When it comes to finding your perfect foundation match, the struggle can be very real. But we have a solution. Rather than filling up your arm with several shade swatches or just guessing which foundation is suitable based on your skin tone, we know a few shade-matching methods that actually work. They all start with choosing a foundation that offers a range across a variety of skin tones and undertones.

Once you’ve narrowed down your undertone, it’ll be easier to find concealer that will work for you. Many brands will list their concealer shades with letters N, W or C to denote that they're either a neutral, warm or cool shade, which makes it much easier to narrow down your options. The L’Oréal Paris True Match Eye Cream in a Concealer, 0.5% Hyaluronic Acid comes in 14 shades that each specify whether they have cool, neutral, or warm undertones so you don’t have to play the guessing game. Once you’ve determined your undertone, then you can move on to your skin tone. True Match Super-Blendable Foundation has shades that satisfy warm, cool, and neutral undertones, with colors ranging from fair to deep. url": "https://www.lorealparisusa.com/beauty-magazine/makeup/face-makeup/foundation-true-match-shade-finder"Finding makeup that perfectly matches your complexion has gotten easier in the past decade with more offerings and innovations on the market, but it can still be hard, especially if you’re a makeup novice . And if too much choice tends to overwhelm you, narrowing down the best options from an abundance of products can be a downright headache. Look at the inside of your arm. If your veins appear blue or purple, you’re cool-toned, while green veins indicate warm-toned skin. If you’re not sure or you see a mix of blue and green, you may have neutral undertones. Step 2. Next, use a damp makeup blender to buff your foundation, working from the center of your face, outward. Follow up with concealer like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Full Wear Concealer up to 24H Full Coverage to mask blemishes or add more coverage. Additionally, choose one that’s two shades lighter to highlight the face or two shades deeper to contour. An easy way to determine your undertones is to look at the color of your veins at your wrist: If your veins appear bluish or purple, you have cool undertones, if your veins look green, you have warm undertones, and if your veins don’t appear to be any of these colors, you likely have neutral undertones. If you have warm undertones, you’ll want to use a concealer with coordinating undertones, and the same goes for skin with cool undertones. This applies whether you’re choosing an exact match or a color to contour.

If you’re on the hunt for a concealer for mature skin, try the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Makeup Radiant Concealer with Hydrating Serum , which is formulated with hydrating ingredients and won’t settle into lines. If you’re wondering should concealer be a shade darker or lighter then you likely know that concealer doesn’t have to be used solely for concealing — you’re likely planning on using your concealer for a plethora of tasks.Don’t worry, it’s simpler than it sounds. Keep reading to find out more about selecting your best True Match Super-Blendable Foundation color. As we mentioned, cool undertones appear in your complexion as hints of blue or pink and will be categorized as C in True Match Super-Blendable Foundation. Warm undertones appear more yellow or golden and appear as W in True Match Super-Blendable Foundation. If your undertones are neutral, which means you have a mix of warm and cool undertones, this will appear as N in True Match Super-Blendable Foundation. If you plan to use concealer to cover any blemishes that are peeking out from under your foundation, the best way to choose a shade that will blend seamlessly is to use your foundation as a guide. In this case, your concealer should perfectly match your skin tone and not be either darker or lighter. Either bring the bottle of foundation with you to the store or find your shade on the shelf to compare. Oftentimes, you can find a coordinating concealer and foundation, like the L’Oréal Paris 24 Hour Fresh Wear Foundation in Espresso and L’Oréal Paris Infallible Full Wear Concealer up to 24H Full Coverage in Espresso . True Match Super-Blendable Foundation is also categorized into five depth categories: deep, medium deep, medium, light medium and light. Look for the shade that matches the depth of your skin with the corresponding undertone. For example, if you have medium deep skin with warm undertones, look at the warm shades in the medium deep category — W9, W8 and W7 — for the shade that best matches your skin tone. We recommend testing out a few shades to find your best match. Below are a few helpful tips you can use to find the right one.

For redness, reach for a green concealer . If you think about the color wheel, you’ll recognize that green is across from red, making it the perfect shade to neutralize redness caused by blemishes and blotchiness. For blue and purple areas yellow concealer should be your go-to. It will hide blue and purple areas like broken capillaries and age spots. For dark spots, an orange-hued color is just what you need. Reach for a peach, bisque, or orange concealer to disguise dark circles and dark spots. Once you know your undertone and depth category, here are the exact shades you have to choose from. id": "https://www.lorealparisusa.com/beauty-magazine/makeup/face-makeup/foundation-true-match-shade-finder",

id": "https://www.lorealparisusa.com/beauty-magazine/makeup/face-makeup/how-to-choose-a-concealer-shade", Use two concealer shades: one two shades darker the skin tone and one two shades lighter. To contour apply the dark shade under cheekbones, to forehead and chin to create definition. To highlight apply to the areas of the face that naturally catch the light. This method is bizarre — we’ll be the first to admit it — but we’ve seen it work. Hold a white piece of paper up to your skin. The white should create a cast of color on your skin. If your face suddenly appears more pink or blue, your undertones are cool, and if you give off a more yellowish hue, you’re warm. If your skin seems gray, you have neutral undertones.