# Help me match foundations for people as a MUA?



## colorlvr (Jul 28, 2009)

I am a new MUA (well, soon to be certified, anyway) for Lancome and I am having trouble matching foundations for people.  Lancome is very generous with their foundation samples, so people come to the counter a lot asking to be matched and given some to try.

My question is, why do some foundations look yellow, some look pink, some look orangey - and how do you use these different bases to the clients advantage?  Are you supposed to match the base to their tone, like, if someone is a pinky tone, you would use pinky base?

Or, on the contrary, are you supposed to neutralize those tones?  The other day I had a client with very red skin - I used the yellow base on her and it seemed to really help take the red off.

Anyways - what are the "rules" for matching foundation?  I am also confused by all the wording - bisque, buff, ivoire, porcelein, honey, etc...  what does it all mean??  Its so overwhelming.

Thanks in advance...


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## BeautyizPain (Jul 28, 2009)

Hi there..well unfortunately i cannot help with the question you are asking but i'm just a little upset knowing that there are MUA's out there working that are selling high priced foundations and so forth and do not even know if they are suggesting the correct color..this is nothing against you but certainly against Lancome (and any other companies who do this)..i mean i think that is something an MUA should know before even starting the job...i guess thats why i was color matched to 3 different shades in the winter..it was a total waste of my time and money if the first MUA got it right the first time..i'm totally sorry if i'm going on a rant here but this struck a chord with me right away...i think you should go to your superiors for help with that question...well again nothing against you and good luck with your new job..


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## xLongLashesx (Jul 29, 2009)

didn't they cover foundation matching in your course?

I'm eagerly awaiting any answers for this thread as I've often wondered myself! (I'm not a MUA btw 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





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## colorlvr (Jul 29, 2009)

BeautyizPain - NO OFFENSE taken AT ALL.  I agree with you!  I have been on the floor working hand-on since Day 1 with no formal training in MU besides my own personal experience with my makeup addiction.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  I might put a call into my Account Manager and see what he has to say.  All I know, is that we are to work with the customer very closely and THEY make the final call.  We like to get three different shades on their face and let them make the final choice.  A lot of times, I will grab a shade, put it on their hand and before I even blend it in, they say "Thats too light" and we move on.  So I've really been relying on what the customer has to say.

I agree with what you are saying that someone without training should not be selling high end makeup unless they really know the line.  I try to make it right for the customer by making absolutely sure that they know they can return anything that they do not find totally satisfactory once they get home.  Its all I can do until I am more confident -

Lashes - I will definitely post anything I find out on this topic and in the meantime, I hope some others will chime in!


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## Mabelle (Jul 29, 2009)

Speak to your manager ASAP about being trained to colour match. This is pretty ridiculous. I would think this would be the first thing covered with you!

I mean, not only is it annoying if you get colour matched wrong, but it's also a loss for the company. Whatever the customer returns is not resellable (thus a loss), if it continues to happen they might not come back, and the effect of lost of returns is usually a price increase. This is bad news bears.

I know i've been colour matched wrong twice at the same counter (MUFE). I went the first time, and it looked ok in stores. Brought it home and i was too yellow. Brought it back, same thing happened. Still too yellow. Finally (since i lost my receipt) i did a somewhat dishonest thing, and exchanged it at a sephora in NYC. The MUA knew his shit and colour matched me in about two seconds. I was very pleased!


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## Licota (Jul 29, 2009)

All I can say, and what I have understand about foundation-matching, is that you have to think about even out the tone - have the colorsircle in your mind. Yellow evens out the pink, and orangey evens out the blue. If you see that a people have some redness in their skin, they most certainly have  pink undertones. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Try for yourself home for instance - red lipstick, and put some yellow-based foundation upon that. Evens out? 

This is what I know! And I'm not a MUA either.


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## ShugAvery2001 (Jul 29, 2009)

you should get X makeup book immediately

Bobbi Brown covers foundation matching in her new book as well as others.
you should also look up color correcting (which is why you may use a peachy/orangy/salmon base

Search the internet read books QUICK... 

yikes


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## dulcekitty (Jul 31, 2009)

Find the basic range of colors for the tone of skin you're matching (fair, light, medium, dark) in the foundations and try 3 swatches of foundation along the jawline with different undertones. The goal is to make the face match the neck. You want the most exact color match, you can do your color correcting with primers and concealers. The one that disappears the best is your correct color. 

Try not to tell the customer "This is your color!!!" because they more likely will feel forced into that color even if they don't like it. Ask them which one they like the best. Usually they already know what they like and it lessens the chance for a return. If it's just for dramming, give the best match. If it's for a sale, DO apply it on them and let them see what it'll look like. Even a cheek is fine. Lots of returns will kill you at a counter.

I've worked for different brands (including Lancome) and had to relearn a bunch of new foundation names each time.  You just have to learn them and memorize how deep each color is. The more you do it, the easier it gets. It also gets easier to guess people's undertone. Now I usually get the perfect match in the first try.


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## colorlvr (Jul 31, 2009)

Had a chat with my account exec today...

First you find the type of foundation they need, and what issues they want to address.  How much coverage are they after?  Sheer, moderate, full?  Do they want moisture, too?  Or, are they oily and need an oil-free base with a nice, matte, dry-down?  Then once you find the type of foundation, then within that you decide on an intensity - for Lancome, that is 1 - 5.  Then, within the intensity, you can choose from warm/cool/neutral bases of pink, yellow, and neutral.  My account exec said you can MATCH the tones, and you can also work opposite the tones to cancel out red/yellow and sallow-ness.

Anyhow - I was more confident today, and will keep practicing.

Keep the good advice coming - it all helps!


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## colorlvr (Jul 31, 2009)

Kitty - THANK YOU your post helped a lot!  Any extra info you can share about Lancome, I'd be very interested in!


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## colorlvr (Jul 31, 2009)

I have Bobbi Brown "Beauty" is that a good one??


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## Karhinoplastie (Aug 12, 2009)

Hi! I always felt too scared of applying for a job in the make up industry because of foundation matching, haha! Your post was very helpful. If you have trouble finding out if someone has cool, neutral or warm undertones, check out this article (part 1 and 2): 

The Next Best Thing to Going Shopping Yourself: Warm, cool, what does it all mean?


HTH!


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