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

PHOTO 4/5

Emily: Color IQ 1Y04 I'm always incredibly overwhelmed by the amount of foundations available. Color matching, age-defying, matte, oil-free, moisturizing, mineral...the list goes on. Besides the type of foundation available, I'm also confounded by the shades available. Even though I've been buying makeup for over a decade, I'm still not 100 percent sure which one I should select. Am I cool-toned or warm-toned? Fair or light? Isn't that the same thing? And what if I have a tan?

Enter: The Sephora + Pantone Color IQ System. When my skin was put to the test, my magic number turned out to be 1Y04, which means my skin is just slightly yellow (rather than red) and I'm a shade four, on a scale of one to 15. From there, I was able to narrow down the foundations (there were 47 that matched my skin) by my age range, coverage, finish, and formulation. You can also search by skin type, ingredient preferences, skin concerns (think: acne, wrinkles, etc.), and sun protection.

I ended up trying Diorskin Forever Flawless Perfection Wear Makeup in Ivory010 (my recommended shade) and I really love it. I want a foundation with full coverage and SPF, and I was able to find just that. This foundation matches my skin color perfectly, and I didn't have to try all 1,500 of Sephora's foundations to find it. I highly recommend this process to anyone who has trouble selecting their own foundation. I can't wait to see what else Sephora does with this technology -- next, I'd like to be matched with the perfect red lip for my skin tone.

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