If you’ve ever walked the aisles of Sephora and seen white foundation, you might be wondering, who could wear that? Sure there will usually always be someone who matches to each shade, but this ultra-light foundation actually serves another purpose. If you’re a makeup artist, you’ve probably been relying on it for years. In a recent Instagram video, Alexis Androulakis, one half of the popular “Lipstick Lesbians” duo, explains how to use white foundation. And as it turns out, it’s a great hack to enhance your makeup routine this winter.
How White Foundation Can Be a Helpful Tool
“This is actually something that people sleep on. As you go into the dead of winter, welcome to snow,” says Androulakis as she swatches Haus Labs Triclone Foundation in shade 000 [pictured below] on her hand. Androulakis started as a retail makeup artist, worked for 20 years in product development and now focuses on beauty education via social media. “If you are someone who’s obsessed with matching your foundation perfectly all year long, it’s amazing to have something like Fair Neutral in your palette. It’s definitely an artistry vibe.” Haus Labs’ lightest shade, 000 Fair Neutral, is described as “ultra fair with white undertones,” and many other brands carry their own versions of white foundation as well.
“I’m wearing shade 210 right now [of Haus Labs], but the problem with 210 is that in a month, it’s going to be way too dark for me,” Androulakis says, mixing two pumps of shade 000 into 210 to lighten it. “There’s my snow white. She’s like a little fairy godmother. You can lighten your shade using 000 and find yourself with the perfect tonality as your skin is transitioning to a new season. As the seasons change, so do our shades, making it hard sometimes because we obviously don’t want to buy a million different complexion products to match every little change our skin goes through.”
Androulakis says shades like this are highly valuable “It’s there for you if you feel confident, especially for makeup artists who don’t want to carry every shade and want to custom-blend on set. It’s a really great tool to have. It maximizes the ability to manipulate foundation shades.” You can also apply this hack to concealer and body makeup as well.
What to Keep in Mind If You Have a Deeper Skin Tone
“For my melanated queens, it’s essential to be aware that the darker your base, the more pronounced the lightening or ‘white cast’ effect will be. This is something to keep in mind as you mix and play.”
