Choosing the right foundation shade is a pretty important task if you want your makeup to look its best, whether that’s with a natural makeup look or more of a trendy glam vibe. Go too light and you can look washed out or sick, but go too dark and you get the dreaded line of demarcation along your jaw/neck that makes it look like you’re wearing a mask. So, you just have to find one in the middle, right? Well, with so many factors to consider like which shade matches your actual skin tone versus your undertone, what kind of finish you want, how long you need it to last, and more, it’s enough to make your head spin. But, Maybelline New York is here to teach you how to choose the right foundation shade with a few simple tricks, including our game-changing Virtual Try-On Studio.
Understanding Skin Tone vs. Undertone
You may have heard the terms ‘skin tone’ and ‘undertone’ used interchangeably, but they’re actually quite different. Both matter when choosing your foundation, though, so it’s important to understand them.
Skin Tone
Skin tone is the surface layer of color you see when you look at your skin, which is determined by the amount of melanin you have. So, if you have less melanin, you’ll be on the fair or lighter end of the spectrum, but if your skin is more melanated, you have more pigment and will want to look on the tan to deep end of the foundation shade range.
Undertone
Undertone, on the other hand, refers to the subtle color beneath your skin tone. Are you warm, cool, neutral, or olive? Luckily, the names of the undertone families are somewhat self-explanatory with warm tones having more yellow and orange, while cool tones have more blue and red. If you don’t fall under either of those categories, you might be neutral-toned, which means that you have equal amounts of warmth and coolness.
Identifying Your Undertone
Figuring out your undertone is a crucial step in finding the perfect foundation match. Maybelline offers a couple of simple methods to help you identify yours.
The Vein Test
You can figure out your undertone by looking at the veins in your wrist. If they’re blue or purple, you’re likely cool-toned. Green veins usually mean you’re warm or olive-toned, and blue-green signals neutral.
The Jewelry Trick
There’s also the jewelry trick, which is a bit more simplistic and a little less scientific, but can give you a quick idea of what undertone you’re working with. Typically, those who look best in gold jewelry are warm-toned, and those who prefer silver are cool-toned.
Maybelline Foundation Formulas and Their Undertone Suitability
Maybelline offers a variety of foundation formulas, each designed to cater to different skin types and preferences. Understanding these can help you narrow down your choices, especially when considering warm undertones.
Fit Me! Matte + Poreless Foundation
The Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation is best suited for normal to oily skin types. Its formula is designed to control shine and minimize the appearance of pores, making it ideal for those with oily or combination skin who desire a matte finish. It is available in 40 shades, designed to provide a seamless match for diverse skin tones and textures, from fair to deep, with options for cool to warm undertones. This foundation provides medium coverage with a natural, matte finish and is buildable. It is also non-comedogenic, meaning it does not clog pores, making it a suitable choice for those prone to breakouts or acne.
Fit Me! Dewy + Smooth Foundation
Whether you have dry skin or are just really into a dumpling-like, glass skin finish, the Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation may be the one for you. It packs hydrating Vitamin E that goes to work on dry, rough patches, smoothing out texture and imparting a healthy, radiant glow. This range also offers shades that cater to warm undertones, providing a dewy finish without accentuating dryness.
Super Stay® Lumi-Matte Foundation
While it may sound like it’s too good to be true to achieve a matte finish that’s still glowy, the Super Stay Lumi-Matte Foundation is here to show you it’s possible. This foundation is airy and lightweight, but it’s also buildable along with transfer-, water-, and sweat-resistant for 30-hour wear, making it the perfect formula for all skin types. It aims for a matte finish that still looks natural and can accommodate various undertones.
Instant Age Rewind® Eraser Foundation
Specially formulated for mature and dry skin, the Instant Age Rewind Eraser won’t settle into fine lines and wrinkles, but rather disguises them for a smooth, even-toned finish. The goji berry and collagen-infused formula moisturizes skin while providing coverage, so you get instant and long-lasting results. This formula often includes shades suitable for warm undertones, offering a hydrating and smoothing effect.
Super Stay® Up to 24HR Hybrid Powder-Foundation
Prefer a powder formula? Super Stay Up to 24HR Hybrid Powder-Foundation has you covered. The medium to full coverage foundation is fueled by unique hybrid technology that gives you the performance of a liquid and the comfort of a powder. Unlike outdated powder formulas that are prone to caking and cracking, this unbelievable powder has a creamy feel that glides on like butter and blurs imperfections like a dream. This hybrid formula often comes in shades that complement warm undertones.
Shades of Maybelline Fit Me Compact Powder for All Skin Tones 2021 (Shade Guide)
How to Find Your Perfect Warm Undertone Shade
Finding the exact match for your warm undertone involves a few key steps to ensure accuracy.
Swatching on Your Jawline
While it might be easier to swatch foundation formulas on the back of your hand, the most accurate way to find your match is by swatching along your jawline. Follow these steps to find your Maybelline New York Foundation shade:
- Start with Clean Skin: In order to choose the right foundation shade, make sure you’re swatching on clean skin - you don’t want to be wearing any makeup that will interfere with your shade selection.
- Consider Tanning: If you know you’ll have a spray tan, you may want to wait to swatch until you have a better idea of the shade you’ll be.
- Target Your Undertone: If you already have a good idea of what your undertone is (e.g., warm), you can go straight to that color family and swatch a few shades within it.
- Compare Shades: If you’re not too sure which undertone you are yet, take one foundation shade from each of the four color families (warm, cool, neutral, or olive) that match closely with your skin tone (fair, light, light medium, medium, tan, dark, or deep) and swatch stripes next to one another on your jawline to compare. Whichever shade blends most seamlessly into your skin is the one for you!
- Consider Your Outfit: If you’re selecting a foundation for a special event and you know what you’ll be wearing, it’s smart to wear that color while you’re swatching.
- Adjust if Necessary: If you’ve swatched several shades and they all seem a bit off, you might want to go back and try a shade lighter or darker.
- Check Lighting: If you can, try to take a look at the swatches in different lighting because your foundation can look like a perfect match in artificial light and a disaster in natural light, or vice versa.
Utilizing Maybelline's Tools
If you don’t have the luxury of swatching different shades on your jawline and want to take out all the guesswork of choosing your foundation shade, head straight to Maybelline's Foundation Shade Finder.
- Virtual Try-On Studio: Your browser will likely ask for permission to use your camera, so grant access in order to begin and click the “start” button. A message will appear, asking if you’re ready to take a selfie. For the best results, follow the selfie tips: be in a well-lit room or standing in front of a window for natural light. An oval will appear; make sure your face fits the frame and click the shutter button to capture your image. If your image was captured correctly (sans shadows), it’ll take you directly to your color match.
- Question-Based Finder: You can use the shade finder without using a selfie, too. Instead, you’ll have to answer a few extra questions. It’ll ask you to identify your undertone by examining the color of your veins. Then, you’ll be asked to select a face from three images that best resembles your coloring.
What to Do If Your Foundation Shade Isn't Quite Right
If you wound up with the wrong foundation shade, there are a few ways around it. You can dilute your foundation by mixing it with a primer or moisturizer to adjust the color and texture slightly.
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