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 and products
Most popular foundations/concealers reviews

Foundation matching — advice from Reddit

Updated: 12/2/22

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!

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 matcher

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

MAC NC10 foundation matcher

very fair beige with neutral undertone for very fair skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC10.

MAC NC10 or NW10 foundation matcher

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

MAC NC15 foundation matcher

light beige with golden undertone for light skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC15.

MAC NC15 to NC20 foundation matcher

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

MAC NC20 foundation matcher

light beige with neutral golden undertone for light skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC20.

MAC NC20 to NC25 foundation matcher

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

MAC NC25 foundation matcher

light beige with golden peach undertone for light skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC25.

MAC NC25 to NC30 foundation matcher

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

MAC NC30 foundation matcher

light to medium beige with golden undertone for light to medium skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC30.

MAC NC30 to NC35 foundation matcher

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

MAC NC35 foundation matcher

light to medium beige with peachy golden undertone for medium skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC35.

MAC NC37 foundation matcher

medium beige with neutral undertone for medium skin

Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC37.

MAC NC40 foundation matcher

medium beige with golden peach undertone for medium skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC40.

MAC NC40 to NC42 foundation matcher

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

MAC NC42 foundation matcher

true medium beige with golden undertone for medium skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC42.

MAC NC44 foundation matcher

tanned caramel with golden undertone for medium to dark skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC44.

MAC NC44 to NC45 foundation matcher

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

MAC NC45 foundation matcher

bronze with golden undertone for dark skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC45.

MAC NC45 to NC50 foundation matcher

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

MAC NC50 foundation matcher

rich brown with golden undertone for deep dark skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NC50.

MAC NW Shades (cool/neutral undertones)

Lighter than MAC NW10 foundation matcher

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

MAC NW10 foundation matcher

very fair beige with rosy undertone for fair skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NW10.

MAC NW10 to NW20 foundation matcher

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 matcher

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

MAC NW13 foundation matcher

fair beige with neutral undertone for light skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NW13.

MAC NW15 foundation matcher

light beige with neutral undertone for light skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NW15.

MAC NW15 to NW20 foundation matcher

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 matcher

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 matcher

warm neutral beige with rosy undertone for light to medium skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NW20.

MAC NW25 foundation matcher

rosy beige with rosy undertone for light to medium skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NW25.

MAC NW25 to NW30 foundation matcher

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

MAC NW45 foundation matcher

medium mahogany with rosy undertones for medium to dark skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NW45.

MAC NW46 foundation matcher

deep auburn with red undertones for dark skin

Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NW46.

MAC NW46 foundation/concealer matches and equivalents — MAC NW46

MAC NW47 foundation matcher

deep auburn with neutral undertones for dark skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NW47.

MAC NW50 foundation matcher

rich coffee with neutral undertone for dark skin
Try these foundation shades if you are matched to MAC NW50.

MAC N Shades (light, neutral undertones)

MAC N1 to N2 foundation matcher

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 matcher

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 matcher

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

MAC N5 foundation matcher

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 and products

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.

Foundation/concealer shade finders with swatches and reviews for finding your correct shade.

Most popular foundations/concealers reviews

Most popular foundation and concealers — Reviews of the most popular foundations and concealers.

^{Image credits: https://www.maccosmetics.com, www.amazon.com}

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