How to find your foundation shade
Getting your shade right comes down to two things: how light or deep your skin is, and the undertone under it. Here are six steps that get you to a shade that disappears on your face, with the lighting and swatch tricks that make the difference.
Want a head start? Upload a photo and we will read your depth and undertone and list the closest shades from 106 brands. It is free and the photo is deleted once you have seen the result.
Six steps to your shade
1. Start in daylight
Stand near a window in the daytime, away from direct sun. Indoor bulbs run warm and screens run blue, and both shift how your skin and the swatch look. If you shop in a store, ask to step to the door or a window before you decide.
2. Work out your depth
Depth is how light or deep your skin is. Brands sort their ranges from the lightest shades to the deepest ones, so your depth tells you which part of the range to look at. Pick the area where the face of the stick or the swatch looks close to your jaw, not your hand, which is usually a different colour.
3. Work out your undertone
Undertone is the hue under the surface. It is cool when pink or red leads, warm when yellow or golden leads, and neutral when the two are close to balanced. Some people also describe an olive undertone, where a green or grey note sits on top of yellow. Two people with the same depth can need different shades because of undertone.
You will find the usual home checks online: the colour of your veins at the wrist, whether silver or gold jewellery flatters you, and how your skin looks next to a sheet of white paper. Treat them as hints only. They depend on the light, your screen and your own eye, and they often disagree with each other. A measured reading from a photo, or a swatch test, is more reliable.
4. Read the shade code
Many brands put the undertone in the code, often as a letter. A C stands for cool, N for neutral and W for warm, so a shade marked 2N sits at the same depth as 2W but with a different undertone. The numbers are not shared between brands, and some brands name their shades with words instead. If you already own a foundation that works, skip the guessing and use the shade converter to see the closest colour in every other brand.
5. Swatch on your jaw, not your hand
Pick two or three finalists and draw a stripe of each along your jawline, from the cheek towards the neck. The right shade blends into both and you stop seeing the stripe. A shade that looks too light on your hand can still be correct, because hands are often lighter or darker than the face.
6. Wait ten minutes, then look again
Some formulas darken a little as they dry and mix with the oils on your skin. Give each swatch ten minutes, then check it in daylight with a mirror at arm’s length. Take the one you cannot see. If you are choosing between two, take the one that matches your undertone.
Cool, neutral or warm: what to look for
A rough guide. Real skin sits on a scale, not in three boxes.
| Undertone | Skin reads as | Shade code letter |
|---|---|---|
| Cool | Pink or rosy | C |
| Neutral | Balanced, no strong lean | N |
| Warm | Yellow or golden | W |
We counted undertone across 32,172 readings, and the split is different in different countries. See the shade data.
Common mistakes
- Matching to your hand or wrist Hands see more sun and often differ from the face. Match along the jaw instead.
- Choosing under shop lighting Store lights add their own colour. Check the swatch near a window.
- Matching depth and forgetting undertone A shade can be the right lightness and still look grey or orange. Read the code letter.
- Not rechecking in summer Skin often shifts by about one step between summer and winter. Swatch again when the season changes.
Questions people ask
How do I know if my foundation shade is wrong?
Check it in daylight with a mirror held at arm’s length. If you can see a line along your jaw, the shade is off in depth. If your face looks grey, ashy or orange next to your neck, the depth may be right but the undertone is wrong.
Should foundation match my face or my neck?
Match the skin where the foundation will sit and blend it into your neck. If your face and neck differ a lot, pick the shade that disappears on the jaw, which is the edge people see.
Can I find my foundation shade online?
Yes, with limits. A photo tool can narrow hundreds of shades to a few, but the screen, the camera and the light all shift colour. Use the result as a short list, then swatch the finalists on your jaw before you buy.
Does my foundation shade change during the year?
Often by about one step. Sun exposure deepens skin in summer and it fades in winter, while the undertone underneath mostly stays put. Many people keep two nearby shades and mix them.
What if I fall between two shades?
Pick the one that matches your undertone and mix in a little of the neighbouring shade, or buy both and blend them to suit the season.
Skip the guesswork
Read your depth and undertone from one photo, or start from a foundation you already own.