Undertones

[whiteflorals]

Sometimes the undertones thing get so confusing, I'd just stick with what looks fine on me and what's not. Because even between the categories of warm vs cool, you can have makeup items that work on your face even though by category they technically shouldn't. Trial and error is the best I suppose...

 

[MisaMayah]

I use 3 different Studio Fix powders depending on what I think my skin looks on that day!! NC43, NC45 and NW35. I find my undertones change! Sometimes it looks yellow (on a good day)and sometimes red(on a bad day), I have eczema so it changes. Sometimes I look in the mirror and my skin looks grey!!! =o( Do you know how this could be?

 

[Hustle~Marsalis]

I'm still not 100% sure about my undertone...... I'm definately more yellow in when I'm lighter and more red when I'm darker, but I'm still too yellow for most red foundations to look right. The closest I've gotten to a perfect match was Milani liquid foundation in Honey Bronze, but that only works for the summer. I'm so confused

 

[ginger9]

I am C35 with yellow undertones. I am chinese and tan very easily (C35 is my shade with minimal sun exposure). I am not completely happy with my mac SFC35 as I find its too yellow on me when I try to build for heavier coverage. Would you recommend NC range instead? I am supposed to be warm but I look best in purples and teals, strangely enough oranges look terrible ie expensive pink and firespot e/s. I am medium ochre (O40) in shiseido if that helps. Any light you can shed on me would be very helpful!

 

[NaturalSister19]

Studio Fix - N9
Studio Tech - NW47
Face 7 Body - N9
Fix Fluid - NC55, yes NC55

I have yellowy undertones - think the inside of a firm peach.
Not the skin of a lemon. During Winter/Spring no sun

I also have reddish undertones - think ripe cherry.
Not ripe strawberry. During Summer w/ sun exposure

I think a lot of confusion arises because we use these buzz words to describe undertones and people think of them as cool or warm when there can be cool and warm versions of yellow and red. It's not either/or. Depends on how much blue if any may be present. Ok, I'm gonna stop now.



There are so many possibilities. The human body is so complex and we are ALL different. This is direct proof of the existence of GOD if you ask me.

 

[S.S.BlackOrchid]

I don't know anymore!!! It seems I have both very yellow and pink undertones at the same time. I look good with pinky, rosy or berry blushes (horrid with peachy/orangey blushes), and I also look good with blue-red lipsticks. The foundations that tend to match my skin perfectly look yellow.

 

[elektra513]

Bumping to update my previous response...*sigh*

After bashing my head against the wall with MAC and their foundations, I learned at the Prescriptives counter that my predominant undertones are yellow-orange. However, sometimes if I am not particularly inflammed with redness, that can lean over into the yellow-beige category. I get red easily though, so I'll stick with yellow-orange for now. Apparently I get pinker/redder/bronze in the summer time because NW43 worked well for me back then, but right now there is no way in hell I'd buy another bottle of that shade

 

[nooeeyy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MACaholic76 I'm an NC45 and I have very golden skin that at times wants to have pink undertones and other times wants to act olive. Foundations with yellow/warm toned foundations look better on me as long as they have golden in it, otherwise, I'd look jaundiced and sick and ...oh...green. I cannot wear blushes that are too cool toned because I look clownish. Blushes like NARS Outlaw and MAC Ambering Rose didn't quite work for me. Plums, peaches and warm pinks look best on my cheeks, as so do most bronzers. For eye shades I can wear pretty much wear anything as long as the colors are deep and on the warmer side. Deep purples and golds are my favorite colors to wear.

Im NC45 as well and love Ambering rose. Have you ever tried mixing Ambering Rose with a Bronzer? I do that and it really works. also, try MAC blush in Format. Great color that you can mix with a pinkish color like Ambering Rose as well.

 

[YesILikeFlowers]

I'm around NC35, mixed origin (half South Indian, half German), and haven't found a foundation that matches perfectly yet. If I mix my (usually yellow toned) foundations with Armani green corrector, it comes close to my skin tone, so I think I have a green undertone :-(

 

[brownsuga lady]

NC50-I have golden/yellow undertones

 

[lafemmenoir]

Glad to read this thread. I am beyond gob smacked! I have been colour matched so many times and I'm guessing it's a done deal with MAC. I've been running a tally sans purchase of products and I'm 5-4 NW43 v NC45. I am glad to find it's not deductive. I look good in silver/cool colours, but I have always been clownish is cool colours in cosmetics (lipsticks, eye shadows, etc.) I have not been wearing foundation and going with powder, however, I would like a sheer foundation to conceal a bit of old spots.

 

[blazeno.8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elektra513 Bumping to update my previous response...*sigh* After bashing my head against the wall with MAC and their foundations, I learned at the Prescriptives counter that my predominant undertones are yellow-orange. However, sometimes if I am not particularly inflammed with redness, that can lean over into the yellow-beige category. I get red easily though, so I'll stick with yellow-orange for now. Apparently I get pinker/redder/bronze in the summer time because NW43 worked well for me back then, but right now there is no way in hell I'd buy another bottle of that shade

I feel so sick of every pre-made shading system that I've come across that I was thinking of just going custom too. It's just that Perscriptives is a little too expensive for me right now. I have the problem that my cheeks are definitely NC, but the outer edges of my face are probably closer to N. NC looks ashy on the outer corners of my face, but NW looks too red to me.

 

[blazeno.8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC_Pixie04 I have combination undertones to my skin. I don't like to say yellow to describe it, so I say that the center of my face is more golden and the outer perimeter is more bronze/orangish. For the most part, I blend my foundation from the center of my face outward, and most likely in a golden undertoned shade. However, my clinique stay true is called "true bronze," but it's not red or orangey. It looks very natural, almost a creamy chocolate caramel color. MAC Foundations made me look orange as I'm now realizing. I was NW45, but comparing photos from back then to now, I look a lot less orange and my golden "glow" can shine through.

It's good to know that I'm not the only one with multiple undertones.

 

[cutiebe2]

I am NW45. I find that SFF is a pretty god match but its not perfect.

The trouble is that with darker skin I think the imperfections in foundation match shows up more. And forget it with powder. If it has the wrong ingredients it will look ashy, no matter how perfect the color is for my skin..thats why I have given up on Bare Minerals

I haven't tried Studio Fix powder but hopefully that will work out

 

[KellyBean]

I'm NW20 in SFF. It's an exact match!

 

[elektra513]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazeno.8 I feel so sick of every pre-made shading system that I've come across that I was thinking of just going custom too. It's just that Perscriptives is a little too expensive for me right now. I have the problem that my cheeks are definitely NC, but the outer edges of my face are probably closer to N. NC looks ashy on the outer corners of my face, but NW looks too red to me.

When you are able, you should check out Px. I didn't buy any custom foundation from them just because the Antelope matches me when I don't have inflammation, and if I do, I just follow up with bronzer or something to tone it down. Prescriptives is amazing for me. I'm using their mineral foundation now, and I really like it.

HTH

 

[babiid0llox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC_Pixie04 I have combination undertones to my skin. I don't like to say yellow to describe it, so I say that the center of my face is more golden and the outer perimeter is more bronze/orangish. For the most part, I blend my foundation from the center of my face outward, and most likely in a golden undertoned shade. However, my clinique stay true is called "true bronze," but it's not red or orangey. It looks very natural, almost a creamy chocolate caramel color. MAC Foundations made me look orange as I'm now realizing. I was NW45, but comparing photos from back then to now, I look a lot less orange and my golden "glow" can shine through.

Your undertones sounds a lot like mine. Golden around the center of my face and a bronzey-orange from around my cheeks, outwards.

 

[blazeno.8]

Ok, so thanks to this thread I went to Perscriptives, and there they actually have testers of all of their color classifications for your skin! I happened to be very Yellow orange on the outer part of my lower face, but a bit warmer on the outer part of my upper face. I think the middle of my face is much more, golden than either of those so it is the coolest part of my face.
It was such a help to go there, because not only can they do the testers, but they also have the range of colors which was really important.

I'm thinking this weekend I might put pictures of of the different foundations that I have right now to kind of show people why I like this one the most.

 

[Raysa]

I'm still having a hard time figuring out my undertone madness.. each day it and at every counter it seems to be different.. I'm thinking the prescriptives counter should be next.. i keep hearing positive things about it.

 

[k.a.t]

I have noo clue whatsoever when it comes to understones, and it makes me so mad!
I have very bad skin atm so i need quite a bit of heavy coverage (currently i use revlon colorstay in sand beige) but the problem is that it looks too pink and VERY ashy on my skin, could anyone kinldy clear this up? because i'm not sure if it's too dark (hence the noticeable pink) or too light (the ashyness) i know it's definitely the wrong shade though. I think i'm yellowy undertoned but i got 2 samples of SFF- one in NC20 and NC25 and they both look just a lil orangey on me so i'm thinking i might be lighter? is that what it is? oh god i give up on my skin im so confused as to what side of the spectrum i should be looking at.

Wouldn't it be so great if they designed some kind of like universal indicator type thingy so that when they put it on your skin it would change colour as to what undertone your skin is?