This is a more comprehensive and a visual guide to the
original Joe Blasco foundation guide written way back in 2009. Similar to the RCMA foundation guide, this one will allow you to narrow down your choices by understanding your skin color.
Similar to RCMA, Joe Blasco Ultrabase foundations ($28) are true professional quality makeup. Made to withstand and work with the lighting conditions in television, film, and photography; this durability has allowed it to become one of the best beauty foundations ever made. Thanks to the high amount of pigment (about 55%) and the varying colors mixed to create each foundation, no other cosmetic counter brand will surpass the color quality of Joe Blasco Ultrabase.
I could go on and on about the foundation but I don't want to bore you with the color theory stuff. Let's just learn how to choose the right shade of foundation for your skin color.
Understanding Your Skin Tone
Choosing the right color is as simple as 3 steps:
- Depth of Brown - Are you more on the pale side of beige or on the dark side of brown? Once you have determined this, the next step will be as important. Whichever you land, just remember
- Skin Level - Within each depth, you are either in the light end or the dark end. Yes, you can be a dark pale Caucasian or a fair-toned Hispanic.
- Undertone - Do you lean towards the pink, neutral, or yellow side? Maybe, you are a mix of many. Whichever you are, understanding your undertone will narrow down your choices.
Joe Blasco Ultrabase Foundation Colors
The Natural Beige Series - neutral gray-beige base suitable for Caucasian females. This category is best for skin that neither leans towards a pink or a yellow. At times you might even consider your skin to look gray or drab. That is not the case, you are more of a neutral tone but you might notice a slight blue tinge to your skin making it look as though you are a cool toned pink.
- Natural Beige 1 - Light
- Natural Beige 2 - Medium
- Natural Beige 3 - Dark
Classic Olive Series - This category is for warm (pink/red) beige based skin tones that aren’t truly pink based but definitely not really yellow. You are more of a warm pink.
- Alabaster - Pale beige with a slight cool tone; ultra fair
- Olive - light
- Medium Olive - Medium
- Deep Olive - Dark Caucasian
Special Lite Olive - this is a mix of the Natural Beige and the Classic Olive series. You aren’t really that pink but have some characteristics of it and have some characteristics of peach undertones, yet not enough yellow to allow your skin to match any yellow-based foundations. You are a peach pink.
- Special Lite Olive 1 - Light
- Special Lite Olive 2 - Medium
- Special Lite Olive 3 - Dark
Olive Beige Series - This one is less warm pink than the Classic Olive above. Yellow begins to appear making the skin have a soft peach undertone.
- Olive Beige 1 - Light
- Olive Beige 2 - Medium
- Olive Beige 3 - Dark
Special Medium Olive - This is a mix of Classic Beige and Olive Beige. This category has more yellow than the Olive Beige series. The colors are more yellow peach.
- Special Medium Olive 1 -Light
- Special Medium Olive 2 - Medium
- Special Medium Olive 3 - Dark
Warm Olive Series - This one is more on the yellow-green side than the Olive Beige. This category leaves the peach or pink behind and introduces the yellow category of Joe Blasco foundations. This line is similar to RCMA’s Shinto line.
- Warm Olive 1 - Extra light
- Warm Olive 2 - Light
- Warm Olive 3 - Medium
- Warm Olive 4 - Dark
Golden Olive Series - This one is yellow-ochre. The yellow deepens and becomes more orange. This suits warm toned Latinas, light skinned African Americans, or basically anyone who goes by the description of “honey colored”.
- Golden Olive 1 - Light
- Golden Olive 2 - Medium
- Golden Olive 3 - Dark
Golden Tan - This has a golden green undertone for tan to dark skin tones. You may notice a deep yellow almost a slight coolness to your skin or may lean towards a red. These colors will enhance those with a natural tan undertone.
- Golden Tan 1 - Light
- Golden Tan 2 - Medium
- Golden Tan 3 - Dark
Special Dark - These are for the very brown skin tones. Although brown, there are some undertones which will differentiate the degree of brown. The range will be from pale side of dark brown containing more of a deep cool-toned orange then to a cool deep red. The darkest skin tone will contain some deep green to blue undertone.
- Honey - light
- Moon Haze - medium
- Maple - dark
- Twilight - extra dark
- Deep Ebony - darkest
Ruddy Collection - This collection contains barely any yellow, mostly on the red side, thus the word "ruddy". Mostly used in the theatre to add warmth to skin since it can looked washed out under the lights, some of these colors can be used for the very pink skin. The colors also can be used to neutralize unwanted skin tones before apply any of the other Joe Blasco Foundations.
- Ultra Fair - Very light amber-beige (yellow)
- Warm Beige - Medium ruddy-beige (red)
- Peachtone - Peach-beige (peach)
Tan Collection - These are colors used to simulate a tan or enhance one. These are the bronzers. They will allow realistic looking tan to those who have a hard time finding the perfect bronzer. If you are anywhere in the fair to light medium category, you pretty much know how bronzers can look on you.
If you already are tan, these are good for enhancing the skin tone without looking muddy.
These are one of the best cream bronzers in existence!!!!
- Natural Tan - A neutral soft natural tan for pale to fair skin tones. Beige-tan.
- Natural Bronze - Slight pink with enough peach for fair skin tones. Soft rose-tan
- Summertone - For light to light medium skin tones. Warm-brown tan
- Suntan - For dark beige skin tones. Dark ruddy; Red-brown tan
The Big Picture
Here are all the colors in one single chart. The colors are hard to differentiate when they are in a single chart. However, you can see how the foundations go from light to dark. The Tan Collection are added to the corresponding color categories. They are denoted with a "T".
You can see the differences in the undertones better in the individual charts. Believe me, once you stare at the chart you will see the same yet different colors floating all around you and it is no psychedelic trip either!
Joe Blasco, like RCMA is a pro brand and like any pro brand, the color will look way darker in the container than you are used to. Unlike cosmetic counter brands, thin layers are the best. If you are applying one thick layer, it will look cakey because you are applying it wrong. The best way is to really scrape a bit out of the container and let it warm up on the back of your hand or on some palette to break down the waxes and oils. It takes some learning to use this foundation, but then again great foundation stands way apart from the rest!!
I am not affiliated with Joe Blasco cosmetics, nor do I receive anything for this post.
**Special Thanks to Mr. Joe Blasco
Ingredients
Joe Blasco $23USD (.335oz/9.5g) Petrolatum, dioctyl adipate, octyl stearate, carnauba wax, octyl palmitate, iron oxides, titanium dioxide, beeswax, corn oil, talc, butyl paraben, polyethylene glycol, tocopheryl acetate, ascorbyl palmitate, citric acid, ascorbic acid. May contain ultramarine blue, chromium hydroxide green.
