because then you can see where you need the concealer more accurately and you don't over apply, but it's difficult to put liquid concealer over a loose powder foundation.

We do have SPF in our all our foundations; unfortunately, we cannot say exactly how much, because testing is expensive- the FDA classifies anything that claims a specific SPF as an over-the-counter drug. So, since the main ingredients in our foundation are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, we can say for sure that our foundation has broad spectrum SPF, but not exactly how much. (I would also add that whether you prefer sheer or full coverage also affects the SPF.) As a bonus, we add a special type of SPF-boosting sheer ultra-low-micron zinc oxide in addition to the higher micron variety that creates opacity, in all our foundation formulas and our highlighters as well.

We do not use bismuth oxychloride in any of our formulas. It is a mineral that many, many people are sensitive to- it creates reactions ranging from cystic acne to itching and burning. Most of the larger, well-known mineral makeup companies use it. It is unsurpassed in making people believe that their foundation is “finely milled”*, because it has excellent slip and feels lovely between the fingers and while applying to the face. Please do be aware that our mineral makeup is at least as “finely milled” as any with bismuth oxychloride. We add a few other ingredients to create slip and help adhesion instead, like boron nitride in Striptease, and silica in both Striptease and In The Buff. Boron nitride is much less likely to cause bad reactions, and silica is even less likely to create reactions. Bismuth oxychloride also creates a “glowy” look to foundation, but is likely to settle into fine lines and pores, and it doesn't last very well on oily skin either, it is more prone to breaking down mid-day. It also needs a setting powder to mattify it. Our foundations do not require anything to set them. We do have one foundation that has a bit of glow to it (though not as much as bismuth oxychloride creates)- Striptease. It has a gorgeous soft-focus demi-matte sheen, it looks extremely natural and not shimmery at all. If you prefer matte, In The Buff is the fully matte formula. Striptease will appear matte in sheer-to-medium applications- it takes medium/full to full coverage application to show much sheen to it. If you want to see a fully matte version of Striptease, please email us; if enough people want it, we'll add it.

Our Striptease foundation works wonderfully on both dry and oily skin. On oily skin, it wears phenomenally well- it lasts all day without breaking down, at absolute most you might need to blot mid-day, but the foundation itself will not shed off your face. On dry skin, it helps keep moisture in, thanks to the silicone coated sericite mica.

Our foundation works extremely well under harsh conditions, like moist heat, or exercise. It doesn't melt off like some formulas, it wears extraordinarily well. If you blot very gently (or better yet just let your face dry by itself) your foundation should stay intact. Personally, I swim, and Striptease stays on through that as well. We don't guarantee that it will, of course, but in my experience, it stayed on if I didn't scrub at my face afterwards.

The basic version of Striptease is demi-matte- its subtle sheen shows most when you apply it as full coverage; sheerer applications don't tend to show the very subtle pearly glow it has. This is the most natural look, in my opinion- it doesn't have too much sheen, just a hint. For a more shimmery/glowy look, we offer various highlighters which can be applied over the top of a foundation, or even mixed into it.

Our In The Buff foundation is a great choice if you are sensitive to Boron Nitride, or silicone. It is the most stripped-down, essential-elements-only formula possible. It is matte, and will go from sheer to full coverage depending on application method. We do prefer to recommend Striptease over In the Buff if you have no particular sensitivity to any ingredients in Striptease. In the Buff has SPF- again, we have no way of knowing how much, but it does have the same low-micron zinc SPF booster added. In The Buff is also a good choice if you prefer a fully matte foundation, though again, if you want to see a matte version of Striptease, let us know!

Striptease Contains: Titanium Dioxide (77891), Zinc Oxide, Mica (77019), Boron Nitride, Silicon Dioxide, Polymethylhydrogen Siloxane, Iron Oxides (77499, 77491).

In the Buff Contains: Titanium Dioxide (77891), Zinc Oxide, Mica

(77019), Silicon Dioxide, Iron Oxides (77499, 77491).

*Finely milled is a term you hear sometimes, when people are referring to that lovely silky slippery feeling some loose mineral foundations have betwixt the fingers. It is actually a complete myth that that feeling is an indication how finely ground or milled the base ingredients are, or how small the particle size is. Any decent mineral foundation made with cosmetic grade base ingredients will be as finely milled as any other... in fact, if the base ingredients like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide that create opacity are too low in micron size (i.e., ground or milled down to too small of a particle size), the foundation would have no coverage whatsoever. The lowest micron zinc we have as a base ingredient (the most "finely milled") feels icky to the touch actually- sticky and strange, and indeed, it applies completely translucent because the particles are so small... it's sole purpose is to boost SPF, actually. That silky "finely milled" feeling is actually created by other things, usually bismuth oxychloride in the big name mineral foundations, but also by boron nitride, silica, etc.