How to Find the Perfect Concealer or Foundation Shade

Co-authored by Yuka Arora and Amber Crain

Last Updated: January 15, 2023 References

Figuring out what foundation and concealer shades are right for you can be very intimidating. The range of products on the market is overwhelmingly vast. Sometimes a product that looks like a perfect match in the store looks entirely different once you get it home. The key to choosing the right shade of foundation and concealer is knowing what your skin’s undertone is. Once you identify that, selecting the best shades gets much easier.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Identifying Skin Undertone

1
Recognize the difference between skin undertone and skin shade. Your undertone is the true color of your skin, just beneath the surface. Sun exposure, rosacea and acne can change the surface color of your skin, but the undertone never changes.^{[1]
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- There are 3 possible undertones – warm, cool and neutral.
- Foundations and concealers are usually divided into one of those 3 categories.
- These undertones are true for all nationalities. Those with darker skin sometimes have undertones that look somewhat ashen or gray. This is an olive skin tone, which falls under the neutral umbrella.
2
Examine the veins on the underside of your wrist.^{[2]
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Research source} Look closely at the veins – what color are they? Blue is universal, so you need to determine whether your blue veins lean more towards purple or green in appearance. Be sure to do this in natural lighting, since artificial lighting can change the way colors appear.^{[3]
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- Blue-purple veins indicate a cool undertone.
- Blue-green veins indicate a warm undertone.
- If you can't tell either way, this usually indicates a neutral undertone – both cool and warm undertones in equal parts.
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3
Reference your jewelry collection. What do you have more of – gold jewelry or silver jewelry? If you often find yourself preferring gold jewelry because it looks more flattering on you, you probably have a warm undertone. If you lean more towards silver jewelry because it seems to compliment you better, you probably have a cool undertone.
- If you aren’t sure, check your skin in the mirror against both gold and silver jewelry.
- If one doesn’t seem to flatter you more than the other, you probably have a neutral undertone.^{[4]
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4
Wrap a white towel around your face to examine your skin. Look closely – do you see a particular tint? The white of the towel will make the undertone easier to detect. This is only effective if your mirror gets natural light, since fluorescent bulbs can distort the skin’s true undertone and create a deceptive greenish tint.
- A blueish tint indicates a cool undertone.
- A yellowish tint indicate a warm undertone.
- A greenish tint indicates a neutral undertone.^{[5]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Selecting a Foundation Shade

1
Exfoliate and moisturize your skin. Dirt, sweat and dead skin cells on your face can distort the way a foundation shade appears on your skin. By exfoliating and moisturizing first, you are priming your skin to accept and accurately reflect the true shade of the foundation.
- You should always do this before testing foundations.^{[6]
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2
Wear white and be sure to test the makeup in good lighting. Wearing other colors can distort how you perceive your skin tone, so be sure to wear white when you’re testing shades.^{[7]
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Research source} Always use good lighting and try to use more than one light source to confirm a shade looks consistent.
- Natural light definitely needs to be one of your light sources, since it shows the shades most accurately.
3
Match the undertone of your skin first. Most brands will identify the complementary undertone right on the product label, so check that first. If you are considering a brand that doesn’t provide the undertone information for you, there are certain keywords you can look for that will give you some clues.^{[8]
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- Words like beige, golden, tan, caramel, and chestnut usually correspond to warm undertones.
- Terms like porcelain, rose, sable, and cocoa usually indicate cool undertones.
- Descriptions like ivory, buff, nude, and praline usually indicate neutral undertones.
4
Match the color of your face, neck and décolletage.^{[9]
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Research source} The neck tends to be the lightest, and the face and décolletage are usually slightly darker because they are exposed to more sunlight and elements. Even though all 3 won't match each other exactly, there will be a predominant shade that covers the most area. Choose the foundation shade that looks closest to that predominant shade.
- Test the foundation on both your face and your neck to ensure you’ll end up with even color.
- Check your jawline after applying foundation. Make sure the skin above it (your face) also matches the skin below it (your neck).^{[10]
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5
Try 3 different shades to compare. Foundation shades usually fall somewhere on a loose spectrum of fair, moderately fair, medium, medium deep, deep and very deep. Even if you feel certain you know your shade, test out 3 different ones for comparison. Choose the ones that most closely match your skin color.
- Use enough of each one to get a good read on it – a tiny dab is not enough. Use a streak about 2 inches (5 cm) long for testing.
- The right foundation shade will disappear into your skin and look natural.^{[11]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Choosing a Concealer Shade

1
Go 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone to neutralize dark areas. The goal of concealer is to even out skin tone by targeting small areas, so inspect your face closely. A common problem area for a lot of people is under the eye, due to the prevalence of dark circles. Going 2 shades lighter to conceal dark areas should be the absolute maximum.
- 1 shade lighter is generally preferable to prevent the reverse raccoon eye look.^{[12]
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- Concealers with yellow tones will help to diminish the look of under eye circles.
2
Match your foundation exactly for concealing other areas of the face.^{[13]
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Research source} Areas of redness and most other skin issues are best covered with a concealer that exactly matches your foundation/skin tone. If you have trouble matching them exactly, go for a neutral beige with faint yellow shades. These tend to look good when applied anywhere on the face.
- Always test and apply concealer in natural light to get an accurate read of the shade.
- Avoid flesh-toned concealers that have prominent pink, rose, peach, white, yellow, or copper shades in them.
3
Adjust your chosen shade to match the seasons. Most people tend to have a slightly darker skin tone in the summer, so you’ll likely need 2 shades of concealer – one to match your summer tone and one to match your slightly paler winter tone. In the fall and spring you can mix those to concealers together to get the perfect in-between shade.
4
Go 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone for highlighting.^{[14]
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Research source} To highlight, you'll need to apply a concealer 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone to the areas of your face that naturally catch the light – the top of the cheekbones, directly beneath the arch of the brow, down the center of the nose and the Cupid’s bow.
- Highlighting with concealer can help you sculpt your face and give it added dimension.
5
Go 1-2 shades darker than your skin tone for contouring.^{[15]
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Research source} To contour, you'll need to apply a concealer 1-2 shades darker than your skin tone to the natural hollows of the face – right below the cheekbone, along the jawline and at the temple near the hairline.
- Highlighting and contouring are currently enjoying a surge of popularity, so you'll probably see contouring kits and other special products made for this on the market.^{[16]
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- However, all you really need to get this look are the right concealer shades.
6
Address specific discolorations with color correcting concealer.^{[17]
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Research source} These concealers come in shades that are not flesh tones. Their use is based on basic color theory – colors opposite one another on the color wheel will cancel each other out. For instance, green is directly across from red on the color wheel, so you can use a green concealer to neutralize redness. The color correction palette works like this:
- Lavender neutralizes sallow/yellowness skin;
- Yellow offsets deep purple tones caused by dark circles and/or scarring;
- Green counteracts the redness caused by ruddiness, pimples and rosacea;
- Pink cancels out the blue cast on lighter skin tones;
- Orange/salmon counteracts blue, dark purple and/or grayish tones found in deeper skin tones.^{[18]
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Expert Q&A
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Question

How do I find the right shade of foundation?

Yuka Arora
Makeup Artist
Yuka Arora is a self-taught makeup artist who specializes in abstract eye art. She has been experimenting with makeup art for over 5 years, and has amassed over 5.6K Instagram followers in just 5 months. Her colorful and abstract looks have been noticed by Jeffree Star Cosmetics, Kat Von D Beauty, Sephora Collection, among others.

Yuka Arora

Makeup Artist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Most foundations go through a process called oxidization when they dry and are exposed to air and change color. To know what color the foundation will be after oxidizing a bit, make sure to ask for a sample before you buy and wait until it dries before you decide whether or not you like it.
Question

I have fairish skin, a cool undertone and my dark circles are very prominent. What kind of concealer should I use? One with a yellowish undertone or a rosey one?

Community Answer

A yellowish concealer will best hide your dark circles and complement your skin color.
Question

I have a yellowish tone; what concealer shade should I use?

Cecilia Flores

Top Answerer

Tarte Shape Tape has a bit of a yellow undertone, but it's expensive! Go out and buy a few concealers to see which one works best for you.