palette Makeup Shade Finder

How the Makeup Shade Finder Works

Answer a few questions about your skin tone and undertone and the finder narrows down the foundation shade family most likely to suit you. Undertone matters more than surface skin colour: warm undertones lean yellow or golden, cool undertones lean pink or red, and neutral undertones are a mix of both.

Use the result as a starting point, not a final answer. Lighting, formulas, and brands all shift how a shade looks, so confirm with a jawline swatch in daylight. For the full method, including the vein test and swatching technique, read our guide: How to Find Your Foundation Shade (Online + At Home).

Foundation Shades for Olive Skin, Dark Skin, and Concealer Matching

Olive skin: if neutral foundations look grey or ashy on you and warm ones turn orange, you likely have an olive undertone — a subtle green tint under the surface colour. Look for shades labelled olive or neutral-olive rather than plain warm or cool, and always confirm with a jawline swatch in daylight, because olive skin shifts with lighting more than most.

Dark skin: the common mistake on deep skin tones is picking a shade that is too light, which leaves an ashy, grey cast. Match your undertone first — warm deep skin suits golden and caramel shades, cool deep skin suits shades with a red or berry base — then check the swatch against your neck, not your hand, since hands are usually darker than the face.

Concealer shade: the rule is different from foundation. To cover a blemish, use a concealer that matches your foundation exactly. To brighten under the eyes, go one to two shades lighter, but keep the same undertone — a lighter shade with the wrong undertone will look chalky instead of bright.

Finding your shade online: you can narrow it down without a store visit by answering a few undertone questions, comparing the result with a shade you already own, and then verifying with a daylight jawline swatch. Our guide walks through the full method: How to Find Your Foundation Shade (Online + At Home).

Frequently Asked Questions

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