It’s May and, as expected, Mother’s Day gift inquiries have come pouring in.  Well, every woman, mom or not, wants perfect skin so why not take her shopping to find her True Match at the nearest Watson’s?

Every woman deserves the perfect foundation for her skin tone, one that blends seamlessly into her jaw line.  Honestly, the wrong match in foundation will ruin the entire look.

L’Oreal True Match Foundation launched 15 shades suitable for the wide range of Filipino skin at P899.

The shades are grouped by undertones (cool, neutral warm) depending on the vein color on your wrist. If it’s green, you are a warm (W), which most Asians are who look better with gold jewelry. Mostly blue or purple veins make you a cool (C) who look good in platinum/silver jewelry. A mix of both green and blue veins?  You are a neutral (N) like me who looks best in black, white and gray clothes and can wear both silver and gold jewelry.

Most of the guests were under the W range with only a handful belonging to N and C. My tip: If you find yourself a match for two shades and have oily skin, pick the slightly lighter or cooler shade as oil tends to make foundation oxidize. Dry skin?  Pick the slightly warmer or darker shade as the lighter variant will look pasty on dry skin.

For example, I can wear W3 if my N2 is unavailable as it blends in as well, but I have to reapply powder within the day as my face will look muddy within an hour. N2 gives me that freshly showered look.

True Match Foundations are exclusively available at SM Watson’s. The downside is the foundations only come with SPF 17 so you need extra care if you intend to go outdoors.

Tweak your skin’s undertone

Maybe your tan is fading or you have that sallow undertone that makes you look sickly, or you might have blotchy skin and prominent veins on your face. Well, you may not need full-on

foundation as a Color Corrector (CC cream) will do the job just as well. Not only do these creams instantly give you more radiant skin. They also contain botanicals that work to even out your skin tone long-term, so eventually your skin will come close to matching tones with or without the CC.

CC creams are best for oilier skin as they are non-greasy but settle into fine lines if you are dry. Bobbi Brown CC SPF35 PA+++ in Pale Nude has a faint pink tint that gives your skin that glow. Shu Uemura UV underbase SPF 25PA+++ in beige has a light-yellow tint that tones down redness and gives you that refreshed skin appearance. These may be used under your foundation or alone.

Those with normal to dry skin can check out Revlon Absolute radiance CC Cream SPF 30 PA++ in three shades (P795 each). I love that it has whitening/brightening properties, hydrates without the oily feel, and reduces the appearance of pores and fine lines. It also promises lighter skin in seven days when applied daily. Of course, you have to do your part by staying away from the harsh sunlight and limiting your exposure to the outdoors. Frolicking in the beach or outdoors will negate the whitening benefits.  There is a two-way powder foundation to pair it with but it only has SPF 18.

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