Are you looking for your L’Oreal foundation match? Are you confused by the plethora of L’Oreal foundation shades and products?
We sure are and that’s why we’ve come up with what we hope is the definitive shade guide to L’Oreal True Match foundations.
What are the True Match Foundations and Concealers?
L’Oreal currently makes 4 kinds of True Match foundations and 4 different True Match concealers.
Each of the 4 True Match foundation has different shades, ranging from a paltry 12 shades (L’Oreal True Match Mineral Loose Powder Foundation) to an impressive 45 shade range (True Match Super-Blendable Makeup)!
Phew! No wonder it’s so difficult to pick the right shade.
Luckily, there’s a method to L’Oreal’s madness. The trick is to figure out which foundation formulation best suits your needs, and then determine your undertone and shade depth (more about that later) to find your correct shade.
Step 1: Pick Your Formulation
L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Makeup is the top-selling True Match foundation. It is an oil-free formulation with SPF 17 and buildable light to medium coverage.
It works on all skin types and is basically the jack-of-all-trades of True Match foundations.
It comes in 45 shades and if you are not sure which True Match foundation to go with, I’d suggest giving this one a try first.
L’Oreal True Match Mineral Loose Powder Foundation is my personal favorite. It has a gentle mineral formulation with buildable light to full coverage and SPF 19.
L’Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup is the glowy version of the True Match Super-Blendable foundation. It has a nice snazzy pump, anti-aging vitamins, SPF20 and is best for dry and aging skin types looking for medium coverage and a dewy finish.
L’Oreal True Match Nude Hyaluronic Tinted Serum Foundation is another hydrating foundation aimed at dry and aging skin types. Because it’s basically a tinted serum, it has lighter coverage than the Lumi version.
But Wait, There’s A Fifth True Match Foundation!
I know I said there’s 4 True Match foundations but there’s actually a fifth one masquerading as a pressed powder.
The L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Compact Makeup is similar to powder foundations like the legendary MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus foundation and gives buildable light to almost full coverage.
It covers like a foundation and comes in an astounding 34 shades (see what I mean about this “pressed powder” masquerading as a foundation?) and it’s great for travel and on-the-go touchups.
L’Oreal True Match Shade Naming Convention
L’Oreal True Match shades are sorted into 3 groups: Cool (C), Neutral (N) and Warm (W).
This means that:
- shade C1 Alabaster has a cool undertone
- shade N2 Classic Ivory has a neutral undertone
- shade W1 Porcelain has a warm undertone
Step 2: Figure Out Your Undertone
Broadly speaking, skin undertones fall into 4 categories:
Warm skin tones look more yellow.
Cool skin tones look more pink.
Neutral skin tones are somewhere between yellow and pink.
Olive skin tones have green and grey hues.
Step 3: Find Your Skin Tone Depth
When we describe someone as “light-skinned” or “dark-skinned”, we are really describing their skin tone depth.
Therefore, someone with “medium skin tone” would fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.
Step 4: Combine Undertone and Skin Tone Depth to Get Your Shade
Now that you’ve figured out your undertone and skin tone depth, you can narrow down your pick to a handful of shades.
For example, someone with warm, medium skin, around MAC NC40, would wear shade W6 Sun Beige in L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable.
L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Foundation Shades
FAIR SKIN SHADES
Very Fair, Pink
Very Fair, Yellow
Very Fair, Neutral
Fair, Pink
See more MAC NW10 foundation matches/equivalents.
See more MAC NW15 foundation matches/equivalents.
See more MAC NW20 foundation matches/equivalents.
Fair, Yellow
See more NC10 shade matches/equivalents.
See more NC15 shade matches/equivalents.
Fair, Neutral
See more MAC NW10 foundation matches/equivalents.
See more MAC NW13 foundation matches/equivalents.
Click for more MAC NW15 foundation matches/equivalents.
Light, Pink
Click for more MAC NW20 foundation matches/equivalents.
Click for more MAC NW25 foundation matches/equivalents.
Click for more MAC NW25 to NW30 foundation matches/equivalents.
Light, Yellow
See more MAC NC20 shade matches/equivalents and MAC NC25 shade matches/equivalents.
Light, Neutral
Medium, Pink
Medium, Yellow
See more:
MAC NC25 to NC30 shade matches/equivalents
MAC NC30 shade matches/equivalents
MAC NC30 to NC35 shade matches/equivalents
MAC NC35 shade matches/equivalents
See more MAC NC37 foundation matches/equivalents.
See more:
MAC NC40 foundation matches/equivalents
MAC NC40 to NC42 foundation matches/equivalents
MAC NC42 foundation matches/equivalents
Click for more MAC NC44 foundation matches/equivalents.
Click for more MAC NC44 to NC45 foundation matches/equivalents.
Click for more MAC NC45 foundation matches/equivalents.
Click for more MAC NC45 to NC50 foundation matches/equivalents.
Medium, Neutral
Medium Dark, Pink
Click for more MAC NC45 to NC50 foundation matches/equivalents.
Medium Dark, Yellow
Dark, Pink
See more:
MAC NC50 foundation matches/equivalents
MAC NW50 foundation matches/equivalents
Dark, Yellow
Dark, Neutral
Looking for more foundation matches/equivalents for other brands?
Check out our extensive Find Your Foundation Match page to find foundation brands and shades that match your skin tone.
Want to learn more? Check out our Shade Guide Resources:
Go to our Shade Guides Main Page to see all of our shade guides.
MAC Foundation Shades for Indian Skin
Maybelline Foundation Finder: What the Numbers Mean and Finding Your Perfect Shade
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer Swatches and Shades Guide
Medium Skin Tone – How It Looks Like (Visual Guide) and Foundation Shade Matches
