# What's my skin tone?



## SolarWhite (Mar 5, 2009)

Hello everyone. I was wonderin' if someone could help me find my skin tone. Everytime I go to MAC they tell me something different. I don't know if they are looking at the make up I already have on or what.. but everytime it's different. In my life I've been reccomended nw15, nc15 and nc20.
NW15 looks horrible on me. When I wear nw15 it looks like someone put an orange tanner on me.
Am i neutral? yellow? pink?

Thanks

 It was my wedding day and I was preggers, so mind the preggerness, lol.







here is me yesterday with no foundation just some eye makeup, also note my natural roots!!






If you need more pics, let me know. I'd really appreciate any help so I can find the best foundation.


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## LoveMU (Mar 5, 2009)

Hi,

I definitely think you have pink tones in your skin.  That would probably mean that you're NW, but you already said NW 15 doesn't look good.  I would suggest maybe Clinique foundations because they have more pink in them from what I've noticed.


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## Alaana (Mar 5, 2009)

I would say pink undertones too, but if NW15 or NC15 aren’t working from MAC, other brands may are better for you. I have really pale skin; I tried a lot of foundations: NC15 from MAC (too dark), True Match (the right shade was d/c) and Infaillible in Porcelain (too pinkish for me) from L’Oréal (…), then I found the Soft Resistant Make Up in 1 Light from Max Factor by Ellen Betrix and it matched perfectly. Ask for samples and try them at home, never in stores where the light can change the color.


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## SolarWhite (Mar 5, 2009)

If I have pink undertones does that mean I am COOL or WARM?
Is MAC the opposite?


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## reesesilverstar (Mar 5, 2009)

Mac's logic is pinks are warm and yellows are cool.

If it's not working, definitely try out foundations from other lines.


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## Sanayhs (Mar 6, 2009)

NW15 looks like orange crap on me, too. If you like powder foundation, you can try Studio Fix powder in N3 - it's neutral so it won't be orange, and it's quite pale. Plus, it wouldn't enhance the already substantial amount of pink in your skin and rather neutralize it a bit, which can be a good thing!

 For a liquid foundation, my go-to brand is Make Up For Ever.


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## arielle123 (Mar 6, 2009)

Your skin tone looks very similar to mine and I've always had trouble matching shades. NW15 works pretty well in most foundation formulas, but I'm not sure that the NW/NC thing works for me. I think I'm somewhere in between (or that the pinkness in my skin is really more of an overtone and that there is a bit of yellow, but only a bit).

I'd say try NW15, but NC15 is often lighter so that may work too. And if neither work, mac foundations just may not be for you.

I found prescriptives colors to be good since they have a wider range of undertones so it may be easier to find a match if you're having a hard time. And there's MUFE HD of course which a lot of people like


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## nightinggale07 (Mar 6, 2009)

The way I understand it is, pink is cool, and yellow is warm. MAC has NW (not warm) and NC (not cool). So, you'll definitely be leaning towards NW because you look cool skinned to me 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




However, I have cool skin as well, and the NW 15 from MAC's line, is orangey on me. I would suggest another line, like MAKE UP FOREVER. They have an awesome color range!


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## sandrrra (Mar 7, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *nightinggale07* 

 
_The way I understand it is, pink is cool, and yellow is warm. MAC has NW (not warm) and NC (not cool). So, you'll definitely be leaning towards NW because you look cool skinned to me 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




However, I have cool skin as well, and the NW 15 from MAC's line, is orangey on me. I would suggest another line, like MAKE UP FOREVER. They have an awesome color range!_

 






hmm im confused now, I did a live chat with someone from mac and they said if I have skin with pink undertones then I would get the NW foundation but what your saying seems to be the opposite?


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## SolarWhite (Mar 7, 2009)

If you have pink undertones like me that means you wear NW ("Not Warm") Meaning, You aren't Warm, you are *Cool*....

Pink Undertones = Cool, a.k.a "Not Warm"


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## dreamer246 (Mar 7, 2009)

NC means "Neutral Cool" so it has yellow in the foundation.
NW means "Neutral Warm" so there's some pinkness in the foundation.

To the original poster: You have cool/pink undertones.


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## kitten (Mar 7, 2009)

Different companies have different ideas of what is warm what is cool.

But from my makeup program, I have learned that anybody with pink skin undertones are WARM, and anybody with yellow undertones are COOL.

It confused me at first because I always thought pink was on the cool side of the spectrum, but thats just the way it is I guess.


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## nightinggale07 (Mar 9, 2009)

haha. I did say that she would be leaning towards NW as a cool skinned gal. However, I found that, even though I'm cool skinned, the NW didn't work for me as MAC MAs have suggested it would


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## dreamer246 (Mar 9, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *nightinggale07* 

 
_haha. I did say that she would be leaning towards NW as a cool skinned gal. However, I found that, even though I'm cool skinned, the NW didn't work for me as MAC MAs have suggested it would _

 
I'm cool-neutral toned too, but I look better with NC foundation.


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## anshu7 (Mar 10, 2009)

U r cool toned. Try out N1 in Face and Body fdtn. Think of it this way: NW=NOT warm NC= NOT Cool.


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## L1LMAMAJ (Mar 13, 2009)

I recommend Clinique foundation as well. They seem to have more pink in them. Your skin is warm because you seem to have pink undertones. I've heard so much about MAC foundations making people look orange. That includes me.


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## Jrbeauty76 (Jul 22, 2013)

There's no way to find the right foundation other than just trying differnt products.  I think it's silly for someone to tell you a number like they're some kind of expert at "Mac" is just lip service.   Trial and error.  I'm not a fan of MAC foundation anyway.  The eyeshadows and paint pots are pretty much all I'm interested in from MAC.   Your skin looks beautiful if that's how you look without foundation and the photo hasn't been edited.  I'd suggest just a good BB cream.   I'm not trying to "sell" here, but the brand I work for would be gorgeous on you.  RAMY Beauty Therapy.  The "Sleep In Beauty" is an anti-blemish anti-aging tinted moisturizer that is really wonderful.  I use it on my clients in place of foundation.  Our foundation is amazing too actually if you're set on using foundation.   The coverage is AMAZING. It wears like bare skin but covers like theatre makeup.  It's a liquid to powder formula that doesn't need to be set with powder.  I'll attach a couple before and afters of how amazing it covers.  WITHOUT having to spot cover blemishes.  You can find it at Walgreens and Duane Reade LOOK Boutiques if they have them in your city, or online at ramy.com or by visiting ramyspa in NYC. 















  	This is the shade, Diva Creme Fresh by RAMY.   The RAMY Elixer skin conditioning primer calmed redness in her blemishes so well that between the primer and the amazing powder finish coverage of the foundation I didn't have to spot conceal at all.   The 2nd photo is of a medium shade and how well it covered over sun spots.   Brilliant.


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## GoldenGirl (Jul 22, 2013)

I was going to come in here and say what jrbeauty76 just said.  Girl get out of that Mac store!!!  LOL!  

  	I know MAC was what I used when I was first getting into foundations and it seems to be the measure to which everyone figures out their skintone, but I would agree on just trying different foundations till you find one that's good for you.  I haven't used a Mac foundation in years, they are soooo just... ugh, especially when there are TONS of others to try.

  	Don't be afraid to ask for samples (are you near a Sephora or Ulta??) of a few different shades of a brand until you find something that looks good on you.  Wear it the entire day and see how it does giving you what you want.  Matte/dewy finish.  Light/medium/full coverage, etc.   I also agree with the pink undertones, so you're a cool lady.  Look for foundations that look a little peachy and cool as opposed to those with yellow/warm undertones.  And drugstore foundations are MORE than ok to try out as well. Not sure if you're in the US or UK, I know in the UK folks don't usually return makeup, but here, we can and I DO.  If it's not working for me back to the store it goes.  I know it's difficult for them to have samples out in a drugstore, so they have to expect that if someone buys a foundation that's not the right shade because they had to guess, then they should also know that returns can and will happen. I have a mix of foundations from Sephora, the drugstore and online.  I don't discriminate and use different ones on different days.  

  	I's also suggest trying one of the BB creams to start.  AND I'd recommend this website:

http://findation.com/

  	If you've used foundations in the past that were a good GOOD match, add them to your findation "profile" and it will show you other foundations from different companies that other people who have used what you use, have found to be a good match.  The site isn't always 100%, the more you add, the better it will be at matching you, but at least you can get a general guideline.  

  	HTH!


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## bitesizedberna (Jul 30, 2013)

If you're ever in NYC or SF, stop by the Sephora store (SF one is in Union Square by the cable car). They have this foundation color testing device that they put against your skin and from what the Sephora employee explained to me, this device magnifies your skintone and captures the layers of colors. This allows it to find the near perfect shade for the foundations they have in store. I tried it and it gave me the 6.0 shade from the urban naked foundation which i thought was really dark for me. I tried it on and it was pretty much my skintone, it just evened it out and gave my skin a healthy glow  you can also just use the shades they give you for reference if you use foundation from other places.


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## shellygrrl (Jul 31, 2013)

What I'm wondering is which MAC foundation they matched you to, OP? (I know it's been four years since you've posted this thread, but if you're still here, and you can remember, I would love to know.) Not all NW15s, NC15s, or NW20s are created equal.


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## martiangurll (Aug 2, 2013)

Hi Sweetie.  I have similar issues with tones.  We can only guess from a picture on a monitor, so I agree the best thing to do is go in and get some samples.  Try NARS Siberia.  Best foundation I have found that is a match, covers the pink without being too yellow.  Good luck!


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## Ellenmd (Aug 24, 2013)

Sephora has a new toy where they take 3 pictures of your skin and neck and assign you a number based on how dark your skin is, there are 12 levels, and how much yellow is in your skin.  They may not get the depth correct, but they get you in the ballpark and you can go darker or lighter from there.  Its all explained on their website, but its worth a trip to the store to see what they come up with.  You then use that number to guide you to foundations sold by Sephora that should be an exact match.  Since I have fair, cool skin and have always had a hard time finding foundation, it was no surprise that my choices were limited.  Especially because I wanted a liquid formula appropriate for dry skin.  There were several recommendations only available online.  In the store, all they had were two from Clinique.  After all these years, back to Clinique!  But it does seem to match.  Once you know your number, you can play around on the website with recommendations for one number fatker and lighter than you, and you will have a good guide to which lines and which shades ate best for you.  Then you can shop with some confidence.  You can't just go to a counter, even MAC's, and expect to be matched perfectly!  They will try to sell you something, but you know when its right!  I love Bobbi Brown products, but I can't wear the foundations!  Sephora's system showed me I could wear BB's tinted moisturizer in extra light.  I checked in the store and it was right!  So give it a try.  Once you get your correct number, you can check the recommendations for that one, and one darker and one lighter, and you will definitely find a good match.  I had tried Lancome several times, but the machine recommended one shade I had liked but the consultant didn't, and one that was never recommended.  I had liked the formulation, now I can find the right color.  Good luck.


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