Confused about correct skintone shade

[anti_starlet]

Hey there, I'm new

I'm a mixed race (half Black half White) 18-year old girl. I have Select Tint SPF15 in NC44 which seemed to suit my skintone pretty well, it seems make my skin appear slightly darker, similar to me being tanned while still evening it up. I picked this shade out myself after testing on my forearm. However, I visited a standalone MAC store last Saturday for a concealer. The MA applied Select Moisturecover in NW35, which I subsequently purchased. I wore this shade yesterday, alone without wearing foundation or tinted moisturiser, and my boyfriend commented that he didn't even know I was wearing concealer yet he seems to notice when I wear the Select Tint more (I don't wear make up everyday). I'm now seriously confused as to whether I'm "NC" or "NW" and I don't want to wear the two together as I'm worried there will be an obvious difference. I also want to purchase a MAC foundation in the near future but can' t afford to waste money on the wrong shade. Has anyone else had a similar problem or can offer any advice as to deducing your correct shade?

Thanks for any help on this matter.

 

[Vicky88]

Well do you have pink or yellow undertones?

NW = pink and NC = yellow.

http://specktra.net/foundation.php

 

[ben]

like you i am a mixed race lady (black and white)

ma recommened NC foundation and NW cover-up.

if your bf can tell that you're wearing the foundation try using a little less and really blend it in with a good brush (182, 184). remember less is more!

also, rather than testing the foundation on your arm you should check by applying it along the jaw bone, if you can still see it it's too dark or light, if not it's just right!

 

[gingerbelle]

You and I are prolly the same color

I found NC 44 a little dark/orange for me but NC 43 is good. After trying NC 35(too light) and 42(still not quite right) in concealer, I also discovered that NW 35 is perfect for my dark circles. I can't do NW for foundation tho' or I look like a Georgia peach

To be honest, I've gotten the best match from Prescriptives (In the yellow-orange family I match Tan in Summer and Tawny in winter). Apart from my skin being sensitive to MAC foundations, they still turn out either too orange or too chalky, and the perfect color for me, C5 only comes in Face and Body which makes me a pimply oil-slick

Don't worry if you can't find the perfect match in MAC. As much as I love the brand and only use it for all my other makeup, I've had to accept that their foundations do not work for me either formula or color-wise, and I'd rather buy another brand than wear sub-par foundation just because it's MAC. Explore other lines that are available to you - I've found that skin of color can be very hard to match so you may have to cast a wide net to get the perfect foundations. If you can, check out Iman, Bobbi Brown, NARS and Becca as well as they have good colors at the darker end of the spectrum.

 

[User67]

Hi, I'm also mixed race (Black, White & Cherokee Indian) & I know it's so hard to find a good foundation match with our coloring. But you can use both the NW & NC shades you don't have to stick to just one because they do vary by the type of foundation like liquid, powder, cream. I for example use the Studio Fix Lqiuid foundation in NC42 & the Studio Finish Concelor in NW35 & this combo works great for me. So just play around with all the different shades until you find what works for you : )

 

[anti_starlet]

Well, I tried looking at my skin in daylight and both me and my boyfriend found it rather difficult to distinguish both of our undertones (seems like he's more yellow than me and he's white!) I guess I'll just have to shop around then =(. I have heard about Prescriptives but I live in London, England and it's very hard to find apart from designer department stores e.g. Selfridges, Harrods etc. and we seem to be so much more expensive over here than in North America. Thank you so much for all your help guys <3

 

[neeshie]

hi!
I'm an NC42-44 as well and as one of the previus posters said - i loooove prescriptives foundations - i also use tan or tawny in virtual skin or level 3 1/2 - 4 in traceless. i've never found a mac foundation i really like
Prescriptives is not really that hard to find esp if you're in London...whereabouts in London are you? I'm in West London and have no problems at all finding it. Theyre really good at giving samples too.

 

[Incus]

I'm in London too

If you're shopping over in oxford st. there's a prescriptive counter in either house of frasier or debenhams (i cant remember which one). There's also a prescriptives counter in the House of Frasier in Bank

Hope that helps