Why Foundation Cocktailing Is the Perfect Technique to Customize Your Complexion

What Is Foundation Cocktailing?

It’s important to remember the human face isn’t just one flat color, but rather a mix of different washes. Therefore, when we apply one singular foundation, we often get an unrealistic finish.

“Foundation cocktailing is the professional technique of blending different shades and textures,” Raffaela explains. “By mixing products together, I can create a custom-made formula that provides a dimensional canvas, allowing me to balance the natural shifts in a client’s skin tone so it looks like real skin instead of a mask.”

The Benefits of Cocktailing

Getting the Color Right 

“Since skin isn't one-size-fits-all, mixing products lets me customize a shade that actually matches how a person’s skin changes with the seasons or sun exposure,” Raffaela shares. “By balancing different pigments, I can adjust for things like a tan or natural redness so the foundation looks like it actually belongs on the skin.”

Keeping it Dimensional 

“Using just one flat shade can hide the natural shape of the face and make the skin look dull,” Raffaela says. “By mixing colors, I can create a dimensional canvas that mimics how light hits the different tones on the face, keeping the skin looking vibrant and alive.”

Perfecting the Texture 

“Mixing also lets me change how heavy or light a product feels, depending on what the client's skin needs that day,” the pro says. “Whether I need to add a little oil for a glow or more pigment for coverage, mixing ensures the makeup looks good without messing with the skin's texture.”

What You Can Mix

Foundation + Moisturizer

This combination results in a sheer, hydrated finish. It will offer that no-makeup makeup look that’s ideal for errands or hot summer days when heavy makeup will melt. We recommend combining the MAKEUP BY MARIO SurrealSkin Foundation with the REN CLEAN SKINCARE Everhydrate Marine Moisture-Replenishing Cream. 

Foundation + Serum

For that added lit-from-within glow and healthy hydration, this is the pairing for you. A fitting serum for a foundation combo is the KOSAS Mini Plump + Juicy Vegan Collagen Spray-On Serum, plus the PRETTY VULGAR Cool AF Lava Water Foundation. The foundation is water-based and will work cohesively with the hyaluronic acid infused in the serum.

Foundation + Facial Oil

There’s glowy skin, and then there’s glass skin. Moisturizer will get you that natural glow, but facial oil will give you a straight-up mirror. If you want to emulate the K-Beauty girlies, we recommend combining the LYS BEAUTY Triple Fix Skin Tint Blurring Foundation Stick with the ultra nourishing MUTHA Face Oil. 

Foundation + Liquid Highlighter 

If you want your glow to appear a little more vibrant than lit-from-within, we recommend opting for the LAURA GELLER Balance-n-Glow Illuminating Liquid Foundation. It has a built-in illuminator, so you get a two-in-one from the jump. But if you want to mix as you go, we recommend grabbing your favorite foundation and pairing it with the OFRA COSMETICS Liquid Highlighter.   

What You Shouldn’t Mix

SPF 

SPF is so crucial to any skincare routine that it shouldn’t be applied with something like foundation. Yes, there are SPF-infused foundations or skin tints (like the KOSAS Mini Dreambeam Mineral Sunscreen SPF 40), but those are formulated specifically to include the necessary amount of each to be effective. 

Heavy Silicone Primers

Foundation is often water-based and made as a silicone-repelling substance. Trying to bring these together can result in pilling, which will make it nearly impossible to apply your complexion products effectively. 

Actives 

Heavily active serums (with retinol, AHA, or BHA) won’t serve much purpose to perfecting texture or adding dimension to a foundation look. They’re typically designed to perform solo, and only require a small amount anyway, so mixing in with foundation to keep the formula lighter will only irritate the skin. 

Recommended Ratios

Tinted Moisturizer 

If you want to give off that lit-from-within glow, we recommend using equal parts bronzing drops and foundation (no more than one dosage for reach). The drops will make the foundation a bit less dramatic, and blended together, will help create a natural-looking bronze. Snag the foundation of your choice, and pair it with the famous DRUNK ELEPHANT B-Goldi Bright Drops, which took over 2024 TikTok for a reason. They blend effortlessly with foundation and offer a beautiful, vacation-like finish.

No-Makeup Makeup

One foundation pump combined with double the amount of moisturizer will offer a barely-there bit of coverage that will be enough to lightly cover imperfections without looking like you’re wearing makeup—perfect for errands or a hot summer day.

Glass Skin

One pump of foundation with one pump of face oil will not only offer a glow, but it will give you the glass skin everyone tries to emulate on TikTok. We recommend a thinner oil, so nothing too heavy that could potentially clog the pores. Our pick is the RODIAL Pink Diamond Lifting Oil, thanks to its lightweight, silky finish with blurring properties.

Final Thoughts

Today’s beauty consumers are savvy. Long gone are the days when we buy seven different foundations to fit the coverage or finish we’re going for. Now, all it takes is mixing a skincare product or a skin enhancer into any given foundation to give us the outcome we need. From moisturizers to face oils, skin-loving complexion products are literally at your fingertips. Need more direction on where to turn? Our IPSY Shop has tons of product recs with all the details you need.