I swear that there is a foundation shade on the market for ever single person’s skin complexion across the entire globe, except mine. I’m not over-exaggerating. After years of unsuccessfully trying to find something that matched my medium to golden skin tone, I recently walked into a poplar beauty store and asked for help locating the perfect foundation shade. The makeup artist raced back and forth from the makeup aisles to my face saying “too pink,” “too gold,” “too light,” and “too dark.” Two and half hours later, the sun went down, and after trying on shades from ever single brand in the store, she victoriously held up my perfect match. I admired myself in the mirror and agreed that it looked great, so I went home and applied the foundation across my problem areas on the night of a special occasion. Following the event, pictures were posted online for all the world to see; and, what they saw was my face clearly looking paler in the areas where I applied the foundation, and completely unnatural. Wearing the wrong foundation shade is something that almost very women encounters during their quest for a flawless complexion. Here are some valuable lessons I’ve learned to prevent you from making the same mistake I did:

1. When applying foundation, blend, blend, and then blend some more. This is especially important if you are like me, and don’t own foundation that looks like your skin in a bottle. Use a wide brush to buff foundation over your face in circular motions, starting from the center, moving outwards, and then finally, down to your neck for a natural, even-toned finish.

2. When selecting a new foundation, apply and test the color out in the day time. Ask for a mirror so you can step outside and see the color in natural light. When the makeup artist applied the foundation on me in the store, the lightning was so dim it camouflaged the imperfect color match.

3. Always request a sample so that you can try the shade out for a few days, not only to make sure it really matches, but also to test its staying power.

4. Ask a second pair of eyes for their opinion, preferably eyes that are not vested in the commission they will receive from selling you the product. My mismatched face still resides in cyberspace as a restless reminder to ask people if my foundation is visible.

My final, most important tip is to keep your receipt so that you can return any foundation that is less that a perfect match. What is the worst makeup crime you ever committed?