Why Does Makeup Change Color On Your Face?
June 19, 2010 by Christine Scaman
Because not all the pigments in the makeup can find a match in your own skin. Those that find a match just blend away into your face. Those that don’t sit on top, separate from the rest, looking like a color change happened. That’s why.
The discussion in the Comments to Skin Undertones is what led me to finally understand why this happens. For those who helped work through this, we won’t cover any new ground. This separate article is just to make sure nobody misses this point.
It’s fundamental to the essential reason and purpose of 12 Season Personal Color Analysis : to uncover the precise shades of every color that already exist in you. Only then can we repeat them exactly in clothes, hair, makeup. The result is perfect harmony. To the viewer, that looks and feels like “What have YOU got going on? How can I be finding it hard to look away when you’re just wearing a tank and shorts from Old Navy??”
We’ve all put on cosmetic colors that turned orange or bubblegum pink. Why?
I knew 2 things :
- When I got my color analysis makeup colors, the color change (everything used to turn orange) stopped happening – because I no longer bought makeup with orange in it.
- When you apply the right makeup color for the skin, it virtually disappears. It fuses with the face. Even with a heavy application, the makeup seems to diffuse away and mesh with the face – because those colors are already in the face.
When makeup changes color, my belief is that it’s because those pigments that can find no match in your natural pigmentation sit on top, separated or isolated from the rest of the product that blended in because it found a match. This effect gives the appearance of a color change.
What else could it be? I’m open to all suggestions.
Your own lip or skin color causing a bizarre combination color? Sheer gloss maybe. Not likely though, other than what I described above. The concentration of pigment in skin can’t compete with a cosmetic.
Skin pH? Medication? Possible. We’ve all heard this at the makeup counter. Color-change lipsticks have ingredients that change color based on body temperature and skin pH. Are those ingredients included in every lip/blush formulation? I doubt it, or all makeup would change color. That would be crazy.
Lighting. All makeup looks bluer in morning’s bluer wavelengths. In general, I think our brains adapt for that, just as they see white walls as white, though they’re usually influenced by light or furniture. I don’t look at people and think “That’s afternoon lipstick”.
Other variables, hair and clothes? Hm. Maybe. Every color on you will affect how a given color looks. So even if you have the hair color that will perfect your skin tone, it will never look as good in wrong-colored clothing or makeup. The answer must be to have your right hair color when you buy makeup, but I think our brains adapt for that too.
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Honestly, I think there more variable at work, other than just “the color isn’t already in your face.”
“Your own lip or skin color causing a bizarre combination color? Sheer gloss maybe. Not likely though, other than what I described above. The concentration of pigment in skin can’t compete with a cosmetic.”
If you have heavily pigmented lips, yes. Mine are red, like “just sucked on a popsicle red” — naturally. Unless the color is as vivid as my own lip color, regardless of shade, it turns red. My own color bleeds through, so to speak.
” Color-change lipsticks have ingredients that change color based on body temperature and skin pH. “
Powder foundation is notorious for changing color. Actually, it doesn’t really change color, it just gets darker. Think of what happens when you add oil to powder: it becomes more intense. I guess saying it changes color is misleading, but MAC especially is guilty of this. A lot of people say their foundations “turn orange.”
I noticed that sometimes cool-coloured lipsticks started to look warm on me and a warm-coloured lipgloss started to look cooler. Weird.
You theory very much makes sense to me. Thanks for the excellent explanation! I don’t have any added insights, except to wonder, perhaps, over the phenomenon of soft autumns and pink-toned lip colors. It seems that even neutral-appearing pink shades which match the swatch book can sometimes appear to sit too “pinkly” atop the lips. I don’t exactly know why, though.
Since wearing makeup that is my season, and since finding a mineral foundation that actually matches my skintone (now I know what my skintone is!), the ‘disappearing makeup trick’ has been a constant pleasure to me. I certainly broadly agree with your statement Christine, however, there seem to be definite exceptions:
Lighting: I put my makup on by either natural indirect light or by ‘daylight’ lamps. I am pleased with the effect. Then I wander into the bathroom and look ghastly. The walls are cornflower blue, and my skin is warm toned. The effect is… post mortem. So lighting definitely DOES make a difference.
There are also some brands which contain ingredients (Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation is a prime example) that react to camera flashes and fluorescent light. EL DW goes ghost pale. I am sure there are other brands and other types of makeup (lipstick, blusher, etc.) which change colour – lighter, darker, different pigments reacting to different light wavelengths.
Oil: As the resigned owner of a LOT of over-active sebaceous glands I can tell you that it definitely has an impact on the colour (and sheen) of makeup. Foundations and powders darken and their pigmentation intensifies. I have to allow for this, because by midmorning my mineral powder has darkened at least one shade and the colour, whether pink, yellow or orange-based has been enhanced.
What I CAN say for certain is that if the makeup I am wearing is one of my season’s colours, then any colour change is LESS OBVIOUS because it merges with my natural colouring.
J0
Wow, I totally had this a few years ago. I bought a beautiful berry lipstick (it was either Maybelline Water Shine Diamonds Raspberry Shimmer or Sequin Ruby) and on my lips, it turned orange! I was horrified and gave the lipstick to my mum. On her lips, it looked a perfect berry pink, just the color I had imagined it to be. That had never happened to me before and hasn’t happened again since. I think my mum is a summer of some sort, while I am not sure about myself, but I guess I’m in some neutral category. Still not sure though
Kathy, Jo, Nanina,
I agree that there it feels like there should be other variables at work here, and probably are. Powders getting darker, for instance, absolutely happens.
This point about ‘colors already in the face’ can just add to the conversation, in a meaningful way.
Perhaps one of those other factors is at the root of Adriane’s observation. When I look at a color, the first question I ask myself is “Is it clear?”. That’s not always cut and dried. There may be a bit of grayness or earthiness, but on skin, there’s not enough to make it Soft Autumn’s, so I usually give it to Light Spring. When you look at the entire Soft Autumn palette, there is an absolute feeling of dullness, for want of a better word. This is the lowest key colours come in. Not “earthy”, that’s Autumn. This is gentle and dull – trying to come up with a visual here, but not succeeding. Looking at 1 color at a time, it becomes more difficult to judge clarity. My guess, Adriane, is that the colors that come up pink may in fact be too clear. You may have the level of neutrality correct from a warm-cool perspective, but needs “duller” color. Pinkly is a rather lovely word, by the way.
I don’t mind, “duller” at all.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head–this is an epiphany and so useful. Thanks for explaining what happens when clear colors come into contact with a muted, grayish surface. They create quite the visual ripple.
And sadly, Adriane, it happens all the time. The makeup company wouldn’t commit to either clear or muted, so they made something that satisfies neither. Trying to keep everybody happy will never make you as many friends as taking a stand, as we both know, but consumers have trouble telling the difference, so they get away with it.
Hi Christine — A very informative article. May I tell you about my experience yesterday and today trying on different (deep vs. true) winter makeup colors?
Yesterday, I stopped by the mall and decided to try a blush and lipstick. The blush was the Lancome aplum. Looked alright, but nothing to write home about. Didn’t really show up on me, to be honest, even in daylight. I tried the EL plumberry lipstick, thinking it might work for a deep winter. Wow, it was a statement on me. Is it more deep or true? I had also tried Clinique brandy apple before and it looked quite orange on me, so I figured I would quit for the day.
Anyhow, undaunted, that night I copied my makeup colors carefully from your cool winter article on agreenertea so I could try them on at the mall the next afternoon. My first stop the next day, after applying a YSL powder foundation, was the Chanel counter. I thought I would start with the eyeshadow quad in mystic. My first thought, looking at the quad was that the colors were lovely but had quite a bit of shimmer. I don’t mind some shimmer, but in every color but the deepest? I let the MUA place the shades on me, and we used the deepest shade as a liner. Hmmm …. looking in the mirror, too soon to tell. Maybe it could work? And who can really tell in those ghastly mall lights? I mean, REALLY, someone should do something about that. My guess is the money spent on appropriate lighting would be more than compensated by the fewer returns being done at the counters, but I digress.
So, next was blush. Should I try the NARS sin or the MAC colors, coygirl or pink swoon? I glanced at the NARS sin. “Wow, what was Christine thinking? How could she possibly think that dull grey-ish purple color would look great on anyone?” So, I quickly made a bee-line for the MAC counter. “Ooh, pink swoon is pretty, though bright. Where is coygirl?” I looked at coygirl. Again, it seemed very dull to me.
Now, for lipstick. Rebel swatched bright on my hand – maybe a good evening color? Plumful was pretty, but I wasn’t in the mood for that shade of pink, so onto sophisto. I had worn it before with half-red liner, and thought it looked nice. I swatched it on my hand. Wow, it barely showed up – just a wash of pink/plum shimmer. I decided to go with pink swoon, sophisto, and half red liner.
I prefer to put on my makeup myself, but I went ahead and let the MAC MUA put on the blush. Well, she put on a LOT of pink swoon. I looked in the mirror. My skin looked pale against the obvious pink, but oh well, maybe it was the mall lights? She suggested I try blushbaby, something softer, but I was determined to stick with true winter colors so I could see how they all worked together with my skin. We proceeded with the lipstick – which she let me put on myself – and I peeked in the mirror again. Wow – what a difference. My face looked ALMOST put together. The blush still seemed bright. I thanked the young lady and began walking out of the store. But then, I had to to pass the NARS counter on my way out and I thought, “I wonder …” So, I stripped off the MAC blush with a tissue, and had the gal at the counter place a bit of sin on my cheeks. When I looked in the mirror, I could not believe it! The blush did not look grey or purple on me at all! It actually pulled … pinky-peach-plum? Really, I don’t know what color it was pulling, it just looked like blush. Very natural. I checked again. Nope, not grey-purple at all. But I knew the real test would be natural light. So I again thanked the girl and hurried out to my car.
I looked in the rear view mirror. In daylight, my eyes didn’t look pale or tired at all to me. In fact, the shimmer picked up the amber lights present in my own brown eyes with a touch of hazel. The blush looked very, very natural – perhaps a bit too much so, as the MUA used a light hand – but it was still noticeable. The lipstick was very comfortable, not distracting at all. Was it too natural, too muted? I used the camera on my phone to take pics. (I know, not ideal, but at least the light was natural light). I compared those pics to others I had taken with other color palettes. And you know what I saw in the true winter makeup? Me. Not me with a lot of makeup, or a certain color on, but just me. It looked like the black/white photo I use on facebook, but in color. My features seemed appropriately defined, with nothing being overdone or one feature drawing attention at the expense of another. So interesting. I always figured true winters would look quite dramatic in their makeup, so I was looking for striking, as in looking like me but DIFFERENT (like Catherine Zeta Jones, LOL?) But what I could see in my phone pics was a sense of the familiarity that comes from looking in the mirror everyday. And when we are in our best colors, we aren’t trying to look different or like someone else. We are trying to let ourselves shine through.
Another thing that struck me was the importance of lighting. In the mall lights, the true colors made me look quite pale and washed out. In daylight, they looked natural. In my bathroom, the colors looked on the orange side.
I hope in the next three months while traveling to get draped either in Texas or California. It will be interesting to see the results of the PCA. I know that is THE ONLY WAY to know for sure, but the makeup swatching has been fun. Based on looking at pics of myself, as well as which winter colors seemed to ‘work’ for me and which ones didn’t, I would guess I am a true winter who leans a bit toward the deep winter spectrum, but not enough to wear the deep winter makeup colors and be at her best. I do not wear fuschias well, hence, my experience with pink swoon. But I do have lots of plums and purples in my present palette, and if it is correct, then that would explain why the NARS sin seemed so natural.
I realize I could be wrong. I realize how hard it to be objective about oneself. The adventure continues.
Jo: The foundations you are talking about most likely contain sunscreen. Handy if you’re walking around and trying to bounce harmful rays off yourself, but useless if you’re going to an event where you’re going to be photographed with flash.
Also, I remember when I used to dye my hair a cool burgundy, I would look great with cool, clear purple/pinks. As soon as it started fading, the blue would come out first and the red would mix with my slightly yellow hair and turn kindof orange.. I would suddenly look a little terrible, and that lipstick would certainly no longer match.
Great said, Christine. I think you are totally right.
I had trouble for YEARS with makeup changing on me, and especially my foundation. Now I have no problems at all. As long as I stay with my Spring colors, the only thing that might happen is a slight fading after many hours.
I tried all kinds of formulas, since I found lots of info about this on the Internet. But nothing helped until I got my colors right.
Hi Christine, I had a PCA last week (based on another system though!) and was found out to be light, tending a bit to the warm side and rather clear. From what I understand that is a light spring, right? But what I wanted to say: My hair color changes with my clothes. I have both ash blonde and golden blonde in my natural hair color, and cool color bring out the ash, while warm color accentuate the golden. Maybe that is common knowledge, but I was surprised ^^ My lip color does that, too. It is rosé in cool colors and peach in warm colors. My color analyst said I could wear both warm and cool colors… The warm colors are slightly better though
Oh, just wanted to add: Basing my PCA on another system was because the one you do is not available where I live