My MAC Foundation Matching Debacle: Am I NW or NC?
Affiliate Links September 1, 2013 | Foundation, Guides, Makeup
MAN, finally! I think I may have, at last, figured out my MAC foundation match. This discovery has literally been years in the making, and finally knowing the truth is – well- I guess it hasn’t really changed my life much, actually, except that I now have a better frame of reference when discussing my foundation color, and I’ve got a couple of new foundations to add to my already massive foundation collection. However, it’s been such an ordeal for me that I thought it would be worth sharing, just in case there’s anyone else out there with a skin tone like mine – one with both yellow and pink undertones – that’s also having trouble finding her MAC match.
One of these is NC15 and one of these is NW13. Can you tell which is which?
Here’s the thing about my skin tone: it’s neutral. It has both warm tones and cool tones, and for a line like MAC’s, which relies on one or the other for most of their foundations, it can be challenging to find the right match. To complicate things even further – I am part Japanese, and my skin reflects that. There’s something about Asian skin that seems to throw some beauty associates off their game – I am often labeled as being either warmer or darker than I actually am.
As many of you may already know, the MAC color system is divided into NW and NC tones. NW (neutral warm) is for cool, pink undertones, while NC (neutral cool) is for warm, yellow undertones. It can be confusing for the unfamiliar – it really seems like the NW and NC should be reversed, but it helps to think of NW as “not warm” and NC as “not cool.”
On the left is NC15, right is NW13 in MAC Studio Fix Fluid.
Years ago, I was matched as an NC25 in MAC’s Studio Fix Fluid Foundation. I was not as knowledgeable about foundation back then, but I do remember feeling that it looked off. I couldn’t quite pinpoint it at the time, and assumed that I must just not like MAC’s foundation formula. It’s too yellow, I thought. But the girl who matched me told me my skin tone was straightforwardly warm, and I believed her. My skin did have plenty of visible yellow in it, after all.
Over the years, I amassed quite the foundation collection, and I’d found my perfect match for nearly all of them. And then one day it occurred to me: most of my foundations were not straightforwardly warm. A lot of them were neutral, and some of them were actually cool. Not long after that epiphany, I went through the arduous process of finding my match in Kat Von D’s Lock-it Tattoo foundation, and it was this process that helped realize that I was definitely not NC25. Determined to know my true match was, I went back to MAC and asked for a rematch. A foundation rematch, that is. I did not, and have never, brawled with a MAC employee.
The first MAC employee I met with matched me as NW20 in MAC Mineralize Moisture Foundation. I was so ecstatic to have finally found my match, I told everyone I knew the exciting (*cough* boring *cough*) news! I posted it on Facebook, on Instagram, I messaged my friends, I told my sister about it – really, any captive audience I could find. Then I tried it on again at home, and it was wrong. Back it went, which is just as well, because as it turns out, I hate the finish of Mineralize Moisture Foundation (too dewy). I went through this routine many times – getting an almost match, and then going back again (NW15 was workable, but had a somewhat dulling effect). And guess what? In the end, I was an NC after all – NC15 in Studio Fix Fluid, to be exact. NW13 works as well, though it’s a titch too light. I kept both.
This is me with no foundation (and a pretty fun PMS breakout). Actually, there are some foundation remnants that I missed with my makeup wipe, but for the most part, this photo is foundation free.
This is my face with MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW13. It’s slightly light for me, but it’s still very wearable. I actually really like this shade for wearing with my Chanel Les Beiges Powder in N°30 for color.
This is me in MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15. Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15, plus MAC Cremeblend Blush in “Glamour Feast,” Satin Lipstick in “Twig.”
The point of this story is: If you have a neutral skin tone, and don’t like how you’ve been matched for your MAC foundation in the past, keep trying. You might be surprised and find that there is a color for you. If you really luck out (as I did), you’ll have more options than you think. Instead of being limited by your neutral skin tone, the presence of both pink and yellow undertones might actually broaden your choices – you could have an NW and an NC match out there!
Everyone’s skin is made up of a multitude of colors – it’s all about finding which ones you want to lead with. Neutral skin tones, in particular, have a very wide range of possibilities, as evidenced by my swatch arm below. As different as all those swatches are from one another, all of them are either a perfect or very close to perfect match for my skin tone:
1. MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW13
2. MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15
3. Guerlain Parure de Lumiere in 02 Beige Clair (EDIT 01/09/2014: I’ve recently discovered 01 Beige Pale is a better match)
4. Chanel Perfection Lumiere in Beige 10
5. Urban Decay Naked Skin in 3.5
6. Kat Von D Lock-it Tattoo Foundation in Light 48
7. Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in 07
8. Hera CC Cream in 02 Natural Beige
9. Missha Cho Bo Yang BB Cream in 02 Calm Beige
10. Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream in 21 Light Beige
11. Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail BB Cream
12. Etude House Precious Mineral Cotton Fit BB Cream in W13 Natural Beige
13. Kat Von D Lock-it Powder Foundation in Light 44
14. MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC20 or (wouldn’t you know it?) NC25
That cheat sheet should be helpful for those with a neutral, light skin tone similar to mine. I realize that includes a limited number of people, but the good news is, there are some pretty amazing online resources that can provide anyone a great starting point when looking for a foundation match.
Findation.com
If you know what your perfect match is in at least one foundation, you can try Findation.com, which will give you a list of matches in a huge spectrum of brands. I find that for the most part, Findation gets it pretty close. Many of the matches have been correct for me, though there were also a handful that were off. It’s a great place to start though, and will give you a good idea of what range to search within.
Sephora Color IQ
There’s an in-store Color IQ matching system in a lot of stores, which involves some sort of computerized contraption that “reads” your skin tone and then tells you what your matches are. I’ve heard mixed reviews, but it’s not available in my area yet, so I haven’t tried it. I did try the online version, which asks you to input your foundation match for one brand, and then gives you a list of likely matches for other brands based on that information. I found that most of the matches were accurate, but there were also a couple that weren’t quite right.
Temptalia’s Foundation Matrix
I consider Temptalia’s Foundation Matrix to be the original online foundation matching tool. You’ll need some idea of what your skin tone is to use it, but it works by giving you matches in a multitude of brands based on your answers to a very short list of questions. It’s not as specific as Findation.com, but still a great place to begin!
Finished look.
Have you had a difficult time finding your MAC match, or any other foundation match? Is your skin tone difficult to assess? Do beauty associates often guess your tone incorrectly? I want to hear your tales of foundation woe!
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I’m listening!! You can shout at me anytime about your perfect foundation match! 🙂 Thank you for explaining this so well. I’ve been wearing MAC foundations on and off for twenty years, and I’ve never heard that explanation for NC/NW before. I had it completely backwards LOL! You’re making me rethink my NC20 status. Your skin tone is very similar to mine. I have both pink and yellow in my skin, depending on what part of my face you’re looking at. I will def check out NC15 next time I’m at MAC. Maybe I’ve found a better match. NC20 was close, but maybe I’m actually NW! Thanks again, I love your blog. You do the kind of research I truly appreciate!
Thanks, Angel! You made my day! I’d love an update when you find out what your match is. 🙂 I’m glad I could help with the NW/NC thing – it really is confusing!
I need help to find a color to match me, can you tell me where I can found the foundation for my face
I’m like it yellow tan
Great post. ^^ To to the truth, I’ve never been matched, as I only wear BB Cream and not foundation. However, I ESTIMATE that I’m a NW20 based on what other people using the same Missha cover as me are using. Lol. Not super professional, I know.
Which Missha color are you? I think you might even be fairer than NW20, but I’m basing that solely on your blog photos. I’d guess NW15 – but then, it took me several trips to MAC to figure out my own color, so take that with a grain of salt! 😉
My skin tone is a pain in the *ss to find. I have both yellow and pink undertones and on top of that I have dark skin. Because of that sometimes certain brand have my skin tone but when I put on my skin turns out to be ashy. And the cherry on the cake is that I’m between medium and deep skin. I’m helpless!
Ack! Juanita, that sounds like a nightmare! Do you have any good matches? Which brand/color have you had the most success with?
I recently got the Kat Von D Lock It foundation and the shade M64 was a pretty good match, then I received in a swap a second bottle and guess what? The shade is the same, at least is what the package tells me but the swatch is different! Never heard about that! Thank God is working now in the summer when my yellow undertone get dominant hahahahahah And the other good match is from CoverGirl All Day Flawless for dark skin tones in Q810 I would say that is my perfect match… for now!
That’s so strange about the Kat Von D shade change! Was there a big difference between the two?
Sorry for the late reply! I think the shade it’s pretty much the same but the undertone that before was more pink went totally yellow! So now I have to use the pink one in the winter and the yellow when I’m more tan, as I think I change undertones too. Like if my skin wasn’t troubled enough!
Pretty sure one may be a dupe.they are getting very good with dupe packaging now a days that’s why I find it hard to trust unless I buy straight from a place like sephora or the actual manufacture.amazon are even passing off dupes as the real deal.
I did not know about these wizard online foundation match machines!! Thank you!!
I’m glad you finally found your match 🙂 It looks great.
Thanks, Arielle! Me too! I love the online wizards. Findation might be my favorite of the three, but I spend an embarrassing amount of time with all of them.
Nice post!
I have trouble with this too, I have yellow and green undertones >: Red/pink just makes my skin look irritated or masky. But I live in a country where a lot of people have pink in their skin. Pretty much the reason I got into Asian brands was because I was FINALLY able to find products that matched my yellow/green or at least were not pink!
I agree 100% about the Asian brands making things easier! Here’s a question for you – do green undertones fall into a warm or cool spectrum? Or are they a class all their own?
The color system at MAC still annoys me, even with my pro “status” lol! I’m an NC30 in Studio Tech, but not in other formulas(I can go anywhere from NC20-NC35) because they are either too light, oddly dark, or oxidize orange on me, so I just stick to my C4 in face and body(it’s just an easier everyday formula for when I’m not going hard core face), so I can totally empathize with you when it comes to color matching. Weird that the artist would have matched you as an NW(when I look at your pic, the idea of an NW makes me go “that would make her face not match her neck”), the NC definitely looks better. MACs foundations are one of those things that really have to be worked with to find “the one” and it’s frustrating that there is no consistency among their formulations.
I’m rambling.
Glad you found something that works, though! lol!
Agreed! MAC foundations do seem to require some persistence! How’s the coverage & finish for the face and body formula? I’m curious about that one!
To the artist’s credit – the NW did look like it *could* be a match. I even wore the NW15 for a couple of days before I took it back. It was very close, but had a slightly dulling effect on my overall tone that also looked a smidge dark for me in certain light. But I’m glad I took it back – the NC15 (and even the NW13) are both much better!
F&B is super low coverage and maybe, maaaaybe buildable to medium if you let it sit for a bit to thicken up or just like to layer product. At one layer, it’s just enough to take out light redness and balance skin tone and is very forgiving because of its sheerness, but it’s definitely for skin that has no major problems/just needs a little bump. The formula is very watery, but a little goes a long way and it’s easily spreadable, and feels like a light moisturizer on my skin. It separates, so you have to give the bottle a good shake, like Chanel’s Aqua Lumiere(I think that’s the one with the little shaker ball in it?) but the regular size bottle seems to last forever, and you can always pop it in the fridge for coolness in the summer and keeping it even longer. Finish wise, definitely a dewy/satin kind of deal going on, but powder mattes it down nicely without getting cakey. No SPF so it’s great for photography since there’s no flash bounceback. F&B and StudioTech(full, but not hardcore pancake full coverage) are probably my favorite (and only) MAC foundations I use; not a fan of the rest of the lineup sadly so I turn to other brands for more “medium” coverage, or even a BB cream.
I just stumbled across your blog and I’m so happy I did! I too am part japanese (although my features don’t reflect that) with fair skin similar to yours, and something about the asian skin tone makes it so hard to find a match! I had given up on MAC but now I’m gonna give it another go. Have you tried the studio fix powder plus foundation?
BTW love the blog & your gorgeous!
Haha I am not the only Neutral person alive! Ok So here is the think with MAC that I discovered most all of the liquid foundations are either NW or NC which is true, but they do have a powder foundation that come in N (applause ladies and gentleman that is N for Neutral)! I am an N4 or and N3 depending on the season. Although I am of a different heritage Irish and Native American. I use a concealer and blend out any imperfections and then the powder on a brush for the entire face. Building over any concealed areas to even out the tone. The studio FX powder comes with a sponge pad for more coverage, but I thankfully rarely need it. Try it out!
Hey Tracy! You know, I’ve seen the N colors in the powder and the face and body foundation online before, and have always wondered about them. I might need to go to my MAC counter and take a closer look. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Holy Hanah! I read this article and think I have found my twin in my foundation search. I am filipino, chinese, and spanish. I tan easily and vacillate my colouring throughout the year. I am also prone to hormonal acne and utilize acne medications that flare up the redness in my cheeks. MAC always viewed me as warm and coloured me NC30-35 (summer) but also it “never felt right”. They never seemed to notice that my poor neck was lighter and always looked toward my cheeks which were often redder:. must be warmer. Blush on and some oxidation in a few hrs…omg I was an ompa loompa. I have gone through so many foundations and have since embraced the neutral position, but in winter I tend to go towards the yellower ones I own. Eg.: Winter: 02 in L de P Guerlain (neutral leaning pink), PL Chanel 03 (neutral leaning yellow), and PRF Shiseido in 04 (most yellow foundation I own); Summer: YSL Teint ?forgot the name…beautiful glass bottle in BD5 (beige medium) and SSE KA 10 (beige medium) and Chanel on work days with bronzer as it just works so well for long days. If I lived-in a climate where the seasons were not so fluctuant I am sure this would have been solved more quickly but I don’t and have become confident enough to try different looks and “play” with my foundation now depending on my skin condition, type of day (work or at home), and weather. Thank you for bringing to the attention of others that we need to believe in our gut and not believe everything a MUA states if we feel it conflicts with our skin! Sample sample, sample and have fun! Thanks so much for the article!!!
You’re welcome, Lisa! How do you like the YSL foundation? I’ve often thought about trying it but haven’t yet. I would love to know how you feel about it!
And yes! Samples, all the way. 🙂
I’m the same as you, I have an in between of yellow and cool undertones (I’m half Turkish-Cypriote), and whenever I get a colour match it’s always wrong! I’m very fair skinned, yet they always put me in a darker colour, I have no idea why. It doesn’t help that the fluorescent lights in the shop change your skin tone. I bet loads of women have been mismatched because of this. They should really do something about it.
I’ve settled with YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat in B10. It’s the perfect match (I decide to match it to my neck so I don’t have a floating face), but the foundation is too dewy, so I end up like an oil slick towards the end of the day. Le sigh, the search continues.
This is almost word for word my foundation problem, although I am a few steps behind. I have ‘always’ been NC25, neutral (plenty of yellow, but not warm) and I am part Chinese. NC25 has never been quite right, but I have still used it as my reference for finding other foundations as, like you, I thought the ‘not quite right’ was just the various types of MAC foundation I had been using, not the colour. Yesterday, I was matched to NW20 and it all became clear, I am not NC25! Problem solved..except, I put it on today and it is far too pink (and somehow a bit dark, even though by number it is lighter than my benchmark NC25). There is no MAC counter near me (yesterdays match was at an airport), so I have to use online options. Instinctively I would have exchanged the NW20 for NC20 as dropping to NC15 (from NC25 and occasionally on holiday NC30 for the last 15 years) would have seemed a bit of a leap. Do you find that 15 is not actually that much lighter than NC25 just a different tone? Any help would assist in me keeping my sanity! Thanks
Hey Dina! NC15 is a definitely lighter, but the tone is also different. NC20 might be a good pick for you if NC25 was close. I’d love an update on what color you decide to go with and how it worked out for you. Good luck! I definitely feel your frustration.
I really want to know the difference between Nc and Nw. I got Nc50 and discovered its dark on me so I went ahead and got Nc43 but Nc43 is white on me, I’m thinking of getting Nc45. Please make me understand. I’m light in complexion…should I try Nw or still maintain the NC? Is NC for light skin and Nw for dark skin? Thanks .
please give a review shade mac spf fluid foundation NC35/30 . I CAN’T MATCH MY FOUNDATION MATCH… 🙁
MY SKIN TONE: WARM FAIR
Thank you. I’m half Japanese and I thought I was the only woman in the country with a makeup drawer of foundations. Right now I have full bottle of foundations that are mismatched Nars, Laura Mercier (2), Marc Jacobs, Dior, Givenchy. I just returned a Dior Airflash and YSL. I also just tossed a Smashbox Halo foundation in the trash because there was nothing I liked about it. In the past couple of months I’ve wasted some $500 on foundation alone.
I’m going to try some of the shades you have as our skin tone is very similar. I’ve been color matched by Mac in three different shades–all either too yellow, too pink, or too ashy (reads looks like death).
Thank you again for posting this information.
Good luck, Cate! I hope you find your perfect match! When you do, I’d love to know what shades you wind up loving.
THANK YOU. I am neutral-toned as well and it looks like we are the same shade. 🙂 I have been feeling so limited because I’m scared to be yellow or pink. I though before this I was limited to Dior, because it has been the only truly neutral foundation I tried. I’m relieved to know someone else has this obstacle and has persevered and overcome it. Thank you so much for this huge list of choices!
Thank you for this blog! I was away to buy nc20 online and realised that it’s actually darker than photos:) this had made my night as now I know what nc and nw means! Thank you so much
Hey thanku so much for that great post. Guess what I have the same skin tone as yours. And I went to a store to try MAC studio fix and I tried these two shades, nc15 and nw13 and nc 15 was a perfect match for me whereas nw13 was little light but im plannig to buy both!! But which studio fix powder to use for nc15 and nw13? I think with nc15 it would be nc20 but what bout nw13?
I have the exact same issues as you, and I’m pretty sure the exact same color as you too. I don’t recommend the Sephora color IQ, it always “matches” me with foundations that are so far too yellow it’s laughable. If you like matte foundations, MUFE Mat Velvet+ in 25 or 30 should work well for you 🙂 thanks for the post!
this was helpful ty
I’ve had so many issues with this, I can’t even tell you! I’ve never been to MAC, but when I get more money someday, I will no doubt make it my staple I’m sure. I went to Sephora a few times for a foundation match and sometimes it was too yellow, other times it was just painted thickly on…
The problem is there’s so many brands with so many shades, but they all seem to be the wrong shade. I tried hundreds of swatches on myself in Sephora and they were all WAY too pink or WAY too yellow.
How do all those colors on your arm fit your skin tone? They all look so drastically different! Do you mix and match them?
The biggest issue I have is the color is always too dark for my neck. I can’t find one light enough that doesn’t make me look like a vampire haha.
Cool post 🙂
I just found this blog post. I know it’s forever later, but I have to say that I am so happy that I did find it. I have been wearing warm golden tones my whole life and I am just now realizing that I am a cool. It feels like I have been wearing the wrong face! The only reason that I am coming to this conclusion is that my husband just told me he likes me better without make up because my face always looks too yellow. I too am a neutral with both pink and yellow tones. You have inspired me to keep looking and not give up. Thank you!
I’ve had the same issue. Other counters as well. People look at me and automatically think I’m a little darker than I actually am. It’s not until they try foundations on my face that they realize I’m lighter.
I’m neutral tone as well and a lot of foundations are too pink or yellow. NC 15 is the best match I found so far. 🙂
How did the Chanel foundation work out for you? I’m thinking of trying it and this was a huge help in the shade I should order. Thank you! 🙂
I know this is years later but I found this blog post to be really helpful. I was on the search for a new foundation and yet again people were trying to put me in darker shades and the wrong skin tones. It took a lot of experimentation and reading this post confirmed that I’m a neutral.
I am from Kerala, India. Plz suggest me a product number for my skin for my marriage. I am totally confused. I am a medium colored skin tone(wheatish) .
I was wondering what shade you think in the MAC colors would match with Kat Von D’s Light 46?
I have had the hardest time finding foundation esp with MAC, FOREVER, and im still on the search. I am super pale and neutral and sometimes i look more pink others more yellow. Im recently new to Mac esp and am loving their products but trying to buy foundation from them is not fun and always ends up disappointing. My first purchase was the mineralize foundation and the girl matched me NC15, looked fine in the incredibly low lit store, once i got to my car holy orange oompa loompa face. Next i went to try the studio fix fluid, matches this time to NW10 which actually was perfect but hated how the foundation sat on my skin. Returned it and what do you know thats their only line that has NW10. Next was the Matchmaster found. in 1, still was slightly off. And lastly just bought the Pro longwear waterproof which i LOVE the product but was matched at NC20 this time which sounded off obv since my perfect is NW10 n even when i said so she said it was perfect and its so awkward i just bought it. Once again a tad too much orange. Like i said exhausting, between the color never being right and the awkwardness when i want something other than what the mac mua suggests im about to just throw in the towel and look for a diff brand. Esp since ive wanted to try the pro longwear concealer for so long now but they dont have one even close to as light as me.
Thanks so much for sharing this info and resources. 🙂
My foundation was discontinued, and another had the formula changed, so I’m on the hunt for a new brand and color. Already some hits and misses, and it’s made more difficult by the fact I’m not in the U.S. and I can’t just go to the counter and try something.
Hey, I have been trying all the foundation since 1 year but couldn’t succeed. Please help me out. I have skin tone between fair and medium. And i have combination skin. Please tell me.
Hello thnx fr such detailed info 🙂 bt my problem is tht i cant evn get to knw my skin tone plus undertone… sometimes i think its neutral and sometimes its warm… i hv green viens bt they dont tend towards olive… and i dont knw abt my undertone… i may sound a loser bt its like this.. currently i m.using studio fix fluid NC 40… which most of the time gives me ashy looks.. desperate to knw my foundation color…
Wow! This is great! I’m the exact same shade as your pictures in bright daylight, but a touch darker and warmer in artificial lighting. I’m scrolling through the comments and realizing many other people struggling with their foundation color are also mixed Asian, like I am (half-Korean). My biggest problem is that I only apply sunscreen on my face (bad, I know, but I’m lazy), so my arms and legs are way tan-ner (how do you say that?) than my face/neck/décolleté, so foundation always looks “too light” even when it matches the skin underneath. What would you recommend I do? I’m thinking maybe NC20, since the tan makes my arms look distinctly warm toned-but I don’t want to have to put foundation on my chest to blend out! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Excellent research! Been looking for the kind of info you supplied and esp. pictures of sample colors; i’m in my sixties but this not only helps but is also a jumpstart to explore colors myself. The amount of time and expense finding your matching color is admirable and glad this info is still availabe.
Yes! I’m hispanic with light to medium skin color with “warm” undertones. MAC associate tested NW25 in the store…I don’t know if the lighting is different, but it looked fine at the time. Tried it at home…and it was off. :/ just kinda orangey on my skiin. Sounds like I should have been matched with an NC25! I’m returning! Thanks for your blog! 😀
Great article. I, too, am very neutral. I have had people give me ridiculous make up, saying it looked great and was a match, only to go home and, uh, no, lol. Perhaps the lighting in those places are a large part of the blame, though. Even a minimally trained cosmetic counter girl cant be that blind. Like you, ive come to realize that I can pick which type of look I want to go with. What was once a pain is actually quite fun. To beable to switch between warm and cool toned foundation is awesome.
This post is very helpful, I love it! I, too, am half-japanese and was matched to a very yellow-toned NC mac foundation. The more I experimented with my foundation shades the more I also did realize that they varied from both warm and cool tones; however, its hard for me to let go of the “warm tone” label, but i’m working on it (:
thank you! it was really helpful
Hi, o this was such a relief to read. I’ve bought 5 wrong colours of foundation by now (and it costs me loads of money). I often let the shopkeeper asses my skin tone but they always asses me too yellow or orange, in the store it looks fine but when I start wearing it I always get told that it’s too dark a foundation.
My question for you: when you went back Each time, did they allow you to return the product? Or did you just have to invest yourself?
Thanks for this! Definately going to go to the stores soon again and try these brands.
A girl from Holland.
This is an old post but I wanted to thank you for sharing! I’m half-Taiwanese and am still struggling to find the perfect match in a foundation that also doesn’t irritate or break out my sensitive skin. We seem to have a very similar shade/tone. I’m going to try NC15/NW13 and hopefully find my match. thanks again :))
Hello! Based on the pictures and swatches, girl, you are CLEARLY with PINK undertones! I see the foundation swatches on your arm, not one yellow-based foundation blended in with your very pink skin, however, the pink/cool undertone foundations seem to match it really well! And not to disappoint you but the final look looked like the foundation was too yellow for you 🙁
Well, I am still not completely convinced, even though your review was very good. I have light, neutral skin and I am not able to find a match. The girl at the MAC store didn’t know what she was doing, so I gave up. Usually I can go with the lightest shade in any foundation, but now I am really lost. For example, I wear 01 in Dior Nude Serum… can you help me a little bit, please? I know this post is like 4 years old but I give it a try lol…
A bit late to the party, but thanks so much for this post! I can’t believe how similar our skin tone is (looking at those photos, in any case). I’ve had hell since my teens trying to find a foundation that matches my skin tone. It doesn’t help that I need full coverage, so it really shows when I get it wrong. My mother has warm tones and my dad’s are cool so maybe that’s why mine are neutral yellow-leaning. I’ve got blue eyes and rosacea, so I’ve always been matched to cool shades, only to walk into daylight looking like a lobster. Double Wear in Ivory Nude is a great match for me but the formula is really drying on my lizard lobster skin. Armani Designer Shaping Cream in 2 is also a nice match, a tad too warm but more forgiving as it has less coverage. Those are about the only two that don’t look ridiculous on me. The search continues. Again, thanks for the great read and the resources!
I’m obviously finding this post late in the game, but I can’t tell you how thankful I am!!! I’m N18 in MAC Prolongwear and I had a similar reaction as when you found your MAC match… I told everyone who found it completely not exciting, while I was ecstatic! Before that, I pretty much always left Sephora, MAC, etc. feeling like my face was too warm or too light. Neutral-cool skin tones really seem to throw makeup artists off for some reason!
Anyways, my point is to say THANK YOU for the swatches and I GET IT on the neutral/cool struggle. I’m really excited to try some of the BB creams you mentioned. I’m actually of Native American, German & Italian descent, but often find Asian BB creams fit my skin tone really well. Thanks again!
Thank you for your helpful post! I did try to use the Sephora Color IQ match system (online version) and I have to be honest, it was way off. I have shin the shade of Elmer’s glue with pink undertones. In any foundation, if there’s an “alabaster” or “porcelain” shade or 001, that’s usually me. For example, in Dermablend, I’m a Chroma 0, no joke. In Lancome, where their shades in the majority of their foundations begin at 110, I can only wear 2 of their foundation products that happen to come in shade 90. The Sephora match put me at 23 shades DARKER than what I would normally match, and where the sales girl put me. She was surprised at the online result too. She said, “Wow, this is coming out way too dark on you.” So, I’d not recommend the Color IQ system, but if you are going to rely on it, then do it in-store so the sales lady can swatch you and say “oops,” then she can recommend a GOOD shade. Your post was so helpful and the swatches you showed really reveals the different tone options, and how the shade can look good in a bottle but once it is on the skin, you can see the difference. Thank you for your post!!
always always always.. they always give me a tone darker than my skintone.. which looks okay in the store’s blinding lights.. n as soon as i come home, i look muddy.. m tired of wasting money on wrong foundation shades
From the MAC website: “NW15 – light beige with NEUTRAL undertones for light skin”. So all those NWs and NCs are [to some extent] misnomers and we should be looking for the right shade unbiased, going outside of the shopping centre in the daylight to have a look in a pocket mirror, bringing a friend and trying our best!
Your experience is really helpful. Your skin is beautiful without foundation! Thanks a million!
Thank you for your article and review! I know it’s years later but this was a big help to me. Like you, I am half-Asian (half-Taiwanese, half-Caucasian). It has always been a struggle finding the right makeup for my skin tone. Often it turns out too orange, too pink or way too pale and washed out. I’ve accepted I have warm and cool tones, yellow and pink (more yellow). Fair-medium neutral shades seem to work best. I followed your recommendation to try Findation.com and came up with some interesting new matches. Can’t wait to try some of them out!
Curious.. ive been having the hardest time finding matches with Dior, Chanel, GA, and MAC. All recommended by beauty blogs.
Did you ever try Shiseido since you are half Japanese?
A Shiseido rep was helping me to try and color match GA (about my 7th different color match through 3 different stores) and then I tried the shiseido one to amuse her, but it worked on the first try!
Hi! Thanks! Now I fully understand. It also helped me to remember the “Not Warm” and “Not Cool”. God bless you
Ugh- yes! I am still on the hunt. I was also originally matched to NW20 in Mineralize Moisture, but I find it looks a hair dark and a little grey on me. I would say I’m neutral but I think I lean a little more to the warm side, which would explain the grey tone nw20 gives me. I think I might also really be nc15. I’m not looking forward to getting rematched…. They seem to be so often wrong. I think my undertone is hard to assess. Is fair olive a thing? Maybe that’s my problem. Why is it so difficult?!