Why You Need To Try Shade Adjusting Drops In Your Foundation

Whether you stay out of the sun like it’s your job—or worship it…with broad-spectrum SPF on, of course—your skin tone is bound to vary throughout the year. And, as your own skin lightens and darkens as the seasons change wouldn’t it be nice if your favorite foundation could do the same? Enter: The Body Shop’s Shade Adjusting Drops. Two bottles filled with either a lightening or a darkening formula that can instantly transform the shade of your foundation to match your current skin tone! Find out why we think you need to try these shade adjusting drops in your foundation this fall, below!

SAVE MONEY 

We can all agree that when you find the perfect foundation—you know the one: silky smooth feel, flawless coverage, and invisible to the naked eye—it’s pretty much like finding your soulmate. But then the seasons change, and suddenly our soulmate foundation is leaving your face a noticeably different color than the rest of our body. Instead of having to run out and purchase a new shade for every season, reach for these Shade Adjusting Drops. Purchasing lighter and darker foundation shades throughout the year can be pricey and wasteful— especially if you reserve your foundation application for special occasions. Use the Shade Adjusting drops to get you through the changing seasons by adding the darkening drop to your foundation in summer and the lightening drop to your foundation as your bronzed skin begins to fade in the fall and winter. By manipulating the color of your foundation with these enhancing drops, you can match your skin tone and its gradual changes throughout the year. 

While they are perfect for using during seasonal transitions, the Shade Adjusting Drops are also great for gals who can never seem to find the exact shade of foundation they are looking for. For those ladies, find a foundation formula you like that most closely resembles your own skin tone and then use the Shade Adjusting Drops to create your own unique custom shade. Here’s how: 

1. Apply foundation to the back of your hand or a mixing palette

2. Mix one drop of the lightening drop (if you want to lighten and neutralize yellowness in the foundation) or one drop of the darkening drop (if you want to darken the foundation)—don’t forget to shake the drops up first!

3. Test out the color on a small patch of your complexion to ensure that it matches (we recommend your jawline). Add more drops to the foundation, if needed. 

4. Once you get the perfect shade, apply the upgraded foundation to your complexion and blend using a blending sponge, like this one from NYX Professional Makeup. With foundation you’ll want to extend down your neck and blend into your collarbone. Our necks tend to be a little bit lighter in tone than the rest of our skin, so forgetting to blend down can leave you with a noticeable line of demarcation.

BECAUSE, CONTOUR 

Get creative and use the Shade Adjusting Drops to create a contouring effect. Go down a shade with the lightening drop to create a highlighter that can conceal under the eyes and highlight your cheekbones, cupid’s bow, brow bones, T-zone, and the bridge of your nose. Then, go up a couple of shades to create a “bronzer” that can sculpt and define your jawline, cheeks, nose, and hairline—as shown in the image, below.