This is my common lament… Why oh why does high end liquid foundation oxidise on my skin? Actually, I’m not complaining very much because this means I don’t use high end foundation thereby saving a bunch of money! 
But its got me curious nonetheless.
What does it mean by foundation that oxidises on skin?
Foundation that oxidises on your skin is foundation that turns one shade darker or turns orange after application on your skin. Sometimes, the colour is a perfect match when applied but after being exposed to your skin and to the air, it turns a shade darker or it turns orange i.e. not a perfect match any longer.
Why does foundation oxidise?
There is no one answer to this. What causes foundation to oxidise might be a combination of various factors including PH of skin (how acid it is), humidity, skin temperature and oiliness of the skin. It could be one or it could be all.
I have similar skin with my friend but the foundation looks great on her
All our skins are different and so is body chemistry. So, what works for one person may not work for another and vice versa. Think of perfume – what smells heavenly on someone else might just smell like rotting garbage on you. It boils down to body chemistry.
How do I know if this foundation will oxidise on me?
The only way to know is to test it on your facial skin. There is no other way to tell if a foundation will work for you or not. Foundations are one of the trickiest things to buy in my book. I can never really tell if they will work for me, so I always make sure to try to get a sample or to test it on my skin before actually buying anything. This is the only way I know that I can’t wear Make Up For Ever foundations (of any formula) because they all oxidise on me and any lighter shade does not match my skin tone. Pity because I’ve heard so much about their foundations. Strangely enough, I have less problems with powder foundations and with foundations from low end cosmetic brands. I tried a Chanel powder foundation once that looked great when I applied it in the morning, but an hour later make me look like Paris Hilton with a fake orange tan. Blergh!
How can I stop the foundation from oxidising on my skin?
One way may be to use a primer or makeup base. A makeup base creates a barrier between your skin and the foundation so it may prevent the 2 from mixing and reacting with each other. However, your foundation can still oxidise if it is the air and humidity that’s causing it instead of skin, so its not a fool proof method. Another method would be to wear a shade lighter than your skin tone. That way, once it oxidises you are likely to get a colour that matches your skin. This is risky however because a key tenet of buying foundation is to match your skin tone not change it. So, my best advise would be to NOT buy or use the foundation if it oxidises on you. There are so many others out there you are bound to find a brand or formula that works for you!
Do you have any thoughts on why any foundation may oxidise on your skin? Have you experienced foundations oxidising on your skin?
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omg! i have this prob with MOST of the liquid foundations, even with BB. damn. but like u said, i experience less of this when i use compact foundation. I guess must be the combo of the heat/sweat and the formula. and sadly, primer just wont work well for me, they tend to gimme break outs
Hey prettybeautiful: This is part of the reason I stick to powder foundation – I have less mistakes and I always end up working well with cheaper ones
I think silicones aren’t agreeable with your skin hence the primer breakouts and breakouts from the Body Shop Vit. C boost.
Hey PB, I thought I prefered liquid foundation at one point, but since pregnancy, my skin has been super oily. And as a result, it was oxidising my GA foundation more than before! So I’ve now converted to a Shiseido compact foundation and loving it! I don’t seem to have the oxidising problem with this one, and application with a brush is much easier than with a liquid foundation-yay! Thanks for the tips though, I’ve never attempted to use primer as it’s just so much work–me is lazy :-b
Hi Monstro: And powder foundation can be carried around – handy!
hmmm…I haven’t had any problems with foundations so far, so I guess I should consider myself fortunate…I have the ‘body chemistry’ issue with perfume though.
Hi beetrice: Lucky you! I’d be trying a plethora of foundations otherwise.
teehee. i’m lousy for this, i don’t use foundation at all
Hi Tiny Tapir: and from what I see you didn’t need to!
Wow!
I have experienced the same thing, with many brands! I find Maybelline, Loreal, MAC and BB oxidized on me, even the powder foundation. Make up For Ever liquid foundation also oxidized on me, and somehow, the loose powder, too. It’s so frustrating!
The only brand that doesn’t so far is Kanebo. So, i stick to that for foundation.
Hi Widi: Welcome – if you’ve found a brand that works for you, best to stick with it. I really like Kanebo foundations too especially their powder ones. Works very well for me.
You got it right when you say applying primer does not promise your skin not to oxidize. I’ve done make-up to a friend who’s SUPER acidic, I actually call her Ms. Acidic because I have to use NOT one shade but 2-3 shades lighter than her skin foundation and we got missed so many times before we finally got the HIT. Get to know more of your skin, test it on and see how your skin reacts. I got to be so in-the-know on her skin that hubby got surprised on HOW WHITE she looks after I put make-up on her, then I told hubby to stop worrying as it’ll blend into her original skin tone after an hour! and I AM RIGHT!
Primers can help BUT do not depend on it..test it!
Great great postI LOVE this
Hi Nikki: Thanks for sharing your experience! I think if the skin is very acidic not even primer can help then.
Take the lazy way out: Use tinted moisturiser. It’s light.
But, if you cannot bear not having anything, then keep on trying until you find one. Then, buy an entire stock of it
Hi geekchic: LOL… thats great advice
I don’t quite like tinted moisturiser however – I prefer my usual moisturiser then powder foundation for days when I feel like I MUST have something on.
I never know that there is such a problem: oxidization of foundation. Can anybody put up a pic?
Hi pf1123: Its quite a common problem which is why you hear of people complaining the foundation doesnt’ match. I don’t have a picture but maybe someone else can help.
I’ve tried Maybelline too and they oxidies for me. But my Chanel does not give me any Paris Hilton’s fake orange tan. LOL!
Hm, so far I heard brands that is made for Asian skin (ie Kanebo) does not oxidies as much as other US brands. Maybe because of different humidity / weather that causes our skin to react to the foundation that is applied onto our face.
Hey Sue: You’re the reverse of me!
I do agree that asian brands tend to have less of this problem – it might be to do with weather or formulation – I guess they can’t all get it right every time 
Normally, asian brands like shiseido and kanebo worked well with asian skins and vice versa. I used clinique for a while and it does give a shade lighter but thank god, not to obvious… However, I’m still searching for the perfect one….
I’m using MAC Select SPF 15 and it doesn’t oxidised on me. I don’t use it everyday, I prefer using powder. Liquid foundations make my forehead oily ;( I read that those from Make Up For Ever are pretty good, I’ll probably try them out.
Hey Amanda: Its great that a foundation doesn’t oxidise on you. MUFE is supposed to have some really good foundations – I just can’t use them. Boo!
Great info! L’Oreal True Match liquid foundation oxidized horribly on me but when I use my Missha BB Cream as a base, the foundation didn’t oxidize as much and actually looked pretty good!
Hiya Connie: Sometimes a base is all we need, and sometimes its to bin it heh… Thanks for your input
I just bought Anna Sui Foundation and using it only twice, even with a primer. I don’t know whether you call it oxidation but it made me look fairer and pale. I find it very weird bcoz the girl said it will oxidise a little and turn darker slightly but for me it turned brighter instead. I’m a weird one i think… Now I don’t know what to do with it. I did had some samples before buying it in another share but the girl recommend another shade coz my face is a little yellow toned.
Ni notcute: Chances are, its just the wrong shade. Oxidization usually means it goes darker. The sales person probably had experience of it oxidizing on people so picked you a lighter shade.
Thank goodness I’ve never had my foundations oxidising on me. But even if it did, it’s a sign for me to chuck ‘em and get a new one :p
yeah, i’ve only recently started to realise and notice that some foundations would oxidise on me and i would look way too bronze or just darker when compared to first application of the foundation. i think mac mineralized satinfinish did that to me (and horror, horror, i was at a party!! i didn’t realise until the photos came out.. *cries*), so here i am still in search of my HG foundation… lol
I have been having the ” orange ” thing going on for a few years now. I am a “winter”. After putting on my foundation and loose powder my blush turns a rust color instead of staying a “pink” shade. I am not a “fall”. I even have pink undertones to my skin. It is soooo frustrating. My daughter is getting married very soon and I hate the fact the I will look orange at her wedding. If I have a teal color on, I will look like I should be wearing brown or orange or something like that! HELP!!!!!
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