And they work very, very well, but I almost didn’t give them a try at all, because I think they’re something you probably don’t really “need.” Once you’ve got them, though, you find yourself reaching for them over and over again.
I’ve been seeing pictures and reviews of them floating around online, and I thought, “Neat,” but I wasn’t moved to rush out and buy them immediately.
Sure, I was intrigued. They’re supposed to transform an almost right face makeup shade into something perfect, but I wondered if they’d also affect the performance of my foundations. And I also thought it would just be easier to go get the right foundation shade in the first place (amiright?).
After playing around with them for a couple of weeks, I’m convinced now that they really are a cool product.
The Lightening ones are meant to be used if your foundation shade looks too dark or orange, and they have a mix of white and pink pigments to neutralize yellowness and also lighten your foundation. One drop will lighten your foundation by about 1/2 a shade.
The Darkening ones work for when your foundation looks too light or ashy, and they have a mix of black and red pigments. And one drop will darken your foundation by about 1/2 a shade.
When I first heard about these, I assumed I’d be using the Darkening drops, because I tan super easily, and each of my six or so foundations are slightly different colors because of this. When I lived in New York, my skin tone differed pretty dramatically due to the long stretches without any sunlight whatsoever (you know, winter). Even within a single brand like NARS, my three foundations are in different shades, just because I was a slightly different color each day I happened to walk into the store to buy them (here are swatches in this post).
But it turns out that I’ve actually been reaching for the Lightening drops more often, and I use them to make one of my favorite summertime foundations wearable for me right now.
Diorskin Nude BB Creme in 4 is one of my favorite everyday foundations. The coverage is awesome, it has a natural satin finish, and I think it looks great applied with my hands. But, it’s really only something that I can wear after I’ve been out to the sun.
As you can see, one drop of the respective Shade Adjusting Drops does change the foundation by about 1/2 a shade.
I’ve been using 1-2 drops to make Diorskin Nude BB Creme wearable in my pre-summer tan state, and I’m happy to report that the drops don’t adversely affect the formula, performance or wear time of Diorskin Nude at all.
All in all, I’d say that these Shade Adjusting Drops do exactly what they promise, and that’s pretty awesome. I think the Darkening drops would be great to bring along on summer vacation to adjust your foundation as you tan, and even if you don’t really tan, I could still see them working to adjust your foundation for some subtle contouring or highlighting.
Both the Lightening and the Darkening drops are $20 each at The Body Shop, and even if you bought them both, it would still probably cost you less than purchasing an additional shade in a department store foundation.
But I’ll let you in on a little secret… The Body Shop often has sales running online, so if you’re strategic and you wait, you can probably snag them for even less!
On my face I’m also wearing NARS Liberation blush (the left side), Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow in Laurier Rose (one of my recent makeup favorites), Anastasia Beverly Hills Lipgloss in Warm Bronze and Colourpop Brow Pencil in Black N’ Brown.
Have you tried these yet? Are you intrigued enough to check them out?
Thanks so much for the heads up – I tan extraordinarily easy and this will hopefully keep me from having to have to constantly buy three separate foundations!!
I think these would be perfect for you!
Hi Adia,
I always like to mix products so this looks like something I would love. Do you find that the lightening shade changes the finish in any way? Like, does it make it more matte or satin in any way? Thank you!
Hey Karen! You know, I was worried it would change the finish, but I didn’t have an issue. The lightening drops may make the foundation **slightly** more dewy, but nothing that would make me stop using them 🙂
I’ve been thinking about getting the white one!
I could really use the Lightening one in the winter when my summer foundation gets a smidgen too dark! I like the idea, and I think Cover Fx has released something similar too, didn’t they?
Yep, Cover FX has the drops which come in a wide range of colors, similar to their foundations. Very similar idea because you could buy the Cover FX drops in a shade or two darker or lighter than your normal shade. BUT, the Cover FX drops are about $40 each!
I feel as though there is some high end product I’ve heard of that did something very similar, but this is a great alternative!
Hey India! You’re probably thinking of the Cover FX drops. The Body Shop drops are an AMAZING alternative (about half the cost!).
Ah, I’ve been eyeing these up too.The Body Shop has 30% off everything in the UK right now, so I think I’ll give these a try! I go from NC25 to NC40 between summer and winter, so these are definitely something useful for me!
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Oh, def give them a try since they’re on sale! Sounds like you’ll get a ton of use out of them (and same some money too!).
In India, only the lightening shade has been introduced which kind of put me off. But, on another note, some of my foundations are way dark for me. So, I am looking this way again.
I use a Bourjois cc crea for mixing, it is yellow and has some neutralizing greens and pinks. Awesome since usually foundations are not yellow enough on me….
Sounds pretty awesome indeed! I don’t think I’ve read a single negative review on these.
These sound awesome. All the good things I’ve heard make me want them.
I have been dithering over getting these because while they look quite cool, I wasn’t sure I really “needed” them. You’ve convinced me and I’m surely getting the Light one since I have several foundations that are too yellow. Great pictures 🙂
I’ve read heard these were good and met to check them out but forgot about them. I don’t wear foundation but as a WOC concealers rarely match my coloring. I usually use two colors. Maybe I’ll pick up a bottle to try out. Going to the mall this weekend.
Wow, that foundation shade plus the drops looks spot on. Beautiful color & coverage!
It’s so hard for me to find a foundation light enough for me – Urban decay’s 0.5 shade is my best match but some days it’s a little too yellow or dark. I hope these drops are actually lighter than my skin color and can help my foundation on my extra light days!
Do you add them to a whole bottle of foundation, or is one drop added to what you’ve pumped into your hand to use that day?