I found the best foundation for my undertone! What other cosmetic lines have this colour?

[LadyDragonFire]

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone is feeling well!

So..I have a question that is probably better to ask on a cosmetics forum like makeup alley or something, but..I think I had an account on there a long time ago and I haven't used it in so long I can't even remember my username or password anymore..and possibly my account may have expired on there anyway lol. And..I could create a new account but I feel like it's a lot of bother! XD

So..I thought maybe I'd try asking about it here too. (I should probably try asking someone at sephora too come to think of it.)

So..recently I accidentally stumbled across a video on Youtube featuring a certain makeup artist (who doesn't have the same natural colouring I have.) And..she posted this one video talking all about the importance of wearing the correct colour in foundation, concealer, face powders, etc. And..she was basically saying that with complexion makeup like foundations and concealers the most important thing you need to consider isn't necessarily really how light or dark your makeup is (which I feel a lot of people always place too much emphasis on.) Although wearing the correct shade (in terms of lightness or darkness) can matter too for how easy or tricky it is to blend your makeup with a brush or sponge, I've found. And..if it's too pale even one in the correct undertone can still make me look washed out I've found.
But..the subject she was specifically focussing on was the importance of picking makeup that is correct for your undertone. And, she discussed all the different undertones you can possibly find foundation and concealer in: golden, peach, pink (blue), neutral or olive. This makeup artist actually has a very warm complexion, and she suits very warm, golden foundations for peach undertones. And..she demonstrates on her own face what can happen to your skin when you wear the right foundation hue (with the correct undertone) as opposed to what happens when you wear the wrong undertone colour. And..you can clearly see that her skin has a really nice healthy looking glow, and looks smoothed out (what foundation is supposed to do) when she wears a warm foundation for peach undertones, as opposed to what happens if she uses one with a cool pink undertone or a neutral one...even in the exact same foundation line the ones with cooler pink or neutral undertones make her skin look pale, dull and unhealthy (she actually has really nice skin too BTW.)
So, yes..you can clearly see the huge importance of picking the right or wrong makeup! And..she also says that if you're really and truly stumped (or confused) and you're really not sure whether you have a warm golden or peach undertone, or a cool pink or blue one or a more neutral undertone or an olive complexion you can clearly discover the truth with foundation! The problem with doing this of course (she even admits) is that many lines of makeup don't clearly tell you whether their foundations, concealers or coloured face powders are warm, cool, neutral or for olive complexions, or, even if they do, I find that what cosmetic companies call "neutral" or "pink" or "cool" or even "warm" can vary hugely! (They're not necessarily the same hues or undertones at all!) So then you're faced with, okay, are you looking at a pink foundation, or a neutral one, or one for warm golden or peach undertones, or what does an olive foundation look like? Like..you would have to just know right? Which..even if you're knowledgeable can be almost impossible to tell in store lighting anyway!
So..she recommends a couple of specific product lines to try if you really want to test foundations to try and figure out your undertone. And..of course they're super expensive ones that she uses, one from Ko-gen-Do (in a bright red tube) and the other one is Armani Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless foundation. Yeah..super expensive. But..I will admit the Armani one is a really awesome foundation! Like..I'm really loving it! It is actually so much better than a lot of cheap drugstore foundations. Anyway..I don't get paid to endorse anyone's makeup..I'm just mentioning that those are ones she uses for figuring out undertones. (plus the makeup is actually great!)
I wasn't able to find the Ko-Gen-Do one, so I went with the Armani foundation and I picked up one that Sephora said on their website has a "pink" undertone, one mini bottle that sephora said had a "peach" undertone (which may have been mislabelled..it may be cool actually.) And I picked up one that Sephora said is "neutral" and one that is for olive complexions. I didn't bother with getting a golden/yellow one because I already have a whole bunch or Urban Decay foundation with a warm golden/peach undertone.
By the way, I also figured out that the one the lady in the video uses is actually a really warm golden one too with no pink in it. So..I'm actually the opposite of her it turns out in what I suit.
So..what I did all my tests in my home in natural day light, so I know what I'm seeing is the truth (as I said..no store lighting to throw things way off.)
What I discovered is that very warm golden foundations for golden or peach undertones first of all, on my face, look too yellow. Secondly..if the product I'm using has any kind of satin finish the product actually loses that finish on my skin and goes looking more flat and dull. (I'm not joking this is a real thing that actually happens.) In contrast, the correct foundation containing some pink that I actually suit keeps it's satin finish and gives me a healthy looking glow. Plus..very warm golden/peach foundations emphasize surface imperfections on my face. One weird thing for example is that a very warm yellow/golden foundation or concealer suddenly makes all the peach fuzz hairs on my cheeks more noticeable! In my correct foundation hue I actually don't even look like that fuzz is even there! (Again I'm serious.) In short..warm foundations for golden or peach undertones are really unflattering on me, and they prove I don't have a warm undertone lol!
I also tried one of the Armani foundations in number 5.5, which the Sephora website said has a "peach undertone." I'm not sure if it's what the lady in the video is calling "peach" though, because I think she uses a purely yellow/golden warm foundation. 5.5 I think isn't one of those and may have been mislabelled?
Anyway...that one is bad and unflattering on me too, in any case. I put the 5.5 shade all over my face and then I looked like I had all these rough little bumps and everything on my skin that I didn't even know were there before, and it made my face look older in the mirror! My skin looked better when I took the foundation off than when I had it on, the opposite of what your foundation should actually do! As I said..I think 5.5 actually may be pink and cool but I'm not sure. I also tried foundation number 5 from the same Armani line labelled "neutral" by Sephora. Number 5 is mostly just neutral beige. I think it may have a pink undertone as well but if it does it's just a very slight or subtle pink. Mostly it doesn't look very pink or peach or yellow, it mostly just looks neutral beige. I put that one on my face too and it was like, yikes!! I almost scared myself looking at my face in the mirror lol! XD That one looks like it's sucking all healthy colour out of my face, plus it also seems to settle into pores and crevasses in my skin too, emphasizing imperfections rather than masking them. And..I tried blending it with a makeup sponge for ages and it still always looked like there was makeup residue sitting on the surface of my skin..it never melds into my complexion properly! Actually..I think all foundations that are wrong and especially if they are too yellow can be like that on me. So..that one was obviously a really big no as well! I also picked up number 3.5 which is one for olive complexions just because I wanted to make sure I wasn't making any mistakes. I had read it is possible to have a pale olive complexion, so I wanted to be sure of that too. I was just being ridiculous! XD I definitely don't have an olive skin tone! Number 3.5 looks like a dark bronze with a disturbing mossy green tone on my complexion! It definitely isn't the colour of my skin at all! XD So again, yeah..really big no!
So then that brings me to number 5.1 from that same Armani foundation line, which Sephora labels as having a "pink undertone." 5.1 is absolutely perfect for me in every way! It was such a huge relief! XD It gives my skin a nice healthy glow, keeps it's satin finish, has a real smoothing effect on my skin! All the surface mperfections that I could see wearing the other foundation colours were gone! It actually makes flaws less visible on my face! And..it's so fast and easy to blend it with my blending sponge! It easily just melts right into my skin and doesn't leave any traces of makeup residue sitting on my face! It actually makes my skin look lovely and flawless! In short..it does what your foundation, concealers, face powders etc. should actually be doing for you!
So..I have discovered the correct undertone colour that I'm supposed to be using in all my foundations, concealers and face makeup in general.
The tricky part of this is that obviously I am supposed to be using products with a pink undertone, but it's also equally obvious that it's an incredibly specific type of pink undertone that I suit too. :/ Like..for example, I also learned I don't suit the L'Oreal True Match foundations in their "cool" hues which also have pink undertones. And..I don't suit NARS creamy concealer if toffee for example either which also has a cool pink undertone. It seems that if I wear pink based foundations, concealers or powders that skew too cool or blue the makeup actually makes my skin look worse, not better. Those ones actually emhasize every pore and imperfection on my face and make me look years older! My face again looks better when I take the makeup off! (Which is why I think the Armani foundation in 5.5 may actually be a cool pink as well.)
But..the specific pink-warm balance that the Armani foundation in 5.1 has is absolutely perect! It's clear it's exactly the type of undertone I actually have!

So..although I do love my Armani foundation because it's awesome, I'm also wondering out of sheer curosity if anyone else here has the same type of complexion and undertone that I have (it seems it's a more neutral-balnaced type of red or pink..not very blue or very warm.)
And..I'm wondering what other lines of makeup in other brands might have the same type of foundation or concealer colour with that same type of pink undertone that the Armani foundation in number 5.1 has.

Thanks so much guys! Have a great day everyone cheers!

 

[Clarissochka]

Armani foundation is the best.
Buying foundation without being able to try in store is nightmare. Personally I am a germofob on a good day, so even before Covid I would rarely use the testers. Imagine how I would feel now. Good thing a lot of places have a generous return policy (would be better if they just sent you a sample to try before you experiment with the full bottle.
I completely agree with you 100% - a wrong shade of foundation can totally make you look horrible. Sephora has this tool that can test your skin to come up with the best shades- and I found it to be horrible (unless I am going for It clown look). The shade and undertone recommendations were significantly off. I also find that having 50+ shades is very confusing!! And don’t get me started on those apps to try your foundation on based on the picture - they are great if you want to give yourself a nightmare. I don’t put on a lot of makeup so foundation is the most important thing for me.
Couple others, depending on how much coverage you are looking for.
Chanel Beige
Charlotte Tilbury light wonder (and if you rein the market for a blush, her blushes are amazing).
Nars has really nice foundation if you are looking for heavier coverage
I would not recommend Mac - a lot of their foundations oxydize giving you orange shade. Great if you want to blend in while in Orange grove.
Drugstore foundations are the worst. It is hard to chose because there are no testers, or the testers they have are gross. You end up wasting money b/c they would not take the product back, or you have no time to go back and return it.
Glad you were able to find a good shade thou!!

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone is feeling well!

So..I have a question that is probably better to ask on a cosmetics forum like makeup alley or something, but..I think I had an account on there a long time ago and I haven't used it in so long I can't even remember my username or password anymore..and possibly my account may have expired on there anyway lol. And..I could create a new account but I feel like it's a lot of bother! XD

So..I thought maybe I'd try asking about it here too. (I should probably try asking someone at sephora too come to think of it.)

So..recently I accidentally stumbled across a video on Youtube featuring a certain makeup artist (who doesn't have the same natural colouring I have.) And..she posted this one video talking all about the importance of wearing the correct colour in foundation, concealer, face powders, etc. And..she was basically saying that with complexion makeup like foundations and concealers the most important thing you need to consider isn't necessarily really how light or dark your makeup is (which I feel a lot of people always place too much emphasis on.) Although wearing the correct shade (in terms of lightness or darkness) can matter too for how easy or tricky it is to blend your makeup with a brush or sponge, I've found. And..if it's too pale even one in the correct undertone can still make me look washed out I've found.
But..the subject she was specifically focussing on was the importance of picking makeup that is correct for your undertone. And, she discussed all the different undertones you can possibly find foundation and concealer in: golden, peach, pink (blue), neutral or olive. This makeup artist actually has a very warm complexion, and she suits very warm, golden foundations for peach undertones. And..she demonstrates on her own face what can happen to your skin when you wear the right foundation hue (with the correct undertone) as opposed to what happens when you wear the wrong undertone colour. And..you can clearly see that her skin has a really nice healthy looking glow, and looks smoothed out (what foundation is supposed to do) when she wears a warm foundation for peach undertones, as opposed to what happens if she uses one with a cool pink undertone or a neutral one...even in the exact same foundation line the ones with cooler pink or neutral undertones make her skin look pale, dull and unhealthy (she actually has really nice skin too BTW.)
So, yes..you can clearly see the huge importance of picking the right or wrong makeup! And..she also says that if you're really and truly stumped (or confused) and you're really not sure whether you have a warm golden or peach undertone, or a cool pink or blue one or a more neutral undertone or an olive complexion you can clearly discover the truth with foundation! The problem with doing this of course (she even admits) is that many lines of makeup don't clearly tell you whether their foundations, concealers or coloured face powders are warm, cool, neutral or for olive complexions, or, even if they do, I find that what cosmetic companies call "neutral" or "pink" or "cool" or even "warm" can vary hugely! (They're not necessarily the same hues or undertones at all!) So then you're faced with, okay, are you looking at a pink foundation, or a neutral one, or one for warm golden or peach undertones, or what does an olive foundation look like? Like..you would have to just know right? Which..even if you're knowledgeable can be almost impossible to tell in store lighting anyway!
So..she recommends a couple of specific product lines to try if you really want to test foundations to try and figure out your undertone. And..of course they're super expensive ones that she uses, one from Ko-gen-Do (in a bright red tube) and the other one is Armani Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless foundation. Yeah..super expensive. But..I will admit the Armani one is a really awesome foundation! Like..I'm really loving it! It is actually so much better than a lot of cheap drugstore foundations. Anyway..I don't get paid to endorse anyone's makeup..I'm just mentioning that those are ones she uses for figuring out undertones. (plus the makeup is actually great!)
I wasn't able to find the Ko-Gen-Do one, so I went with the Armani foundation and I picked up one that Sephora said on their website has a "pink" undertone, one mini bottle that sephora said had a "peach" undertone (which may have been mislabelled..it may be cool actually.) And I picked up one that Sephora said is "neutral" and one that is for olive complexions. I didn't bother with getting a golden/yellow one because I already have a whole bunch or Urban Decay foundation with a warm golden/peach undertone.
By the way, I also figured out that the one the lady in the video uses is actually a really warm golden one too with no pink in it. So..I'm actually the opposite of her it turns out in what I suit.
So..what I did all my tests in my home in natural day light, so I know what I'm seeing is the truth (as I said..no store lighting to throw things way off.)
What I discovered is that very warm golden foundations for golden or peach undertones first of all, on my face, look too yellow. Secondly..if the product I'm using has any kind of satin finish the product actually loses that finish on my skin and goes looking more flat and dull. (I'm not joking this is a real thing that actually happens.) In contrast, the correct foundation containing some pink that I actually suit keeps it's satin finish and gives me a healthy looking glow. Plus..very warm golden/peach foundations emphasize surface imperfections on my face. One weird thing for example is that a very warm yellow/golden foundation or concealer suddenly makes all the peach fuzz hairs on my cheeks more noticeable! In my correct foundation hue I actually don't even look like that fuzz is even there! (Again I'm serious.) In short..warm foundations for golden or peach undertones are really unflattering on me, and they prove I don't have a warm undertone lol!
I also tried one of the Armani foundations in number 5.5, which the Sephora website said has a "peach undertone." I'm not sure if it's what the lady in the video is calling "peach" though, because I think she uses a purely yellow/golden warm foundation. 5.5 I think isn't one of those and may have been mislabelled?
Anyway...that one is bad and unflattering on me too, in any case. I put the 5.5 shade all over my face and then I looked like I had all these rough little bumps and everything on my skin that I didn't even know were there before, and it made my face look older in the mirror! My skin looked better when I took the foundation off than when I had it on, the opposite of what your foundation should actually do! As I said..I think 5.5 actually may be pink and cool but I'm not sure. I also tried foundation number 5 from the same Armani line labelled "neutral" by Sephora. Number 5 is mostly just neutral beige. I think it may have a pink undertone as well but if it does it's just a very slight or subtle pink. Mostly it doesn't look very pink or peach or yellow, it mostly just looks neutral beige. I put that one on my face too and it was like, yikes!! I almost scared myself looking at my face in the mirror lol! XD That one looks like it's sucking all healthy colour out of my face, plus it also seems to settle into pores and crevasses in my skin too, emphasizing imperfections rather than masking them. And..I tried blending it with a makeup sponge for ages and it still always looked like there was makeup residue sitting on the surface of my skin..it never melds into my complexion properly! Actually..I think all foundations that are wrong and especially if they are too yellow can be like that on me. So..that one was obviously a really big no as well! I also picked up number 3.5 which is one for olive complexions just because I wanted to make sure I wasn't making any mistakes. I had read it is possible to have a pale olive complexion, so I wanted to be sure of that too. I was just being ridiculous! XD I definitely don't have an olive skin tone! Number 3.5 looks like a dark bronze with a disturbing mossy green tone on my complexion! It definitely isn't the colour of my skin at all! XD So again, yeah..really big no!
So then that brings me to number 5.1 from that same Armani foundation line, which Sephora labels as having a "pink undertone." 5.1 is absolutely perfect for me in every way! It was such a huge relief! XD It gives my skin a nice healthy glow, keeps it's satin finish, has a real smoothing effect on my skin! All the surface mperfections that I could see wearing the other foundation colours were gone! It actually makes flaws less visible on my face! And..it's so fast and easy to blend it with my blending sponge! It easily just melts right into my skin and doesn't leave any traces of makeup residue sitting on my face! It actually makes my skin look lovely and flawless! In short..it does what your foundation, concealers, face powders etc. should actually be doing for you!
So..I have discovered the correct undertone colour that I'm supposed to be using in all my foundations, concealers and face makeup in general.
The tricky part of this is that obviously I am supposed to be using products with a pink undertone, but it's also equally obvious that it's an incredibly specific type of pink undertone that I suit too. :/ Like..for example, I also learned I don't suit the L'Oreal True Match foundations in their "cool" hues which also have pink undertones. And..I don't suit NARS creamy concealer if toffee for example either which also has a cool pink undertone. It seems that if I wear pink based foundations, concealers or powders that skew too cool or blue the makeup actually makes my skin look worse, not better. Those ones actually emhasize every pore and imperfection on my face and make me look years older! My face again looks better when I take the makeup off! (Which is why I think the Armani foundation in 5.5 may actually be a cool pink as well.)
But..the specific pink-warm balance that the Armani foundation in 5.1 has is absolutely perect! It's clear it's exactly the type of undertone I actually have!

So..although I do love my Armani foundation because it's awesome, I'm also wondering out of sheer curosity if anyone else here has the same type of complexion and undertone that I have (it seems it's a more neutral-balnaced type of red or pink..not very blue or very warm.)
And..I'm wondering what other lines of makeup in other brands might have the same type of foundation or concealer colour with that same type of pink undertone that the Armani foundation in number 5.1 has.

Thanks so much guys! Have a great day everyone cheers!

 

[donna255]

Armani Luminous Silk is fabulous and been raved about for years.

Oh, and as for your peach fuzz, shave it off. No, you will not grow back thicker darker hair. You only need to do it once a month or so. Unless you have a hormone problem it will not grow back darker.

 

[LadyDragonFire]

Thanks guys! I love getting makeup recommendations! And lol Clarissochka! XD The orange grove comment is funny! XD I know what you mean though! I felt like the MAC NW line seems to pull kind of orange on my skin too! XD

I know I just wrote a whole long thing raving about how I'm sure I found the perfect foundation, but just to really make sure I'm not making any real mistakes I just purchased a mini bottle of the same Armani foundation in number 4 too (I think) which is a warm golden one, the only one I didn't try yet in that line. And a mini tube of the NARS creamy concealer in one of their warm golden ones too. (I also already have toffee which is ironically cool and pink.) It does occur to me that problems I might be having with other products can also have to do with differing amount of coverage and different skin finishes. So..it's good to compare all against the same product. I do love my Armani foundation in the 5.1 shade (which yes, is cool and pink based) especially when I first apply it to my face. Sometimes in certain lighting (especially indoors and in electric lighting) I kind of wonder if the colour of my face looks unhealthy? (always a bad sign lol!) I'm not certain if maybe that might be getting thrown off by other things though, like the colour I'm wearing, or other colours around me? Or..maybe I just overthink things? XD So..I'm trying the warm foundation again too. :/

 

[Clarissochka]

I actually wear no 4 in Armani. I am fairly fair and burn very easily, but somehow it looks pretty awesome on me. If you are looking to upping your 'warm' game, try Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi drops - you can control how much you want to put for sun-kissed looks. Armani also has their Glow Enhancers that you can mix with foundation (or use stand alone), which are awesome. I also had a good experience with Nars bronzer - they have this cream one, which I find is much better. Lastly, Armani runs a lot of promos, where their make is 40% off - a really good deal, you just gotta sign up

 

[LadyDragonFire]

update:

Yes, I definitely confirmed that I have a cool undertone, and I need foundations, concealers, face powders etc. that contain a cool pink undertone. Any problems I've been having with cool toned makeup apparently had to do with amount of coverage and skin finishes. My makeup really can't go too warm though!
I tested the Armani foundation in number 4 on one half of my face and the pink-toned number 5.1 on the other half of my face and yikes! The warm foundation is really scary on me! lol It was about the same as the neutral number 5 which is also terribad lol. The half of my face with 5.1 looked much better! I also tested NARS radiant creamy concealer in the Macaron Glace colour (warm golden again) on one half of my face and the toffee colour on the other half which is cool and pink toned. The warm concealer looked even more scary lol! XD The half of my face with toffee looked great by comparison! It turns out that concealer just doesn't have quite as much coverage as I would like. But I do obviously suit the pink undertone. Also..I didn't like the way my cool makeup looked in a bathroom mirror in electric lighting..but the problem isn't that the makeup is wrong apparently..actually it's probably just me being overly fussy! XD But yes, I definitely discovered my undertone.
Thanks for you help everyone!

 

[cdave2]

Glad you figured out your undertone!

I have the opposite problem: my skin is relatively fair but warm-toned. Not orange, not olive, but yellow. Only recently have I been able to find colors in the Clinique line because they usually tended to skew pink. So, for you, perhaps they might be worth checking out as an affordable alternative!

 

[LadyDragonFire]

Oh! CDave2! The Armani foundation I mentioned has really awesome matches for fair warm skin tones! Like..the number 4 one I mentioned is actually really light, and the colours even go lighter than that! And NARS had good possible matches for very fair warm skin tones too. I know I just sounded like I was insulting those colours really badly, but actually on people who suit them they're really amazing! (You should check out that video on Youtube I mentioned actually, maybe I should post a link.)
Actually, can't remember if I said this, but I was actually a bit surprised that it turns out I have a cool undertone! I never think my skin looks obviously pink. I'm mostly pretty fair too, and I actually also thought my skin looked more neutral or warm. The Armani neutral and warm foundations I tried almost looked like they should be a good match for my skin tone actually if I just do the colour striping test on my jaw line and neck. But..applied to my whole face it's obvious they're wrong..the pink toned one is a lot more flattering. But yes, thanks for more makeup recommendations.

Clarissochka: Again, thank you so much for all your makeup recommendations. I appreciate all your replies.
I keep nattering on about all my foundation tests, I feel like I only just barely replied to you!
I'm not sure if you meant to recommend Chanel makeup, or their perfume. I actually love a lot of the Chanel scents in the Les Exclusifs line. I tried a few of them, and I think I did try Beige at one point. I remember I definitely loved Jersey (I think) and Chanel No.22, and Bois Des Isles, and I think I tried Gardenia and liked it too. I can't remember all of them now from memory. Again..super expensive, but really, really super nice scents! I'd like to go back and try some of them again too, especially because I'm also curious about Le Lion which I haven't had the chance to try yet. (I'm not always a fan of amber though.)

I am curious about the Charlotte Tilbury line too..I haven't tried a lot of the products yet. I'm curious to see their blushes now. I'll probably go have a look at them when our stores re-open. (Which I think is supposed to be very soon now actually.)
I might try the glo-drops too. I actually had one moisturizer and facial cleanser from Drunk Elephant before, and I liked the moisturizer a lot. (I think it was the peptide cream or something?)
Again, thanks for the recommendations, I always like getting them.

Oh, and I meant to say too, I think I pretty much agree with you about Color IQ (Sephora's color matching tool) :/
The first time I was matched with color IQ they scanned three different parts of my face and I got 1R06 I think. (Which meant one notch over to the pink side and level 6 meaning I have a light-medium skin tone.) Which..was probably pretty close and probably had at least a few matches that may have not been bad. I think a lot actually were too warm for me though now that I think of it. I think one was Bare Minerals Fairly light mineral powder foundation and I think that's close to one you suit..I think it's for warm golden or peach undertones. And..I bought Smashbox Halo mineral powder foundation in Light based off of my color IQ recommendations, and that one is technically for warm golden or peach undertones too I think..but it's super light coverage and mostly more like a face powder so I think it's not that bad on me. (It's not the best either, but I think it's just okay.)
I had my color IQ match done at least one other time after that though and I think they scanned both spots on my face and on my neck and I ended up with a warmer match..like 2Y04 or something like that..a lot warmer a paler. I used to think that was probably right, my mom tried to tell me she thought I suited the more pink foundations though. XD For some reason I doubted her at the time. But yeah..I'm just saying you're right. Color IQ can give you completely different results and matches depending on where they capture the picture of your skin. Also..I don't even fully understand how people at Sephora categorize all their makeup using that complicated Color IQ chart they have! XD
I have heard that some people actually get perfect matches with Color IQ too..but ultimately for lots of people..although i think things like Color IQ are kind of neat and fun..ultimately probably lots of people need to do what I did to get their best matches and actually find their best makeup by just putting it on their face and looking! XD

 

[donna255]

LadyDragonFire, I used shade 4 for a long time, but then Armani brought out more in-between shades. Back in the day it was shade 4 straight to shade 5.

So I suggest you try shade 4.75 which is cool toned.

 

[cdave2]

Thanks for the Armani recommendation! I generally don’t wear foundation as my skin breaks out easily, but I do have an Armani color corrector in a nice golden maize color for whenever I need industrial-strength camouflage under the eyes.

FYI, Clinique isn’t obviously pink. It’s only so next to me. I really like their Chubby Stick moisturizing lip colors - easy to apply on the bus when I’m running late. May they never discontinue Chunkiest Chili!

 

[LadyDragonFire]

Oh whoops!

By the way, today I just figured out that I actually really do have a warm golden or peach undertone, definitely not a blue one! XD
I should have known this anyway because I've received really nice compliments when I wear orange! And I always feel like I look really nice in warm yellow-greens.
By stark contrast, I've actually received the comment "Oh my God! Why are you wearing that??" if I wear a lot of cool pinks. And heathered grey is onjectively bad on me and I really feel like blue-red makes me look old. And I've never thought that I look that great in black. Or white.
So lol yeah! This probably should have been obvious! (I've always liked gold jewelry too.)

Today I did the Armani foundation in 5.5, the warm peach/apricot colour all on one half of my face again and the cool one in 5.1 all on the other half and this time I was looking in a small magnifying mirror in natural day light, and it was glaringly obvious that the orange hue was more flattering! The half of my face with the cool foundation actually looked sort of pale and sickly and almost greenish, and I realized it actually is making my freckles look grey. The orange half of my face actually looked better, even though it was still obviously too weirdly orange. (Yes I shouldn't look like I'm trying to blend into an orange grove lol.) And I realized the cool pink based foundation actually doesn't even really cover or mask my pores or other skin imperfections as well as I thought it was! In a magnifying mirror it was pretty obvious that it's not really that great!
However..I still felt like the peach foundation was settling into lines and crevasses too much too and maybe is also not that great looking. (Although light years better than the cool pink.)
So, I tried the Armani number 4 again too, and I still feel like it makes my face look a bit startling because I think it washes me out too much and makes me too pale. But..it still maybe seems more correct for my skin tone than a peach one. :/ I think maybe I just need to add more colour back in with bronzer or something. I don't think the neutral is more correct for my skin tone either, BTW..I think I suit either the golden or peach I just need to figure it out lol. But I definitely don't have a blue undertone..the cool foundation was making me look sick! So yes..it turns out my Sephora color IQ matches actually were pretty correct! That tool actually works!

I think I also just figured out that the professional makeup artist who did my makeup for one of the last weddings I went to more than likely also used the Armani foundation in one of the golden undertone colours, maybe number 4! In any case..the foundation colour she used on me looked an awful lot like that It was either that one or something very close, but she did lots of contouring on my face with deeper shades too.

update: nope. I was right the first time! I suit the cool foundation. It was the burnt orange colour sitting right next to (my half of the face with cool foundation on it) that was making that half of my face look sickly. If I put the 5.5 color (in the Armani foundation) which is really really orange on me, on one half of my face and no makeup on the other half, the side of my face with no makeup looks a lot better! And..the cool makeup is definintely better than number 4 or the neutral number 5..which I can't even blend into my skin properly ever! Same with the peach 5.5.