If you've followed my blog for a while you may now that I have pale skin and often struggle to find good foundation for it. I've done posts before showing Pale foundation swatches (here and here) and also Pale concealer swatches (here). I like to update these posts every so often with new foundations I have to swatch, and also comparing them to previously swatched foundations so you can see the difference.
The Palest:
The palest foundations swatched here are (palest first):
1. Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation in 115
2. Illamasqua Skin Base in 2.0
3. Cover FX Total Cover Cream Foundation in N10
4. Revlon Colourstay (New formulation) in 110 Ivory
The best match for my skin is the Revlon. Illamasqua's foundations run very pale (the shades pictured here are the third lightest in the range) and are actually a bit too light for me. If you are incredibly pale I suggest looking into their foundations. The Rich Liquid formulation is very thick and super high coverage, while the Skin base provides a more natural base. The Cover FX is also one of the palest I've come across. This has very high coverage and blends into the skin beautifully. The shades are catergorised into Netural (N), Golden (G) and Pink (P) undertones so you can get one better suited to your skin. I have N10, which is the second palest of the neutral range. It's slightly darker than the Illamasqua and is a very good fit for my skintone. If you are pale, Cover FX is another brand to look into.
On the cheaper side, it's worth looking at the Revlon colourstay it's half the price of the other foundations and the lightest shade is a great fit for pale people.
The Darkest:
The Darkest Foundations swatched here are (darkest first):
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Vanille Claire
2. MAC Mineralise Satinfinish in NC15
3. YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat in BR20
4. Revlon Colourstay in 110 Ivory (old formulation)
The darkest foundation is the Bourjois, this is far too dark for my skintone. I've often heard it being known as a pale shade, but for those really fair, it is simply too dark and is the lightest shade in the range. The MAC is also too dark. I've often heard the Mineralise foundations run slightly lighter than the other foundations (studio fix, studio tech etc) and this is the lightest warm tone shade they offer. This is much too dark for me, and makes me wary of trying other MAC foundations if this formulation runs paler.
The YSL is too dark but it is the second lightest shade in the pink undertone range (BR = pink, BD = yellow, B = neutral). I was colour matched to this by a MUA and think it's the wrong shade for my skin. I'm more netural-warm toned than pink toned (because I'm pale most assume I have pink undertones, I don't) so I think the B or BD range would fit me better. I also think I should have been matched to the lighter shade, so although this is darker than the paler foundations, I think the lightest shades would be a good match for pale skin.
The old formulation Revlon would fit well for pale skins, only being more pink toned and a bit darker than the new Revlon formulation.
One More Foundation
I have one final pale suggestion that isn't swatched here (I no longer have it in my possession) but the L'oreal Infallible in the palest shade (15 - Porcelain) is also very pale and is similar in colour to the Illamasqua Skinbase. I have it swatched here if you would like to check it out. If you are looking for cheaper foundations, I recommend this along with the Revlon. It's the cheapest of the whole lot pictured here at £12.29.
So that's it for my pale foundation swatches. I hope this has helped you if your fair skinned and looking for a new foundation. I'd love to hear any foundations you find good for pale skins, I've heard a lot about Nars Sheer Glow in Siberia in particular. If you have any questions about any of the foundations, feel free to ask in the comments.
