5 Ways To Make Your Summer Shade Of Foundation Work Year Round

We all love having a tan.. glowing, dark skin that is even and sexy. But when it's the winter months or you haven't been to the sun bed in awhile, your foundation is going to get annoyingly too dark to use. Here are a few ways you can to utilize that sun kissed foundation you love..

1. Mixing Foundations

The first obvious solution: Mixing foundations (if you have them) when you don't want to spend money on a whole new shade. I like to keep a less expensive lighter shade around for when this happens..

2. Adding An Illuminator

Depending on the type of finish you want, you could mix a liquid illuminator in with your foundation. If you like a dewy, glowing finish this is the way to go. You get that highlight you love and the light pigment of the illuminator dilutes the darker foundation.

If you have never tried a liquid illuminator, these are my favorites: MAC Strobe Cream, Smashbox Illuminating Serum, Benefit High Beam. For a more affordable option try NYX Born to Glow for £7.00 from Boots.

Note: Decide what works best for you. Some are neutral pigments (white) and others look pink or warm. Pink tones work best on lighter skin, gold tones for darker.

3. Mixing with MAC *White* Face & Body Foundation

If you're like me and your skin tone feels like it changes constantly, having MAC's White Face and Body foundation will be a big help. Face and Body is a water-based liquid foundation that has a light consistency. The white is great for mixing with your current foundation to lighted it up. You won't need a lot of it so it will last you.

Or you could even keep one of the lightest shades at hand when you need to mix- N shades if you have pink undertones or C shades if you're more yellow. Note: you can get them in two sizes- 50ml and 120ml

4. Mixing Your foundation With A Moisturizer

Ok so you might not have more then one foundation laying around.. and you might not have an illuminator, but you probably (and should!) have a moisturizer. It won't have the pigment that an illuminator has, but it will dilute the foundation for a lighter coverage and hopefully then blend better into your skin tone.

5. Contouring with Concealer

Usually any concealer you have will be a bit lighter than your foundation. If you do have a concealer that is light, you can add moisturizer to thin it out. Then mix it with your foundation. OR you could just contour! Use your foundation more around the areas you would usually use a bronzer- under cheek bones, around the edge of your hair line, on your neck, nose and jaw line. Then use the concealer to highlight. Then: Blend, Blend BLEND!