How to Find Your Perfect L’Oréal True Match Foundation and Concealer Shades
With the right shade match, no one will know where your foundation ends and your skin begins.
When it comes to finding your perfect foundation match and concealer match, the struggle can be very real. But we have a solution. Rather than filling up your arm with several swatches or just guessing which shades will suit your skin tone, we know a few shade-matching methods that actually work. They all start with choosing products that come in a variety of shades to complement different skin tones and undertones.
L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Foundation offers 47 true-to-you shades that precisely match your skin tone and coordinate perfectly with L’Oréal Paris True Match Radiant Serum Concealer, available in 24 skin-like shades. With that many options, there’s a match for everyone. To help you find yours, we’re sharing tips on how to find your undertone and how to color-match makeup like a pro. Whether you're using a foundation shade finder or your amateur eye, you’ll be able to find your foundation and concealer shades in our vast collection.
Don’t worry, it’s simpler than it sounds. Keep reading to find out more about finding your True Match.
Hey everyone. My name is Amanda Benko, and in today's video, I'm going to show you how to get the perfect foundation match featuring all L'Oreal Paris products. There is nothing worse than doing your makeup only to realize that your foundation does not match. Maybe it looks too pink in the daylight, maybe it turns orange and oxidizes after a few hours. Or maybe it leaves that harsh line along your jaw. It's frustrating, and it's one of the most common beauty struggles that I see. Actually, as a makeup artist, I know how defeating it can be to never get that seamless skin like finish, but there's a way to get it right every single time. And today I'm going to show you how I'm breaking down. How to find your exact shade with L'Oreal Paris True Match Super Blendable Foundation with 47 undertone coated shades, a hydrating, lightweight formula and technology that adapts to your skin, unique tone and texture, it is literally built to take the guesswork out of foundation matching before you can find the right foundation shade, you need to understand one key thing your undertone. When it comes to undertones, we have cool, warm, and neutral. So cool. The skin is going to have a little bit of pink or red, maybe even blueish tones, and silver jewelry tends to look best warm. The skin usually has golden yellow or peachy hues, and gold jewelry usually pops. Neutral is a balanced mix of cool and warm, and most metals will work. L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation clearly marks the undertone on every single bottle. Using a C for cool, W for warm, and an end for neutral. So once you know your letter, you're already halfway there. Once you know your undertone, the next step is actually figuring out your skin tone depth. So basically how lighter deeper your complexion is. This is where the numbers in the true match system come in. L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation organizes every single shade into five skin tones. Family. So you've got light like medium, medium, medium, deep and deep. And then it gives each one a number from 1 to 12, one being the fairest and 12 being the deepest. Here's a quick tip with the L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation range. If you're between skin tone shades. So maybe your tan in the summer or lighter in the winter, just stick with the same undertone letter and adjust the number up or down by one. The true match range is so extensive there's literally 47 shades, and you can fine tune all of them without switching undertones. So once you've narrowed down a few shades based on your undertone and depth, it's time to actually test them on your skin. And this is where most people go wrong. So swatching on the back of your hand or under harsh store lighting will almost always give you the wrong read. Here's the best way to do it. I always start with bare skin when I'm swatching my foundations, and this is my technique for finding the perfect match. Okay, so I apply 2 to 3 shades right along my jawline, and I actually pull the swatch slightly down onto my neck. This is the most important area because it connects your face and your neck, and you obviously want everything to blend seamlessly. You don't want your face to be a different color than your neck. So I have three shades here of the L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation, and we're going to find my perfect match. I have pretty fair skin, so I find myself sitting between the shades 0.5 and one. I'm going to start by swatching me shade one end and dragging that down my neck. Like I said, as you can see, this is a light foundation, but it has a neutral undertone. It's got a balance of pink and yellow pigments. Next to that, I'm going to be swatching 0.5 w. This is the light shade as well, but it has warm undertones. Last but not least, I'm going in with the shade at 0.5 C. This is a light foundation shade, but this one has cool undertones. Once you have your swatches, you're going to want to blend them in just a little bit. I just like to kind of soften the edges a little bit, see which one is going to disappear into my skin the most. Don't forget to blend it into your neck as well. And before you pick your perfect match shade, you're actually going to want to let these foundations sit on your skin for a few minutes. And let me tell you why. It is possible for some foundations to oxidize slightly on the skin, which just means they typically get a little bit darker as they set down on the skin. Once you've blended your swatches and you've let them sit a couple minutes, it's really important to look at the foundation in natural light, whether that means stepping outside or standing near a window. This is going to show you the foundation's most true color. Sometimes when you're looking at foundations watches in store, the lighting is really going to impact the way the foundation looks, making it look more cool or more warm than it actually is. And a lot of people make the mistake of swatching foundation on the back of their hand. You want to swatch your foundation like this, because the foundation that most disappears into your neck and face is going to be your perfect match. Just a quick tip if your face is lighter than your neck, which is common, you're actually going to want to go with the neck shade, because this is going to prevent you from having that sort of floating head. Look where your face is a different color than your neck. This is going to keep your overall complexion really cohesive. Looking at these foundations, the one that disappears most into my skin is actually this shade right here, which is 0.5 w. This shade disappears most into my face as well as my neck. I'm going to show you this foundation in action. I'm going to remove these swatches so that you can see just how perfect this match really is. The way I like to apply this foundation is actually just start with my finger and I'll apply a nice thin layer all over my skin. I find that applying the foundation thinly with my finger prevents trickiness and patchiness, and I'm just applying this all over my face. Starting by applying it with your fingers. Also warms up the product so it melts into the skin even easier. Once I have that nice thin layer, I just like to go in with a brush and press that foundation into my skin. As you can see, the foundation is just disappearing into my skin, giving me a very even and cohesive complexion. It doesn't look like I'm wearing a ton of makeup, it's just giving my skin that perfect look. And what I love about this formula is how lightweight it feels as well. It doesn't feel heavy at all. It's truly giving second skin. And of course, don't forget to blend down the neck as you can see, this foundation is also disappearing seamlessly into my neck to add a little bit more coverage and brightness to certain areas, I'm going in with the L'Oreal Paris True Match Radiant Serum concealer. I'm using the shade and one. If you can't stand cakey concealer, you're going to love this. This gives a beautiful, radiant finish and it is so lightweight. It is not cakey at all. It almost feels like skincare. It's so hydrating under the eyes and on the face. And the most amazing part is it actually gives great coverage. I like to focus this concealer anywhere. I have a little bit of extra pigmentation, like under my eyes or where I get a little bit more red around my nose and mouth area. Look at how perfected my complexion looks. I cannot stress enough how important it is to find your perfect match. I'm going to show you how this looks like with the rest of my makeup. Complete bronzer, blush, powder, all of that. And this is what that foundation looks like with the rest of my base, complete with these tips. Finding the right foundation does not have to be frustrating. Once you know your undertone, your skin tone, and a couple shades and natural lighting, finding the perfect match becomes super easy. The L'Oreal Paris True Match Super Blendable Foundation makes it so simple. Truly, anyone can find their perfect shade and get that seamless skin like finish. If you want to learn more about these products and find out where to buy, head to L'Oreal Paris, USA A.com links are below. Thank you so much for watching and I hope you found this video helpful. Hi!
Have questions about this article? Ask me! I'm Beauty Genius, your AI Beauty Assistant.
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How to Find Your Undertone
While most people probably already have an inkling of what their skin tone is, the same can’t always be said for undertones. The difference between the two is that your skin tone refers to your overall complexion, whereas undertone refers to the colors that come through your complexion and affect its overall hue. Knowing your undertone is important because it can help you find your best makeup color match (without having to swatch a million different products). To easily determine your undertone, try one of these three methods:
Look at the color of your veins
The simplest way to identify your undertone is to look at the inside of your forearm. If the veins on your wrist appear blue or purple, you likely have a cool undertone, while those with warmer undertones often have greenish-looking veins. Seeing a mix of blue and green shades, meanwhile, suggests you may have neutral undertones.
Do the jewelry test
The jewelry test is another popular method for determining your skin’s undertones. The premise is pretty simple. Grab one piece of silver jewelry and one piece of gold jewelry, and examine how both look against your skin. If you find that the silver shade flatters your skin better, you’re likely cool-toned, whereas those who shine in gold are typically warm-toned. If both the silver and gold jewelry look great on you, chances are good that you have neutral undertones.
Try the paper check
This method is a bit unorthodox—we’ll be the first to admit it—but we’ve seen it work. Hold a white piece of paper beside your face in natural lighting. The reflection of the white should create a subtle cast of color on your skin. If your face suddenly appears more pink or blue, your undertones are likely cool, and if you give off a more yellowish hue, you’re probably warm-toned. Finally, a grayish tint typically indicates neutral undertones.
How to Find Your True Match Foundation Color
Once you’ve determined your undertone, you can move on to your skin tone. True Match Super-Blendable Foundation has shades that complement warm, cool, and neutral undertones, with colors (or tones) ranging from fair to deep.
As we mentioned, cool undertones appear in your complexion as hints of blue or pink and are denoted by the letter C in True Match Super-Blendable Foundation shade names. Warm undertones appear more yellow or golden and are signified by the letter W in True Match Super-Blendable Foundation shades. Neutral shades (a mix of warm and cool undertones) are marked with an N in the True Match Super-Blendable Foundation collection.
True Match Super-Blendable Foundation is also categorized into five depth categories: deep, medium deep, medium, light medium, and light. You can find your foundation color match by choosing a shade that aligns with both your skin tone and undertone. For example, if you have medium-deep skin with warm undertones, look at the warm shades in the medium-deep category—W7, W8, and W9—and choose the foundation shade that best matches your skin.
How to Find Your True Match Concealer Shade
In general, we recommend everyone keep two concealers on deck: One to cover up dark spots and blemishes, and another for your under-eye area. The one you use on your face should match your foundation as closely as possible for a seamless, undetectable finish. Your under-eye concealer, however, should be a shade or so lighter than your foundation, especially if you have more prominent dark circles. Opting for a slightly lighter concealer shade helps brighten the eye area, minimizing the appearance of those dark circles and creating a more awake look.
To match your concealer and foundation without a ton of guesswork, look for products designed to pair together, like True Match Super-Blendable Foundation and True Match Radiant Serum Concealer.
True Match Foundation and Concealer Shades By Undertone
Once you know your undertone and depth category, here are the exact shades you have to choose from:
Warm
True Match Foundation:
Deep: W10.5, W10, W9.5
Medium Deep: W9, W8, W7
Medium: W6.5, W6, W5.5, W5
Light Medium: W4.5, W4, W3, W2.5
Light: W2, W1, W0.5
True Match Radiant Serum Concealer:
Deep: W9.5, W10.5
Medium Deep: W7
Medium: W6, W5
Light Medium: W4, W3
Light: W1
Cool
True Match Foundation:
Deep: C12, C11, C10, C9.5, C9
Medium Deep: C8, C7
Medium: C6, C5
Light Medium: C4, C3, C2.5
Light: C2, C1.5, C1, C0.5
True Match Radiant Serum Concealer:
Deep: C10
Medium Deep: C8, C7
Medium: C7, C4
Light Medium: C4, C3
Light: C2, C1
Neutral
True Match Foundation:
Deep: N11, N10
Medium Deep: N9, N8, N7
Medium: N6, N5.5, N5
Light Medium: N4, N3
Light: N2, N1, N0.5
True Match Radiant Serum Concealer:
Deep: N11, N10, N9
Medium Deep: N9, N8, N6.5
Medium: N6.5, N5
Light Medium: N3
Light: N2, N1
How to Shade Match Concealer and Foundation
We recommend testing out a few shades of both concealer and foundation to find your best, most seamless match. Below are a few helpful tips you can use to find the right shades for you.
Swatch product on your jawline and chest
Just eyeing the foundation in the package often isn’t sufficient. After all, you won’t know how something will look until you see it on your skin. Many makeup artists advise that you test on the jawline and the middle of the neck to make sure you'll get an even color on both. You can also ensure that your chosen shade blends well with your complexion by applying it to your face where you intend to use it.
That being said, due to sun exposure, our faces and necks can often be several different colors. For that reason, you may want to consider swatching your potential foundation and concealer shades on your chest. You’ll get a good idea of which shades best match your skin tone and undertone—and find a hue that blends well with the rest of your body.
Test-run in different lighting
Makeup can look surprisingly different depending on the lighting you’re in. That’s why we recommend looking at your swatches in a variety of lighting before committing to a shade. Try it out in your bathroom, under low light, and in natural lighting to get a sense of what it will look like in different conditions.
Use a foundation shade finder tool
If you’re unable to test our foundation shades in the store, try out the L’Oréal Paris Virtual Makeup Try-On Tool, which allows you to try shades from any of the L’Oréal Paris foundation lines. That’s more than 100 shades you can test, right from the comfort of your home. All you have to do is upload a selfie or click on the live try-on button on the L’Oréal foundation matcher, which will automatically connect to your phone or computer’s camera. It's best that you test with a clean, makeup-free face so that you get the best possible match for your actual complexion.
Try our color-match quiz
Finally, if you’re looking for the perfect foundation and concealer match, take our Color Match Quiz. You’ll be asked some questions about your skin tone and undertone, then directed to your foundation match, as well as the concealer that pairs best with it. From there, all you need is something to set your base—and rest assured, we have you covered there, too.
How to Color Match Your Foundation in the Summer and Winter
Your foundation match might change slightly over the course of the year. You may be lighter in the winter because of less sun exposure, for example, and darker in the summer if you tan. Luckily, True Match Super-Blendable Foundation makes it very easy to discover your summer and winter shades. In the summer, if your skin gets deeper and more golden in color, go for one shade darker than your normal shade and choose one with a warm undertone. So, for example, if your go-to shade is N5.5, N6 could be a good summer match because it’s a bit darker. In the winter, N5 could be a nice shade match because it has a neutral undertone and it’s lighter than your summer shade. Remember that if you’re switching up your foundation, you may need to opt for a different concealer, too. Follow the same guidelines as outlined above for a natural-looking finish no matter the season.
Next Up: Do You Apply Concealer or Foundation First?
Photo Courtesy of L'Oréal Paris
