Help with finding my MAC shade!

[StrawberryGloss]

Hello guys,
I want to find my MAC shade and was hoping you guys here can help me out.
I have a really hard time finding a foundation that matches my skin exactly and the only one I have come across at the moment is ALMAYs Line Smoothing Liquid Makeup in 140/buff.
Any recommendations?

 

[shellygrrl]

Are you interested in any MAC foundation in particular? (Not all NCs and NWs are created equal. Some NCs lean very yellow; some NWs lean very pink .)

 

[StrawberryGloss]

Not particularly. Just interested to try higher end brands rather than my regular drugstore foundations. And since I'll have to purchase online I wanted to know my shade. But here's what I found in another review: http://www.makeupalley.com/product/x_showreview.asp?ItemId=78000&SortBy=helpful&AgeRange=3&skintonetype=0

Guess my shade then would be NC15?
Had to do some digging to find a review like that, haha.

 

[shellygrrl]

Again, it would depend on which foundation, and which foundation will depend on what your skintype is, what kind of coverage you want, and what kind of finish you want. In some ranges, NC15 may not be a match for you. http://www.lcmakeupblog.com/2013/03/new-mac-mineralize-moisture-foundation.html And some links to reviews and swatches of varying MAC foundations from Soundly Sensible Beauty (view all the swatches)... http://soundlysensiblebeauty.blogspot.com/2014/10/mac-studio-fix-fluid-foundation-review.html http://soundlysensiblebeauty.blogspot.com/2014/11/mac-studio-sculpt-foundation.html http://soundlysensiblebeauty.blogspot.com/2014/11/mac-matchmaster-foundation-review.html (has a different numbering system) http://soundlysensiblebeauty.blogspot.com/2014/10/mac-mineralize-moisture-foundation.html http://soundlysensiblebeauty.blogspot.com/2014/09/mac-mineralize-foundation-review.html http://soundlysensiblebeauty.blogspot.com/2014/09/mac-studio-tech-foundation-review.html http://soundlysensiblebeauty.blogspot.com/2014/09/mac-face-and-body-foundation-review.html (has a different numbering system) http://soundlysensiblebeauty.blogspot.com/2014/06/mac-pro-longwear-foundation-spf-15.html http://soundlysensiblebeauty.blogspot.com/2014/05/mac-pro-longwear-compact-foundation-spf.html This is why I sometimes ask people to be specific as to which MAC foundation they were matched to, when they're looking for non-MAC foundations. With Matchmaster and Face & Body it's easy to know because their numbering systems are different. But with every other MAC foundation, it's not. And in your case, you're looking for a new foundation. IMO, knowing your shade will never be enough when looking for a new foundation. You still need to consider skintype, coverage, and finish. So what do you want out of a higher-end foundation (MAC or otherwise) that your Almay one isn't giving you? More coverage? A different finish?

 

[StrawberryGloss]

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me out. I understand that shades seem to be unique to the foundation even under the numbering and lettering categorization.

Well, ideally I just want a better foundation overall and have heard a lot about MAC, that's why I was asking for it.
Drugstore foundations/products are really a hit or miss, or at least they have been for me and my skin. Very few will look natural and flawless, the rest look cakey or will smear and melt during the day. The ones that I came across that I loved, were all too dark for me on their lightest shade and putting on makeup would mean having an awkwardly different colored face. xD

The Almay's color is perfect but otherwise it just doesn't sit well with my skin type. I don't know if drugstore products are like that for everyone but this is my experience with them and was hoping something higher end would be a break from all that. Coming from someone who has only purchased drugstore products, I guess I was interested to see if the price of high end products is really worth paying for. Is there a big difference between the two?

With that being said, my skin type is combination. Coverage I would like med-full and a matte finish. I also like to purchase from cruelty free companies. I read a while back that MAC was cruelty free, is that still the same?

 

[shellygrrl]

MAC sells in China. If that's a concern for you, you may want to look at other brands. Personally, I tend to splurge on foundation because most drugstore lines don't make shades that match me. (I could nowadays, as I own a white foundation to mix with, but I prefer a match out of the bottle.) Or there are brands I'm not into (Covergirl). It doesn't mean that there aren't good drugstore foundations. However, everyone's skin is different. Everyone's body chemistry is different. My own experience with drugstore foundations has varied. (I have combination/oily skin that is acne-prone. I'm also super fair. My closest high-end match is NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia.) Revlon Colorstay (Combination/Oily formula) oxidized on me, even in the lightest shade, even with primer. On the other hand, it provided a really good coverage. Maybelline Fit Me in #110 is a close match, and it has good coverage for me, but it doesn't seem to set. L'Oreal True Match Lumi (Magic Lumi in other countries) in W1-W2 was a so-so match, but I had to take it off after half an hour because my skin where I'd swatched it was beginning to itch. (It lists bismuth oxychloride as a "may contain" ingredient, and it can irritate the skin.) Many years ago, around the time it first launched, I tried L'Oreal True Match. At the time I tried W1; I don't remember much about what I thought, then. It'll be a drugstore foundation I'll likely revisit in the future.

 

[StrawberryGloss]

Personally I haven't been a fan of CoverGirl either. However, I really liked CoverGirls Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation. I thought the packaging was super cute too. It was a little dark on the lightest shade but I would have worked with it. Only reason I didn't re-purchase it is because of their testing on animals. That has been my favorite drugstore foundation so far and I was surprised my favorite turned out to be from CoverGirl.

Other then that, I think I'm gonna try and see if I can find some samples of products to try out until I find something I really like!
Think I'll start with Smashbox BB.