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Finding the right foundation shade for your skin is a journey, and when you find the perfect formula for your specific skin type and concerns, you'll want to hold onto it for dear life. Still, ensuring your foundation works for your skin year-round can be tricky. Between summer tans and vitamin D shortages during the winter months, your skin tone can change depending on the season. 

The good news is you don't have to swap out your favorite foundation when this happens. We spoke with three expert makeup artists to get their advice on adjusting your foundation shade between seasons so you can stick with your favorite formula and have a face that still matches your neck throughout the year.

Read on for their pro tips on how to adjust your foundation to be darker or lighter.

Meet the Experts

• Apollo Barragan is a makeup artist based in California. He specializes in editorial and commercial makeup.

• Jenna Menard is a professional makeup artist with more than 20 years of experience.

• Lucas Dean is an NYC-based makeup artist who specializes in bridal and editorial.

01 of 06

Lightening: Dilute With Moisturizer

Mixing a bit of moisturizer into your liquid foundation is one of the best ways to lighten the pigment. This method sheers out the formula, allows your true skin tone to shine through, and adds a dewy finish, which is perfect for when your skin looks slightly dry and dull.

"During the summer, it's great to mix in something with SPF, and for winter, adding some extra moisturizer is key to keeping dry skin hydrated," says makeup artist Apollo Barragan. "It all starts with skincare—ensure you protect your skin during the summer and keep it hydrated during the winter."

02 of 06

Darkening: Bronzing

The simplest way to adjust your foundation for summer is by applying bronzer in a deep hue that complements your summer skin. Just remember to avoid getting overzealous with the bronzer.

"I don't advise just mixing in a bronzer with your foundation and smearing it all over the face and expecting that to work," says makeup artist Jenna Menard. "I like to separate the bronzer and apply it to where you look naturally tanned. It becomes more believable when you place it properly around the right areas of the face [versus all over]."

She also says it's sometimes best to skip the foundation altogether and accentuate your summer skin with bronzer alone. "It creates a more believable tan in the summer," she says.

03 of 06

Lightening: Try Applying Your Foundation Differently

The one downside of mixing moisturizer with foundation is that you're adding more products to your face, which Menard says she typically tries to avoid. "The more layers and products on your face, the more you risk having your makeup move around as the day progresses, especially where heat and humidity are involved."

Instead, she recommends another reliable technique for diluting or sheering out your foundation to lighten the pigment: using either a duo fiber brush—a mega-versatile makeup brush known for its dual-ended fiber bristles, perfect for applying cream or liquid foundations—or a damp beauty sponge to thin it out, instead of mixing more things in.

04 of 06

Lightening or Darkening: Combine Shades

Jumping a shade up on your favorite foundation's color wheel sounds simple but a bit more complicated. "Something important to note when choosing a foundation or shading up or down for a new season is that brands are very different in shade variations," Menard says.

"You can't always just choose the next shade up. You have to know the brand, the shades, and what you're looking for to make the best decision. I often advise my clients to keep the one that works best as a match, then go one or two shades darker and mix that into the one that works for them. That way, you know the tone always stays somewhat the same."

Wedding and event makeup artist Lucas Dean also suggests buying a shade closest to your skin tone at its lightest when you find a foundation you love—and then buying a shade two shades up. "You can have a variety in range when mixing the two, so you can match your skin year-round." Sometimes you'll use more of the lighter shade and sometimes more of the darker one to create the hue that best matches you in the moment.

There you have it—once you find a formula you love, buy two of them and enjoy a shade range you can mix and match all year.

05 of 06

Lightening: Try a Primer

Dean says he prefers CC creams (he's a fan of the IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream) because they are easy to use. "CC creams will naturally adjust to your skin tone, so if you're an avid sunscreen wearer, you won't even notice enough of a difference in shades to have to change often."

But if you frequently use fuller coverage foundation or jump shades, he has another suggestion. "Moisturizer has the risk of diluting your foundation too much, so I recommend using a hydrating primer—just a drop—which sheers out your foundation while also allowing your makeup to set and last longer."

06 of 06

Lightening or Darkening: Add Mixing Pigments

Arguably, the best part about the beauty industry is the constant influx of innovations. One such product is the invention of mixing pigments. Designed to help you get the perfect foundation match every time, these liquid pigments can adjust your foundation tone to lighter or darker or shift and neutralize skin undertones to be warmer or cooler. We like L.A. Girl's Pro Matte Mixing Pigment, which comes in shades of blue, white, yellow, and orange to help customize your look for all seasons.