Why Makeup Turns Grey?

Every girl loves wearing makeup, but makeup is such an art that only a few people know how to apply it the correct way. There are several tips and tricks involved which differentiates a professional makeup artist from a non-professional person. Professional makeup artists know all the tricks that can help you hide stubborn dark circles and make your makeup last for hours. Makeup comes with a lot of hustles as well. One such hustle that comes along with makeup is oxidation. Oxidation of makeup means the makeup product changes its color after a few hours of application. This is a common phenomenon and can happen with both high-end and drugstore makeup products. No matter how much dollars you spend on makeup products, it is still hard to eliminate oxidation.

Makeup turns grey due to oxidation or results from our own wrong choices. The main makeup product that turns grey is your foundation. A wrong shade of foundation can not only waste your money but can also make you look awful. Some people do not love their skin tones and try to make their skin look lighter than their original shade. This lighter skin complex can ruin your look. A foundation shade that is 2-3 tones lighter than your skin tone can make your face look grey.

Is makeup turning grey common?

We took a survey on Instagram and 200 of you ladies voted. The results are below:

From our survey 65% of women said their makeup turns grey. Of those 65% (130 total) 57% of those women are between the ages of 31 – 45 which was 74 women, 22% were between the ages of 25 – 30 which was 28 women, 20% were between the ages of 18 – 25 which was 26 women and 1% were 50+ was 2 women.

The results above show us the people are suffering from makeup turning grey.

To prevent your makeup from turning grey, you can use several techniques. Mix a few drops of darker foundation to achieve your best-suited foundation. Use a darker concealer to conceal dark spots before applying foundation. Color correctors can do wonders and can instantly prevent your foundation from turning grey. Translucent and banana baking powders can be used to prevent your foundation from oxidizing.

Why does foundation turn grey?

Makeup, mainly complexion products like foundation, starts oxidizing after a few hours of application. This is common for both drugstore and high-end products. Hardly, there exists any foundation or concealer that does not oxidize. When foundation or concealer oxidizes, there is a chance that it will make your face look grey because of the change in the color.

Another common reason for makeup turning grey is using the wrong shade of foundation. If you use a shade that is two to three tones lighter than your skin tone, there is a high probability that your makeup will look grey. Using a lighter shade of foundation on your skin makes your skin look unnatural and ashy. The phenomenon is more like mixing up white and black paints that turns grey in the end.

Why does my concealer turn grey?

We usually use basic concealers to cover up our under-eye areas or other darker areas. Basic concealer that is lighter than your skin tone can conceal darker areas but can not neutralize pigmentation. In the result, your concealer looks grey when it oxidizes. Concealers and color correctors are two different products which are used in coordination to prevent the makeup from turning grey.

How to prevent makeup from turning grey?

Finding makeup products, especially foundation and concealers, is a tiring task. You do not know which products will suit your skin and which not. One wrong choice and your whole look can be ruined in a few hours. You can follow these few tips and tricks that can help you to prevent your makeup from turning grey.

How to choose a foundation shade that is the same as your skin color?

One of the significant causes of turning grey in makeup is choosing the wrong shade of complexion products. Choosing the right shade of foundation and other complexion products is the critical element in the art of makeup. We see people with comparatively deeper skin tones like to wear makeup that can help their skin look lighter. This is a common practice in most Asian countries.

If making your skin look lighter is not the concern, then we see that many people do not know how they should pick their perfect shade of foundation. While testing the foundation, we use our wrist or back of our hands to choose the ideal shade of foundation. This practice is entirely wrong. To pick your matching shade or foundation, you must test the foundation on your neck or cheeks. The skin tone of your hands and face is never the same.

Another thing to keep in mind while finding your perfect shade of foundation is their “oxidizing factor.” The majority of the drugstore and high-end foundations tend to oxidize after a few hours of application. The best way to find if a particular foundation oxide or not is to do some research. You can watch YouTube reviews or ask from professionals. If the foundation oxidizes, then it is better to buy one shade lighter than your skin color. This will prevent your makeup from turning grey even after several hours of application.

Mix drops of a darker or lighter foundation

Even after taking many precautions while buying foundation, sometimes we still end up buying the wrong shade of foundation. A wrong shade of foundation means your foundation would not look good after oxidation or will make your face look dull and grey.

Usually, your face looks grey when you use a foundation that is three to four shades lighter than your skin tone. The best way to utilize your wrong shade of foundation is to mix it with another foundation. If your foundation is way too light, then mixing one or two drops of darker foundation can make it according to your skin tone. If your foundation is a bit darker than your skin tone, then you can add a few drops of lighter foundation to make it match your skin tone. For lightening the foundation, you can add any white-colored lotion or cream as well.

Use a darker concealer

Sometimes, you use the right shade of foundation but still get grey-looking skin, especially around the mouth and under the eyes. One of many reasons for getting grey skin under the eyes and around the mount is that you might be using a lighter shade of concealer.

Concealer is used to spot target areas of imperfections. Choosing the right shade of concealer is essential. To entirely hide dark circles and the pigmented area around the mouth, use a shade of concealer that is 3-4 tones darker than your skin tone. This way, the darker areas will be neutralized. Now, when you apply foundation, the places where you have used a darker shade of concealer will be hidden entirely.

After applying the foundation, use a lighter shade of concealer to highlight under the eyes. Use a sponge or your fingers to blend the concealer. Otherwise, the concealer might move from its place. The best method is to dap your fingers to spread the concealer evenly gently.

Use color correctors

Color correctors are new magic formulae that can help you achieve your dream coverage without the fear of getting foundation turning to grey. Red or orange color corrector neutralizes the dark pigments on the skin.

After priming your face, apply an orange color corrector on areas where you have dark spots. Gently absorb the concealer into the skin by dabbing it with your fingers or with a beauty blender. Apply a very thin layer of color corrector so that you do not have to apply a thick layer of foundation on the skin.

If you feel that the color corrector would show up even after foundation, you can apply a darker shade of concealer over the color corrector. Top the concealer with your favorite foundation. This technique will not make your foundation look grey even after oxidation. Also, your makeup will last for longer than the usual time.

Use banana or translucent powder

Banana baking powder or translucent powders are loose powders that help you to make your makeup stay in place for a longer time. They prevent the makeup from creasing and slipping off from areas where you have folds, like eyelids or around the mouth.

Translucent or banana baking powder can also prevent your foundation from oxidizing, especially during the hot summer days. Powders absorb the oil and sebum from the skin, which then does not mix up with your foundation and turn it grey.

Translucent powder is white and can be used by people with any skin type; however, banana baking powder suits people with a whitish complexion. Both these powders can also help control the shine on the face and is the best choice for afternoons.

The skin already feels numb and dry in winters, so you do not need to apply any powder. But if you have incredibly oily skin, you should use powder so that there are no chances left for your foundation to turn grey.

Iqra

As the head artist of Farishta Beauty I was inspired by many young individuals who were just like me passionate about makeup.
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