Makeup

Your Foundation Soul Mate Has Arrived

Can the Sephora Pantone Color IQ really pair us with our perfect shade of foundation? We tested its matchmaking skills

by Allie Flinn | 1 COMMENT

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Hayley: Color IQ 2Y04 Foundation is not my friend. Give me a lipstick in any color and I can find a way to make it work, but foundation has too many factors for me to choose from. It's too light. It's too dark. It's patchy. It covers too thickly. Which is why I was so surprised when after eight or so years of trial and error, I walked away from a 15-minute consult at the Sephora Color IQ station with a foundation I absolutely love.

After my skin was scanned (makeup-less in the middle of a crowded Sephora, yikes!) I received shade number 2Y03. This little code means my skin is pretty neutral with slight undertones of yellow in it. This didn't really mean anything to me at first, but when the makeup artist tried to put a shade of foundation on me called Snow Glow, I balked. Because I am hyper-vigilant about wearing sunscreen on my face every day, my body is much tanner than my bare face. Luckily the Color IQ system allows for you to add a little of your own preferences, so the Sephora rep bumped my number up a shade class to 2Y04.

In the end I chose Dior Nude BB Crème because of my recent love affair with BB creams. The shade was much lighter than I'm used to wearing, but I absolutely loved it. My boyfriend immediately remarked how natural the look was, and asked if had skipped makeup altogether that day. The BB cream also had major staying power -- it lasted even after a long night out in Vegas. Even though $44 is a lot for this intern on a budget to spend, I may have to give up my penny-pinching drugstore foundation for this dreamy formula I can't seem to get over.

SEE NEXT PAGE: Erica: Color IQ 1Y09

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