The most accurate way to select your best foundation color, which all the colors in for your skin tone will be based on, is to conduct a "stripe" test.

1. You need to perform the test with good natural light.
   
2. Test 3 different shades of foundation at a time.
   
3. Your goal is to find a shade that will disappear into your neck color.
   
4. The area you will test will depend on your general skin tone.
   

• Women with dark skin tones, including bronze and ebony, will test foundation colors with stripes of makeup on their cheek area and running down to the jaw line.
  
• Light skin toned women need to apply the stripe test from the center of their cheek all the way down past the jaw line, and onto the neck.
  This is necessary because lighter toned women may have some redness in their faces, but not on their necks.
  
• After applying stripes of 3 different, but similar, foundation colors you need to wait two or three minutes to see if the oils in your skin will change the foundation color.
  After that time, the foundation color that most closely matches your neck color is your best match.
  
• Be aware that most women will look better in "warm" foundation shades (those with a yellow leaning).
  "Cool" foundations (those with a blue leaning) look best on women who have a pink undertone to their neck and to their face.
  Women who do not have a pink toned neck, should stick with a warmer foundation choice.
  

After conducting the stripe skin tone test, you are then ready to identify the colors for your skin tone.