Cannot figure out my foundation shade.

[Weirdaf1]

Has anyone else really struggled to find a good match?
I've bought so many that just don't work. I've tried matching myself through the quizzes most brands have on their sites and have also tried in store.
I have brown eyes and dark brown hair. I definitely see yellow tones in the skin on my body and would tan quite easily. However my face is definitely a lot paler. I see pink tones but I think that is irritation because my skin is terrible at the moment rather than pink tones. When I look at Trinny match2me or similar I honestly cannot tell which is closest to my skin.
I'd be willing to pay up to £40 for a foundation if I could get a good match.
Can anyone recommend a brand with a good shade range where I might get good advice?
Thanks

I have the same problem. I think my issue is that my face is a different skin tone to my neck/chest area.

Whenever I use foundation, I look like a 14 year old who just discovered make-up.

I have no suggestions but I feel your pain.

Thanks @BippityBopper It's very frustrating.

I like Nars tinted moisturiser - lots of good shade choices. Most other brands don’t do yellow enough shades for me and they look too pink/peach/orange on my skin.

Your description sounds exactly the same as my skin - my Nars tinted moisturiser shade is Alaska.

I sometimes but two shades of the same foundation to get the right mix.

I got Boots to do a shade match. I'm not orange anymore!

My skin used to have pink tones due to irritation. I found Max Factor covered it very well. Is there a store where you could go and ask the make-up consultants to match you?

Book for the ladies at Boots No 7.
Their foundations are not too spendy so you can give theirs a go and see if you think the match is good. There are often special offers on.
Based on a MN recommendation I'm now using their Essentially Natural one, which is very light and much like many other tinted moisturisers at 3x the price.

Another vote for Boots. They seem to be the only counter who can be bothered!

I'm the same, nearly always had to buy two foundations and mix, i did once go to No7 and had it done, but she put the machine part on my cheek where I had a brown spot so the colour was too dark, I don't think she was very experienced, I now wear eborian cc or the bb cream, but I still have to mix the two shades.

You could try this app
https://www.bareminerals.co.uk/collections/find-your-match?_gl=11tcm3it_upMQ.._gaMTk4ODk3MTk3Mi4xNzExODE4NTA3_ga_Y2NL8HQ9Y7*MTcxMTgxODUwNi4xLjEuMTcxMTgxODUyNy4wLjAuMTM1NjY5MTMyOQ..

Yes, as others say, go to Boots No7 counter. They have a machine. Not only can you be matched to a foundation but can follow it through to lipstick. I had already guessed I was a warm Ivory (though French make up companies such as Lancome put me in a pink one!) and indeed I was that very same description at the Boots counter!!!

Agree about boots no 7 counter. I had a very helpful assistant who was great at matching me.

I used to use their intelligent foundation which seemed to subtly adapt to my skin tone.

I also once had unexpected good help from Tesco when looking for a concealer. She looked at my dark circles and suggested a shade. And it’s perfect.

I agree the Boots ladies are very good.. they tried really hard to find me one and when they couldn't they agreed none were good enough.

I didn't really believe the Estée Lauder lady but took a sample of her recommendation and she was right.

Another vote for Boots.
I am a Calico, and if I'd seen that before being zapped by the machine, I'd have said no way.
(I've got red undertones, but am pale, I'd always just bought "ivory" or "porcelain" before). The slightly grey (sounds weird I know) undertone to Calico takes all the redness away. And I find matching shades from other brands on Findation

Yes they’ve been honest in the past when no shade was available for my ethnic skin tone pre Rhianna’s range. When everything changed for the better!

Hi, I have Essentially Natural foundation in cool ivory which is my true shade. I keep thinking I'll get a tinted moisturiser instead as I am now 62 and don't want anything too heavy. Do you find this foundation suffices as a tinted moisturiser also or would you buy a seperate one? Which shade do you use? I wonder whether to get another shade for the summer but the other shades always give me a tide mark around my neck and the shades up are too pale and I look like a ghost.

Wherever you go, make sure you can get a sample before committing to the purchase. If a sample isn't available, walk away. Most higher end brands will give you one.

If you have pink and yellow you might need a neutral undertone. Also you skin changes shade naturally during the year (no matter how much SPF you use.....) so you will most likely need a couple of shades to cover the year - I have one for summer and one for winter and they are quite different. In the winter my skin firmly has yellow/warm undertones and on summer adds in pink so I need a neutral tone. I tan easily.

Look for a range that does warm, cool and neutral undertones so you can play about with them.

I had this exact same problem. Finally tried DCypher which has a photo tool thingy and they mix the shade custom for each person. Can honestly say that it's impossible to get a tide mark, really has worked and I don't think I'll ever try another brand again! (I don't work for them BTW, just genuinely delighted with results!) Only downside is it's expensive at £42 a pop but bottle has lasted 3+ months so not that bad!

Try Dcypher they use ai to custom blend for you. Got mine bang on first try

Thanks everyone. Dycypher seems interesting.
I'm also going to see if my local Boots does the shade matching.

Clinique Alabaster for me.
I tried the No 7 machine and it only chose a shade that was closest within their range. It was still too dark.

I’m finding it harder. My face is very different to my neck. I have more redness on my face, to go with a lot of freckles, but my neck remains very pale. I think I’m going to look into tanning drops to try and get the balance right this year.

Go to an Estée Lauder counter to be colour matched and get a sample to take away.

You need to match your foundation colour to your neck under chin. This will stop the tide marks but will make your face look very pale. So add a little bronzer and blush to balance it out. If your skin isn't too bad, then skip the foundation altogether and just use moisturiser and then use a concealer pen to get the worst bits. Concealer pen will most likely be darker than foundation match if you're focusing on your face.

Boots No7 have a shit load of colours and textures and their samples are very generous so I would say start there

@DogsAreBetterThanHusbands is right about matching colour. If you want a true match then go with neck colour and then use a bronzer and blusher in the summer. Good thing about using bronzer is there are many shades of that and you can build it up on areas where the sun would hit so you look a lot more natural then putting on a darker foundation