Foundation matching — advice from Reddit
- Don’t know your skin tone or MAC shade?
MAC NC Shades (warm, neutral and olive undertones)
MAC NW Shades (cool/neutral undertones)
MAC N Shades (light, neutral undertones)
Shade finders for specific brands
Foundations & concealers reviews

Foundation matching — advice from Reddit

Buying foundation is such a hit or miss thing for me. Somehow, I always end up with a shade that’s completely wrong for me. And then I discovered this fantastic megathread at r/MakeupAddiction where the makeup aficionados there listed all the popular foundation shades that matched their skin tones.

I wanted to make that super useful resource easier to use, so I’ve extracted the shade info from the thread and sorted it by MAC shade.

Enjoy!

Just so you know, some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that if you click and buy something, I earn a tiny commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Redmond Mom and keeping the site ad-free!

Don’t know your skin tone or MAC shade?

If you don’t know your skin tone or MAC shade, use our Foundation Shade Finder with photos to determine your skin tone before viewing the shade matches/equivalents below.

Foundation Matching (sorted by MAC Shades)

MAC NC Shades (warm, neutral and olive undertones)

MAC NC5 to NC10 foundation matches

If MAC NC5 is too light for you and NC10 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NC10 foundation matches

very fair beige with neutral undertone for very fair skin

MAC NC10 or NW10 foundation matches

If either MAC NC10 or NW10 match you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NC15 foundation matches

light beige with golden undertone for light skin

MAC NC15 to NC20 foundation matches

If MAC NC15 is too light for you and NC20 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NC20 foundation matches

light beige with neutral golden undertone for light skin

MAC NC20 to NC25 foundation matches

If MAC NC20 is too light for you and NC25 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NC25 foundation matches

light beige with golden peach undertone for light skin

MAC NC25 to NC30 foundation matches

If MAC NC25 is too light for you and NC30 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NC30 foundation matches

light to medium beige with golden undertone for light to medium skin

MAC NC30 to NC35 foundation matches

If MAC NC30 is too light for you and NC35 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NC35 foundation matches

light to medium beige with peachy golden undertone for medium skin

MAC NC37 foundation matches

medium beige with neutral undertone for medium skin

MAC NC40 foundation matches

medium beige with golden peach undertone for medium skin

MAC NC40 to NC42 foundation matches

If MAC NC40 is too light for you and NC42 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NC42 foundation matches

true medium beige with golden undertone for medium skin

MAC NC44 foundation matches

tanned caramel with golden undertone for medium to dark skin

MAC NC44 to NC45 foundation matches

If MAC NC44 is too light for you and NC45 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NC45 foundation matches

bronze with golden undertone for dark skin

MAC NC45 to NC50 foundation matches

If MAC NC45 is too light for you and NC50 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NC50 foundation matches

rich brown with golden undertone for deep dark skin

MAC NW Shades (cool/neutral undertones)

Lighter than MAC NW10 foundation matches

Try these foundation shades if you are matched to Lighter than MAC NW10.

MAC NW10 foundation matches

very fair beige with rosy undertone for fair skin

MAC NW10 to NW20 foundation matches

If MAC NW10 is too light for you and NW20 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NW10 to NW13 foundation matches

If MAC NW10 is too light for you and NW13 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NW13 foundation matches

fair beige with neutral undertone for light skin

MAC NW15 foundation matches

light beige with neutral undertone for light skin

MAC NW15 to NW20 foundation matches

If MAC NW15 is too light for you and NW20 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NW15 to NC20 foundation matches

Neutral when pale but golden/yellow when tanned
If you are usually NW15 but take on a warm tone when you tan (around NC20), these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NW20 foundation matches

warm neutral beige with rosy undertone for light to medium skin

MAC NW25 foundation matches

rosy beige with rosy undertone for light to medium skin

MAC NW25 to NW30 foundation matches

If MAC NW25 is too light for you and NW30 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC NW45 foundation matches

medium mahogany with rosy undertones for medium to dark skin

MAC NW46 foundation matches

deep auburn with red undertones for dark skin

MAC NW46 foundation/concealer matches and equivalents — MAC NW46

MAC NW47 foundation matches

deep auburn with neutral undertones for dark skin

MAC NW50 foundation matches

rich coffee with neutral undertone for dark skin

MAC N Shades (light, neutral undertones)

MAC N1 to N2 foundation matches

If MAC N1 is too light for you and N2 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

MAC N4 to N5 foundation matches

If MAC N4 is too light for you and N5 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

Lighter than MAC N5 foundation matches

Try these foundation shades if you are matched to Lighter than MAC N5.

MAC N5 foundation matches

If MAC N5 is too light for you and N10 is too dark for you, these foundation shades might suit you.

Shade finders for specific brands

If you are looking for your shade in a specific foundation/concealer, use our Shade Finders to find your shade. Our shade finders have swatches and images of people with various skin tones that’ll make foundation matching quick and accurate.