Pale / Fair Skin - What Are Your Fave Products?

[leiapeia]

I seem to do better just scrapping the foundation and going for extra moisturizer (I have really dry skin). Dry fair skin is not pretty!
I am super pale but with peachy undertones, so coraly-pinks and coral-reds work best. For everyday I use Nars cream blush in Cactus Flower (super scary in the compact but beautiful on) and either Kiehl's gloss in Downtown Peach or Chanel Glossimer in Sirop. If I need more color on my lips, I just dab a little of the Cactus Flower in the middle of my lips over the gloss I'm wearing!

 

[kissablekae]

Coco and Ashely Olsen look great but it seems like the foundation may have been slightly too dark or peachy for Stam. i swear she is paler than that normally unless she got darker or is wearing bronzer all over her face and down her neck...

 

[kissablekae]

great if you have naturally light lips too

* MAC Cremesheen in Fashion Scoop - milky pale pink but not frosty
* MAC Dazzleglass in Baby Sparks - clear pale pink with violet Shimmer

 

[Belowen]

I've been using Chanel Irreelle blush in 'Tea Rose' and I think it's the perfect rosy flush for pale skin. It's a very pretty shade

 

[kissablekae]

i should listen to my instincts...but im optimistic.

soooo i let the MAC makeup artist match my powder color since he did an amazing job with my sister's Studio Fix. my sister is much darker than me and got a great match. he used the Light Medium MSF Natural on me which looked fine in indoor lighting. believe me i checked for demarcation and several times in various mirrors throughout the mall and with my sister's trusty eyes.
...but outside i was ORANGE

good thing it was only obvious when i was outside. they are sure heavy handed with makeup so i ended up wiping a lot of it off because i was not about to walk around the mall with so much makeup on. i got to the car and saw the little bit that was left and was like YUCK ORANGE! but alas i ended up washing my face in the bathroom with water.

before i left the MAC store i was still browsing and some girl was getting 'powdered' so i was trying to run away from the haze lol seriously thats how much makeup they use on people!

verdict? well im always so indecisive...
its like i kind of lost faith in MSF Natural just from that experience BUT i might go back and swatch the MSF Natural in Light with my True Match makeup. ive done the swatch tests to help me find my shade before and i feel thats the easiest way to get a decent color match. as a fair skinned girl the odds are against me because its much harder to find something that matches perfectly. i dont really trust makeup artists or store lighting. at least with swatches i can look at the colors side by side.

my sidenote : i cant speak for everyone but being from California, in my experiences with makeup artists in general they do better with matching medium toned-tan(like my sister) and darker girls. first off, we know as pale girls there isnt as much to choose from anyways. and makeup artists seem to love for people to look tan, they always seem to be pushing bronzers and if you look at their faces...they NEVER go with out lots of bronzer. its just their preference to look warm & tan but unfortunately it doesnt really fit in with my look. so from now on i wil rely on my own eyes by doing my swatch tests.

 

[kissablekae]

^The lightest color of MAC MSF was very yellow on me. In general, NW15 only works on me when it's a sheer formula, otherwise it's pale enough*, but not a good color match for my skin. NC15 just makes me look dirty. MAC doesn't seem to be consistent with color in all its foundation/powder formulas.

*Oh, but their new gel foundation was noticeably too dark in NW15.

heyy GasolineRainbow!

i was looking for this post to respond to because i agree. i dont think id try to purchase any of their NW15 products if its the opaque formula because i dont think its a perfect match. but im willing to check out the sheer stuff like MSF Natural in Light just because the 'lightness' of shade may work plus i wear it with a light hand unlike the makeup artists at counters.

oo while i was at the MAC store i looked at the Studio Sculpt Gel Foundation in NW15 and youre right, even in the tube it looks way darker than usual.

it was 100 degrees today where i am in California so i may not even bother with checking out the MSF Natural in Light or buy anymore new skin makeup because the hotter it gets the less makeup i wear. i dont wanna buy something new and not even use it because the lazyness of summer days. B)

 

[Belowen]

I'm thinking MAC might be a bit of a no-go-zone for us pale skinned ladies

 

[kissablekae]

^ lol i know huh?

they really only have one shade i consider pale which is NW15/NC15 and if that doesnt match you then youve got nothing else to choose from

also some people says some of their stuff oxidizes a girl on youtube said that so she uses a shade lighter...i think thats too much work.

i cant speak for the entire ranges in colors because so far i like my shades in L'Oreal but i see some other colors that look straight up orange in the bottle. and im like who would that match other than someone who fakebakes but i guess youve got to cater to everyone

when i was way lighter than NW15 and closer to paper white i used a CoverGirl Fresh Complexion concealer but i never see that color in stores anymore they only seem to have three of the darker ones.

 

[Guessgirl96]

I'm thinking MAC might be a bit of a no-go-zone for us pale skinned ladies

I've tried studiofix in n3, it's pale but too pink for me. I've also used studiotech in nc15, it's pale but not super pale. It was close enough but darkened my skin slightly. Their color numbering system makes no sense. A particular number will look different in every type of foundation and their warm is pink, cool is yellow when it's really the opposite.

 

[Mindbear]

Palest foundation I've found has to be Face Fabric by Giorgio Armani in the lightest shade. It's stunning!

 

[irulan]

I agree with you guys about MAC foundations. I have stoped using NC15 Studio Fix now, because it turns into such a horrible yellowish colour on the skin, I always looked a bit sick.
I have bought the Diorskin Nude foundation in 10 a while ago after I saw it on Coco and I have to say, I think it works.
I'm still suspicious though, because I have never had a foundation that is not too dark. I keep asking random people 'Is my make up too dark? Can you see it? Does it blend?' because I can't believe it. Sit in front of the mirror at brightest daylight and check.

 

[kissablekae]

^ thats why i hate shopping for face makeup.

yeah i use natural white daylight bulbs in my room so i can see if my concealer matches well. both of my sisters' rooms have horrible lighting, i couldnt even see any of my lavendar eyeshadow! then when i was outside again i was like oh wow its still very much there.

 

[GasolineRainbow]

Coco Rocha's skin is super pale and translucent, so if that really was Dior 010 used on her (sometimes mu artists say it for promotional reasons), I highly doubt it's too dark.

It's not that I don't find colors light enough for my skin. That used to be the problem, but now many niche brands make light shades. It's a matter of finding the right color match, because the wrong color can look just as bad as if it's too dark.

Actually, some makeup artists think the color match is more important than the lightness/darkness. Because many formulas are so sheer now, that they adapt to your skin. And for some occasions (i.e. tv appearances) it's actually recommended to use a slightly darker foundation, so your skin doesn't appear an unnatural color. It's similar to wearing a white shirt. If you wear a white bra underneath it shows, but a darker, nude-colored bra will be invisible.

 

[Mindbear]

I have bought dior in 010 and although pale, it comes up quite dark on me and I shall have to leave using it until I perhaps get a bit of color.

Fat chance!

 

[kissablekae]

^ GasolineRainbow, i know i lot of girls who photograph nicely but their makeup looks 'off' in person like darker or super bronzed to make up for the flash. but they dont care as long as they are photogenic

i dont like full coverage makeup. some people like the 'perfect' look but it totally creeps me out i like to see a lil flaw here and there.

full coverage can look bad in certain lightings especially dark rooms with one light source or daylight you can see the powdery texture.

like i was saying about MAC counter makeup artists being heavy handed. he was like if you wear it all over then you can look ghostly...i was like yeah but there is such a thing as applying it with a light hand but that technique is lost on him. is it a requirement for counters to glob on the makeup? its not like i cant see if he applied less than a gallon

 

[lucy92]

folks posting in the mac thread here rave abut the MSFs. they look pretty, but theyd probably make my face look dirty.

does anyone else have any good experiences with them?

 

[Guessgirl96]

folks posting in the mac thread here rave abut the MSFs. they look pretty, but theyd probably make my face look dirty.

does anyone else have any good experiences with them?

I have the MSF in the blonde degrade and so ceylon. The blonde degrade has a pink thats like a shimmer blush and a very pale pink that can be used like a highlighter on the cheekbones. Great colors for pale skin but one of the more shimmery MSFs. So Ceylon looks like it would make your face look dirty but it doesnt on me even though I have that problem with a lot of products. It's a shimmery bronze but doesnt actually make you look tan, more like a warm glow. I use the 187 brush which applies lighter than the average brush on my cheeks and little on my forhead.

 

[jjbunny79]

folks posting in the mac thread here rave abut the MSFs. they look pretty, but theyd probably make my face look dirty.

does anyone else have any good experiences with them?

Perfect Topping from Sugarsweet is nice too. MAC still have it on their US website, and probably on a lot of other place. It offers a soft peachy-glow finish which can works like a bronzer for pale skin, and with like hand it won't look dirty or greasy.
Or you can wait for the Colour Craft Collection in July, which feature Porcelain Pink MSF, a "Soft pinky coral wth gold veining (from Specktra)" which should look good on pale skin.

 

[GasolineRainbow]

GasolineRainbow, i know i lot of girls who photograph nicely but their makeup looks 'off' in person like darker or super bronzed to make up for the flash. but they dont care as long as they are photogenic

Ooh, I know what you're talking about, but that's not what I meant. I'm talking about a very subtle darker color in the same tone. (Actually, I think a lot of fair-skinned ladies choose the wrong color by going for the lightest shade available, even if it's not at all close to their skintone). It won't be that obvious in real life or film, but I think a good mu artist would have to help someone choose the right color.

I'm envious that MSF's work on others, they look terrible on me. Pale skin picks up texture and color very easily, even with a featherlight application. The color of most MSF's is subtle, but the shimmer shows up way strong on my skin. And I'm not even someone who's afraid of shimmer, but this product is too much.

 

[jjbunny79]

^ Oh yea, the MAC Mineral Stuff can look GREASY on pale skin if you apply it a bit too heavy handed.