Foundation Equivalencies

Ok I tried Chanel and I love it, Can never find the correct color in M.A.C always too red/ dark and I swear it breaks me out.
I have oily skin Chanel stays on no problem. lightweight, doesnt feel sticky nor does it appear like too much

Correcteur Perfection long lasting concealer in #42 Beige Golden Chanel

Perfection Lumiere long wear flawless fluid makeup in # 54 Beige Ambre for summer

Double perfection natural matte powder makeup #130 Rich Beige

Im a caramel color so dont pay the beige any mind. Just how they label their colors lol.

Oh and a little goes a long way
 

AdrianUT

Well-known member
Newest matches for MAC C6/C7 or "NC46"

Loreal True Match W8
Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H in Suede 460 W
Lancome Dual Finish Powder foundation in Matte Caramel III (replacing my studio fix powder in C6)
 

califabulous

Well-known member
Hello gorgeous ladies,

I just wanted to give my shade matches ( the best I have come across). I have very very yellow undertones and have been on the hunt for a long time to find good matches.

Nars sheer glow in Tahoe is amazing, but ever so sightly more pink than its counterpart in the sheer matte(this colour in matte is pretty perfect). The sheer glow in Tahoe is such a nice match as well and even though the colour is still a smidge pink, I love the formulation much more than the matte ( I have combination/oily skin). I do wish it stayed on longer in the very hot and humid tropical country I love in though :(

Nars Sheer Glow in Cadiz - too red, but still can work with a yellow based powder

MUFE HD in 153 and 173 mixed together is a good option too, helping to control oils better than the NARS.

BB foundation stick in golden is nice but a bit orange, and the BB oil free compact foundation in golden is more orange than the stick. Tends to be a bit slippery though so setting it is a must. BB creamy concealer in honey is a good match too

Laura Mercier secret Concealer in #4 really helps to brighten under the eye.

Chanel Perfection Lumiere in beige ambre #44-54 is too orange as well. :(

Estee Lauder Double Wear in 5W1 is too pink and dark

Mac Pro Longwear NC45 was wayyyyy too orange :(

Revlon Colorstay in Toast ran too pink



Havent tried, but eager to try the MUFE Mat Velvet + and I think #65 might be a good match but it is unavailable in Sephora and online :(

Hope this helped someone and if anyone has any suggestions for me please do let me know :)

This forum has been so helpful too so thanks everyone!
I contacted the MUFE boutique and they mailed out samples to me. Try it if you are still looking for this foundation.
 

whitwhit86

Well-known member
I wear NARS sheer matte in New Orleans & it's a perfect match, but I want something longer lasting & was thinking of trying Estée Lauder Double Wear. it seems like truffle or spice will be a good match but idk. anyone know?
 
I wear:
Illamasqua Skin Base in SB12
MAC Studio Sculpt in NC42
Makeup Forever HD in 153
Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation in LF233
Urban Decay Urban Defense in Bulletproof
 

leahrenae

Well-known member
hey ladies...
I've only recently decided to wear foundation, never was a fan and even now I only want sheer/light coverage.
I was matched with NC45 long ago (as with a lot of women my skin tone), but like many, it was waaay too orange once it oxidized.
fiiiinally I've been able to figure out my undertones. they're more yellow, but in some small areas of my face, kinda red.
I've also tried NW40 and NW43. NW40 is the mineralize foundation (compact) turned grey on the bottom half of my face almost immediately (gross)
NW43 in studio sculpt was ok..but still off
I'd decided to stick in the NC family and try NC44, what do you guys think? also, I have dry to easily manageable (I hate to say 'normal') skin.

here's what I've found works well for me:
MAC face & body: C6
MUFE face & body: 18 caramel
NARS sheer glow: cadiz
NARS tinted moisturizer: cuba
Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer: tan
Maybelline BB cream: medium dark tint
MAC MSFN: medium dark (mostly under eye, sometimes all over in the winter) and medium deep
 

horseygurl567

New member
Hi, I need some help choosing foundation colours.. My shades would be: 'light' in maybelline bb cream 004 light porcelain in maybelline dream satin liquid foundation I bought some foundations which turned out to be the wrong shades: 'porcelain' in the natural collection 'ivory' in maybelline dream satin liquid.. These gave my face an orange shine which did not suit my skin as I have a pinkish undertone.. I was wondering if anyone could give me the names of Mac or Bobbi brown foundation shades which would be suitable for my skin tone.. Thank you so much :)
 

LadybugAbbie

New member
Hi! I'm glad I found this site!!!! Thank you ladies for your info from those who have the same problem I do in finding the perfect foundation. Here's what I've found to date....IMAN cream to power oil free compact foundation in Clay 2, the stick foundation in Clay 2 and the Luxury Radiance Liquid foundation in Clay 2 are the BEST color matches for my skin! I've tried the following and these don't match me as well as the IMAN brand. I'd like to try a more expensive brand like Estee Lauder, Chanel, Dior or Lancome, but I don't know where to start. So here's what comes close, but is not as great as IMAN: BB in warm almond (too dark and a tad orange); Revlon Colorstay in Caramel (a bit too light); Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup #42 (a bit pink); L'Oreal True Match N7 (too light); L'Oreal True Match N8 (too dark); but the L'Oreal true Match Lumi in N7-8 is almost perfect; MUFE #170 (too light); MUFE #173 (too dark and orangey). I don't wish to try MAC or NARS because the reviews are too negative. I've recently tested six colors of the revamped Fashion Fair cream to powder foundations and was a bit disappointed that I didn't find one color to match me, but I did get two colors and blended them together and got a fairly decent match that was very good..."Tan-Bronze" and "Espresso-Cafe!" Before you say, Oh No, not FF--my grandmother used that! Give the line a try! The makeup itself is fantastic. Whatever color you get it WON'T OXIDIZE, turn dark, red or orangey! It looks very natural and feels light, lasts all day, doesn't smudge, run, bead or fade. I just wish they had a shade for me! If I'm in a hurry I'll use IMAN, but when I have the extra time I grab the Fashion Fair first and just blend, blend, blend the two colors. You should also try their lipsticks, blushes and eyeshadows--FANTASTIC and compliment ALL OUR SKIN COLORS ladies! Anyway if anyone has tried another line with my coloring, please let me know what worked for you! Have a great one!!
 

MAChostage

Well-known member
LadybugAbbie: Hello and welcome! There is a FF thread in this forum. The last post in it was probably well over a month ago, but check it out. I used FF back in the late 70's and decided to give it another try earlier this year and I personally was not impressed. I do, however, love Iman, but I have trouble finding a lot of her stuff period and especially in Sand 5.
 

LadybugAbbie

New member
Hello MAChostage!
Thanks for your feedback. I know makeup is a very personal thing and what is good for one may not be so for another and that's ALL GOOD! Have you tried to order the Sand 5 from: Target, Ulta or Drugstore.com? If you check into the last two sites you will get a reference to other sites that may sell IMAN--Drugstore.com usually has the most variety of IMAN makeup I've seen anywhere. Also give Walgreen's a try. If you live in NYC Duane Reade's sells Iman in their Manhattan stores which is where I get the Clay 2 and other items. I believe I must have a very weird or unusual skintone--medium with a yellow-olive base--some foundations look either orangey-red or ashyish-grey on me. I will try ANYTHING once to find my match. It's insane to think that in 2012 Black women still don't have makeup companies who can meet our unique, exotic and beautiful needs! But, I'll never stop looking! Boy, if I had the time, money and motivation to start my own line, I WOULD!!! Take Care.
 

missmelsie

Member
Hey lovely ladies! I've found this thread SO helpful I thought I'd join.

I want to find out which NARS shade would be right for me, as I'm not having any luck with MAC. I just tried Sheer Glow in Syracuse, but I found the shade too brown for me. Then I read that it has brown undertones, so maybe Tahoe or Cadiz would suit better, but unfortunately they don't stock those colours here in New Zealand, where I live. Also, I definitely want to get Sheer Matte, as I am quite oily and want the matte

I have an Indian skin tone, but don't know if the caramel undertone or the caramel/red undertone would work better. This is what I've tried, and what has failed for me before:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC45/NC44 (too orange, same with the powder)
MAC Studio Fix Powder NC43 (too ashy)
Bobbi Brown Natural Finish Golden (too orange)
Bobbi Brown Natural Finish Warm Honey (too ashy)
Clinique Superbalanced Wheat (too brown but also nowhere near enough coverage and I just couldn't get it to build up! Also, I've found it so bad for oily skin, even though it's meant to suit)
NARS Sheer Glow Syracuse (too brown)

Would really appreciate your help! I want to get it right as I'll have to order it online and won't be able to swatch.
 

MAChostage

Well-known member
Hello MAChostage!
Thanks for your feedback. I know makeup is a very personal thing and what is good for one may not be so for another and that's ALL GOOD! Have you tried to order the Sand 5 from: Target, Ulta or Drugstore.com? If you check into the last two sites you will get a reference to other sites that may sell IMAN--Drugstore.com usually has the most variety of IMAN makeup I've seen anywhere. Also give Walgreen's a try. If you live in NYC Duane Reade's sells Iman in their Manhattan stores which is where I get the Clay 2 and other items. I believe I must have a very weird or unusual skintone--medium with a yellow-olive base--some foundations look either orangey-red or ashyish-grey on me. I will try ANYTHING once to find my match. It's insane to think that in 2012 Black women still don't have makeup companies who can meet our unique, exotic and beautiful needs! But, I'll never stop looking! Boy, if I had the time, money and motivation to start my own line, I WOULD!!! Take Care.
I have discovered Sand 5 at some of these sites and will probably get what I need from one of those from now on. Thank you for your suggestions!

And I totally agree with your comment about it being insane, in 2012, that people of color are still having it this rough when trying to find a good foundation match!
 

d1vatude

New member
can anyone recommend good full coverage foundation? im looking for high up brands. i currently wear black opal foundation in beautiful bronze and i also have oily skin. if someone can give me good recs for a non oily foundation, it would really help.
 
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