Something I really struggle with (less so now, thankfully) is finding makeup that works well with my super fair skin. Not only do I have Irish, Scottish, English, and Polish ancestry, but I also have chronic anemia, so I am always on the super pale side of things. It has taken a lot of trial and error to find makeup that matches my skin tone because a lot of the time the most pale option is too dark for me. But the other problem is I’ve struggled to find makeup that doesn’t stand out way more than I want it to. After all the time I’ve spent trying products – high end and drugstore – I figured that I would share the brands and products that, in my opinion, work best for fair skin.
If you’re someone with pale skin who likes to makeup in bold colors, I suggest you check out Rachh Loves on YouTube. While I really like the bold looks she does, they’re not really my thing except for lipstick. Plus, Rachel has a great channel!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Kate the (Almost) Great!
The Best Fair Skin Makeup: Face
Foundation: Make Up For Ever’s Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation, Fenty’s Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, Kat Von D’s Lock-It Tattoo Foundation, Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation – While Kat Von D’s foundation is my favorite by far, I’ve found myself to be between shades (Light 42 and Light 43), so I’m currently using Make Up For Ever’s (in R210) because that’s a much better match. I haven’t tried Fenty yet, but I’ve heard amazing things and it looks like they have an amazing array of fair options. As for drugstore options, I looooove Rimmel’s foundation. None of the other drugstore options go as pale as I am! Note: these are all full-coverage foundation because that’s what I prefer, but Make Up For Ever is more a buildable foundation, so I use 3 pumps for my entire face to get the coverage that I like.
Concealer: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind, Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer – The NARS concealer (in Vanilla) is so damn good, but it’s also another product that if my iron counts are low, they don’t have my shade. In that case, I have two of Sephora Collection’s concealers (in 01 and 02) because those have a lot more options. Plus, the price is much better. A concealer at an even better price is Maybelline’s, which has worked so well for me (in Fair).
Color Corrector: Amazing Cosmetics AmazingConcealer Corrector, Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer – One of the most annoying things about being fair skin is that redness stands out so much in comparison to the rest of my face. That’s why green color corrector is my best friend during breakouts. Amazing Cosmetics has this great color corrector duo (in Fair/Light), but I’ve found that the yellow doesn’t help my under eye much, so I primarily use the green. One that I used for years, though, is the Maybelline color corrector. It works really well!
Blush: Too Faced Love Flush Long-Lasting 16-Hour Blush, Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush, Milani Baked Powder Blush – Blush can be so tricky for those of us with fair skin. If it’s just slightly too bright or too dark, we can look like clowns. After years of struggling, I’ve found some really great ones! The Too Faced one (in Baby Love) is my current go-to, but before that I was using Tarte (in Exposed) every day. I’m also a fan of the Milani blush (in Rosa Romantica), although I think the others are much better quality.
Highlighter: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter, Too Faced Love Light Prismatic Highlighter, NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator – Highlighter is my favorite, not going to lie. The most sparkly is by far Becca (I have it in Pearl and I really want to try Champagne Pop). The best one for everyday use is Too Faced (I wear Blinded by the Light) because it’s sparkly but not like “BAM!” But the one I’m using the most right now is NYX (in Sunbeam) because the color makes it a great two-in-one product for if you don’t want to wear blush and highlighter.
I have yet to find a bronzer that works on me, but if you have fair skin and have found a great one, let me know in the comments!
The Best Fair Skin Makeup: Eyes & Lips
Eyeshadow: Stila Matte ‘N Metal Eyeshadow Palette, Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette, Urban Decay Naked3 Palette, ColourPop – If you guys follow me on Instagram, you probably saw my post from a few weeks ago about how I’m in love with my new Stila Metal ‘N Matte palette. A problem I have is that there are usually only 4ish shadows out of 12 in a palette that I actually wear because the rest are way darker on me than I’m comfortable wearing. Well, I’ve tried 9 of the 12 shades in this Stila palette, and they all look good. I’m so happy with this palette! If you’re looking for a small palette of everyday colors, check out the Naked Basics palette. You could also make your own palette with ColourPop shades; they show what their shadows look like on different skin tones on their website. I have one that I made and it has Pep Talk; Liar, Liar; Hear Me Out; and Let Me Explain. If you like to go a little bold but not like bright colors, I suggest you check out the Urban Decay Naked3 palette.
Liquid Eyeliner: Kat Von D Tattoo Liner, L’Oreal Infallible Super Slim Liquid Eyeliner – I have found that black liquid liner looks way too intense on me, so I tend to stick to brown or grey. On my super fair skin, brown liner looks close to black. The Kat Von D liner is my all-time favorite, but L’Oreal’s is also amazing. Plus, they both have felt tips, which makes it a lot easier to apply. (I realized as I was adding the pictures to this post that I forgot to include liquid eyeliner. My bad.)
Neutral Lipstick: Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick, Burberry Liquid Lip Velvet, Tarte Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint, ColourPop Liquid Lip – I love lipstick so much. It’s so fun! Like I mentioned earlier, I’m just talking about neutrals here. Bite Beauty’s lipstick in Pepper is the perfect neutral lip. It’s amazing. If you’re also a fan of liquid lipstick like I am, I suggest checking Burberry (in Fawn) and Tarte (in Birthday Suit). If you’re looking for a more wallet-friendly product, check out ColourPop (in Littlestitious). They have a variety of options, but I think the Ultra Satin Lip is the best because you get a matte finish without being super drying. ColourPop’s liquid lips are also the longest-lasting.
Why am I not talking about mascara? It don’t really matter all that much which mascara you use as someone with fair skin. If you’d like a mascara recommendation, though, I wrote about post about the best drugstore and high-end mascara.
Why am I not talking about non-liquid eyeliner? This also doesn’t change all that much depending on skin tone. It’s more about your eye color.
What’s your favorite makeup product for people with fair skin?
Like this post? Check out:
All makeup posts, Top Drugstore Makeup, Drugstore vs. High-End Mascaras: Which Is Really Best?, My Everyday Makeup Routine
