Hello! I know I haven't been updating at all for the longest time - I must apologise. I'm in the midst of my thesis year in architecture school and it really isn't the easiest of years. I know people who are much more free doing their masters/thesis but unfortunately, I'm just not one of them. I also tend to get stressed out (and hence get anxious or panic) really easily and I did not want to spread my ability to commit thin.
That being said, I have not stopped this (to put it mildly) makeup love (addiction shhhh) of mine. I have been continuing the quest of looking for the greatest products known to all mankind! I kid. I have been on the hunt for a new foundation recently and this is where my rant comes in.
A brief introduction on my skin tone - I am Chinese. I however have the type of skin tone that would pass off more as a South East Asian person, rather than that of a South Asia person. More Thai, Malay than Korean or Japanese. So yes, to clarify things, I am darker than the average Chinese person (in Singapore) but not as dark as the average SEA person. See my problem in finding shades?
So finally, after my many years of finding foundations, I have come to realize that I tend to get foundations that are too light for my face. And just when I was thinking I was getting the hang of finding the proper darker foundation shades for me - WHAM. THE STUBBORN SALES ASSISTANT STRIKES. I blame my trusting nature.
The Stubborn Sales Assistant, hereupon to be known as the SSA, is the bane of my life. For some funny reason or other, they take one look at me and classify me as Chinese. Therefore, my skin colour should fall within the fair and light range, the darkest being somewhere around nc 25.
Experience #1: Shu Uemura. I was looking to buy the old Shu Uemura Illuminating Moisture foundation I had, but it was discontinued and replaced by the new Lightbulb foundation. She matched me to 764 - medium light beige. A quick google shows me that pretty much 90% of the Singaporean bloggers had been matched to this shade - all of them fair chinese. On the face, it was clearly dissimilar to my skin so I insisted on a darker shade the 754 medium beige which I had initially chosen for myself. Perfect match. I was secretly congratulating myself until she told me that 764 was a better shade and mostly Malay customers got the shade that I had chosen. Say What?! That is not only stereotypical but potentially racist! Regardless, I got myself the 754 but it turned out I didn't really like the foundation due to it's massive transferring nature.
Experience #2: Sephora. Looking for a foundation with more of a matte finish, I settled on the Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation. I was swatching the shades at the counter, trying to decide between Light Medium Honey and Medium Sand. Cue approach the SSA for help, cue being stereotyped and recommended the lighter shade. At least this time it wasn't too bad as I trapped her with the choice of only 2 shades. Not that she bothered to recommend more. Back in normal lighting of my home, I realise that it's just slightly too light on my forehead, but consoled myself that the darker shade would've been too dark.
Experience #3: Sephora. Got it into my silly head I wanted a mineral powder foundation which got me looking at bareminerals. Had to squat down rather undignifiedly to swatch the foundations as they were set very low, and was looking at the medium shades and golden shades but the golden shades were rather too yellow when swatched. Being rather baffled by the shades that look dark as a powder but swatched very light, I asked the SSA for help. Here, I gave the SSA free reign.
Woe is me, she tried on a foundation that looked pink based and chirpily said, this suits you and brightens your face! I requested to try on a yellow based foundation, the difference wasn't drastic, and the colour was still too light. I requested again for a darker foundation. She dithered, then said, I don't think the dark one would suit you as it will be too yellow. I did not insist, but I did ask her to try the foundations on as a heavier coverage rather than the light dusting she did, all the time making comments about the foundation being too light. She assured me time and again that the foundation would oxidize despite me telling her I have never in my life had problems with oxidation. Not even with my oily skin - my skin oil is special and doesn't cause oxidation. Since she was so assured, I took her word for it and bought the neutral foundation in the colour she recommended - fairly light.
Get this, I get home, checked the description of the foundation on the bareminerals website.
Fairly light: For porcelain to light skin with neutral undertones. Just in what universe am I with my nc30-35 skin porcelain or even light in complexion? That has to be a fairy princess world! The sad part is that I tried the foundation on for a normal day and found that it didn't even oxidize on me and now I can't return it because it has been used ):
So ladies, this is my $75 +$60 + $49 lesson to be able to tell you that YOU know best your foundation shade and your skin type. To not be too trusting (especially with the dodgy Sephora lighting) of the SSAs and to most importantly, always INSIST on trying the shade you think is best despite what the SSA says. They seem to have been trained to stereotype based on race, as well as seeing acne on skin as a sign of oily skin, so to the best of your ability, do not let them fit you into their stereotype.
Thus ends my wall(s) of text and my rant, will be back with good stuff AS A GRADUATE! :D
That being said, I have not stopped this (to put it mildly) makeup love (addiction shhhh) of mine. I have been continuing the quest of looking for the greatest products known to all mankind! I kid. I have been on the hunt for a new foundation recently and this is where my rant comes in.
____________________________
So finally, after my many years of finding foundations, I have come to realize that I tend to get foundations that are too light for my face. And just when I was thinking I was getting the hang of finding the proper darker foundation shades for me - WHAM. THE STUBBORN SALES ASSISTANT STRIKES. I blame my trusting nature.
The Stubborn Sales Assistant, hereupon to be known as the SSA, is the bane of my life. For some funny reason or other, they take one look at me and classify me as Chinese. Therefore, my skin colour should fall within the fair and light range, the darkest being somewhere around nc 25.
____________________________
Experience #1: Shu Uemura. I was looking to buy the old Shu Uemura Illuminating Moisture foundation I had, but it was discontinued and replaced by the new Lightbulb foundation. She matched me to 764 - medium light beige. A quick google shows me that pretty much 90% of the Singaporean bloggers had been matched to this shade - all of them fair chinese. On the face, it was clearly dissimilar to my skin so I insisted on a darker shade the 754 medium beige which I had initially chosen for myself. Perfect match. I was secretly congratulating myself until she told me that 764 was a better shade and mostly Malay customers got the shade that I had chosen. Say What?! That is not only stereotypical but potentially racist! Regardless, I got myself the 754 but it turned out I didn't really like the foundation due to it's massive transferring nature.
Experience #2: Sephora. Looking for a foundation with more of a matte finish, I settled on the Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation. I was swatching the shades at the counter, trying to decide between Light Medium Honey and Medium Sand. Cue approach the SSA for help, cue being stereotyped and recommended the lighter shade. At least this time it wasn't too bad as I trapped her with the choice of only 2 shades. Not that she bothered to recommend more. Back in normal lighting of my home, I realise that it's just slightly too light on my forehead, but consoled myself that the darker shade would've been too dark.
Experience #3: Sephora. Got it into my silly head I wanted a mineral powder foundation which got me looking at bareminerals. Had to squat down rather undignifiedly to swatch the foundations as they were set very low, and was looking at the medium shades and golden shades but the golden shades were rather too yellow when swatched. Being rather baffled by the shades that look dark as a powder but swatched very light, I asked the SSA for help. Here, I gave the SSA free reign.
Woe is me, she tried on a foundation that looked pink based and chirpily said, this suits you and brightens your face! I requested to try on a yellow based foundation, the difference wasn't drastic, and the colour was still too light. I requested again for a darker foundation. She dithered, then said, I don't think the dark one would suit you as it will be too yellow. I did not insist, but I did ask her to try the foundations on as a heavier coverage rather than the light dusting she did, all the time making comments about the foundation being too light. She assured me time and again that the foundation would oxidize despite me telling her I have never in my life had problems with oxidation. Not even with my oily skin - my skin oil is special and doesn't cause oxidation. Since she was so assured, I took her word for it and bought the neutral foundation in the colour she recommended - fairly light.
Get this, I get home, checked the description of the foundation on the bareminerals website.
Fairly light: For porcelain to light skin with neutral undertones. Just in what universe am I with my nc30-35 skin porcelain or even light in complexion? That has to be a fairy princess world! The sad part is that I tried the foundation on for a normal day and found that it didn't even oxidize on me and now I can't return it because it has been used ):
____________________________
So ladies, this is my $75 +$60 + $49 lesson to be able to tell you that YOU know best your foundation shade and your skin type. To not be too trusting (especially with the dodgy Sephora lighting) of the SSAs and to most importantly, always INSIST on trying the shade you think is best despite what the SSA says. They seem to have been trained to stereotype based on race, as well as seeing acne on skin as a sign of oily skin, so to the best of your ability, do not let them fit you into their stereotype.
Thus ends my wall(s) of text and my rant, will be back with good stuff AS A GRADUATE! :D
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