All throughout the different stages of my life, I have probably been asked if I was feeling sick over a gazillion times because of my fair and uber pale skin. When I was younger, I used to think that I was abnormal or that I had some sort of deficiency in my system. But, really, there is nothing wrong with me and I’ve now come to terms with my natural skin colour.
Needless to say, makeup has become my saviour on days when I need to look naturally healthy and presentable, instead of looking like I just walked out of a morgue drawer. However, having such fair and pale skin meant that I had to be extra selective with makeup. Besides sharing with you some tips I’ve found useful, I’m also going to show you the makeup I use on a daily basis (the look in the GIF above)!
Prep the skin well – Being extra fair and pale means any redness, imperfections and flakiness will appear extra prominent on the skin. Hence, it’s vital to cleanse your face, moisturise really well and prep the skin with a primer that’s going to counter that redness, blur out the imperfections and hydrate the skin while acting as a good base for the makeup you’re about to apply.
Find a balance – Some people who are more tan can get away with just eyeliner or lipstick, but when you’re as fair and pale as I am, you simply cannot. If you do decide to put on makeup, you have to do the whole shebang. You cannot do your eyebrows and have eyeshadow on without any lip colour to balance it all out. The top half of your face would look too heavy and you would look undone. Learn to find a balance when it comes to applying your makeup.
Be careful with sunscreen – Some foundations, BB creams and complexion-type products with built-in sunscreen can make you look whiter than you already are, especially when photographs are taken with flash. I have gone through tons of products throughout the years just to hunt down the few that actually work on my skin. There’s no other way to find out unless you test the products out on your own skin. You can also check out reviews online before making a purchase.
Always use a light hand – When you apply any colour onto your face, – this includes eyeshadow, bronzer, blush and highlighter – always use a light hand and build up the colour gradually if needed. You don’t want to be looking like an oompa loompa with heavy colour all over. Some products are very pigmented and it’s best to be careful with them as the colour would pop on your fair skin. A little goes a long way.
Add definition – Now, to add colour onto your face, learn to add definition to bring out your features. Contour under your cheekbones, along your jawline, on the temples and along your forehead. Make your features pop with some highlighter on your cupid’s bow, along the centre of your nose and on top of your cheekbones. Finally, add a wash of colour on your cheeks. You want to make your face look as three-dimensional as possible without going overboard.
Skip the powder – If you have fair and pale skin, don’t mattify your face with powder to seal your makeup in. You will risk looking cakey and any dry patches will look more prominent. Most importantly, it will make your face look more flat and undefined. I usually blot my face with tissue midday to get rid of any grease and it works perfectly fine. It keeps me shine-free and I can still look glowy.
Don’t be afraid of bold colours – Finally, don’t be afraid of bold colours just because you look too fair and pale. Neutral colours are always nice, but adding that bright, vibrant colour wouldn’t harm anyone and it’s fun! I love wearing blue or purple eyeliner from time to time and I wouldn’t say no to a bold lip colour. Whether it’s hot pink, bright purple, vampy red or a nude pink, I’ve tried them all and those colours really do look good on fair skin. Try it out for yourselves!
Just because you’re pale, it doesn’t mean you have to look pasty. 😉
