This is not what I put on this morning...

Have you ever put on a blush or a foundation in the morning, and about halfway through the day realized that it had drastically changed color? Foundation is too dark; blush is suddenly tangerine... Blame your skin.

Oily skin has a tendency to change the colors of your makeup throughout the day. It is a common problem, and one that can be solved in a few different ways:

The easiest way to avoid your makeup changing it's pigmentation is to wear a primer. Foundation primer will create a base between your moisturizer and whatever color choices you make next (foundation, powder, blush).

Foundation primer is a simple step, but one that can can save you money in the long run. Foundation primer acts like any other primer -- it seals in what's underneath, and creates a good base upon which to make your foundation. When you use a primer, you will notice that you use less of your foundation, powder, and blush, as it is sitting on the primer, and not soaking into the skin.

Primer is not to be considered a moisturizer, even if it is labeled as having moisturizing benefits. Primer should be a separate step -- moisturize, let it dry, prime, let it dry, then proceed with your color (foundation, powder, blush -- whatever it is that you do).

One of the other choices you can make when your colors are changing on you is to modify what products you are using. If you realize that a light pink is going to turn peach on you, then use it with a warm color palette -- peach, oranges, browns. That way, you can use what you have -- no wasting of product!

I tend to have very oily skin in the summer time, and dry skin in the winter. I have to modify what I wear during each season, as primer doesn't help me in the summer. For me, it is easier to know what I can wear. I have 2 blushes that I know will work, no matter the season -- a soft brown, and a brown-pink. Both are from Merle Norman (Soft Mocha and Dusty Rose Lasting Cheek Color, if you're interested). I switch up my blushes from time to time -- I love MAC mineral blushes in the fall. However, my go-to blushes tend to be those two colors, as I know that no matter the season, they won't change too much on me. They are both light shades, so at the most, the color just intensifies.