Skincare products will be used on your face for a long time–ideally until they run out and you decide whether to buy the same product or not. It would be a shame to buy a new product only to stop using it immediately because it doesn’t suit your skin well. This is expensive, too. To avoid this kind of problem, you have to know whether a product works for your skin or not, early on.

Here’s how to do that.

Try the Wrist Test

 A face toner bought online would not have dire consequences if it’s not in the right shade for your skin, because it’s typically a colorless liquid, but if you’re looking at foundations and other makeup products, you’ll want to be more particular about their formulation and consistency. This is where the wrist test comes in. When you go to a mall and see a product you like, dab a small sample on your wrist and see how it blends with your skin. It should disappear as it blends into your complexion, and you can also see what kind of coverage it can really give. This works for almost all foundation types, whether you’re into powders, liquids, or cushions.

Use a Sample on Your Neck

 Another important factor to consider when buying makeup is how well it evens out your skin tone. And there is no unevenness more apparent than your skin and neck colors. There are several reasons your neck and your face don’t have the same color, but whatever those reasons are, you should still find a product that will easily blend the two areas seamlessly. When you try a product, for instance, a cream or foundation you’ve noticed your friend using, dab it on your jawline and neck area to see how well it will look. If it looks like the product is “floating” on your skin or if it does not do anything at all, you might want to rethink buying it for yourself.

Try it on Half Your Face

 If you’re not sure about the efficacy of a beauty product just based on a small area, you can go ahead and use it on half of your face to easily compare it with the other half. This way, you can see just how apparent the improvements are, if any. Note, however, that if you are using this on mall testers, you may not be able to perform an actual wear test. Well, you can, but that will mean walking around the mall with an uneven makeup application. On the other hand, if you bring the product home just to do this, it means you’d have already spent on it–unless you manage to find a sample.

Makeup is an important part of most people’s skincare routines these days. However, this doesn’t mean you should just buy anything you see in shops or online stores. Before you buy anything, make sure you already have an idea of how the product will work on your skin. This prevents potential outbreaks or irritation, and it will save you a ton of money.