MAC NW15/NC20 foundation recipe

[m3Lz]

Hi ladies, I need help deciding which shade to get. I have neutral to cool undertone. My face has a more pinkish tone than my neck though, my neck is more to neutral I guess. On my face, MAC NW15 and NW20 blends in with my skin nicely, however on my neck NC20 blends better than the NW. Should I get something that matches my face, or my neck? Please help! Thanks!

[JenW]

Ahhhh, the neck matching debate comes up again........

This is always a tough one. Since our necks and faces are never on the same plane and never hit the light the same, it is hard to know exactly what to do. I usually recommend going somewhere in between the two, or at least shoot for something that does not clash. It sounds like you are more neutral in the neck.

Also, I have to ask this question. For your face, could you possibly be matching redness or irritation. I used to do this myself, because I always have ruddiness in the cheek area. As result I thought I was a neutral/cool for many years. Turns out I am more of a neutral/warm, because I was matching the redness in my skin from being irritated.

I think you will be an Ebony in about the 1 scoop color to 8-9 scoops Ivory. Try this basic recipe first. It is possible you will need a bit of Warm Gold, too.

[m3Lz]

Hmm I don't think it's irritation though. I've always had pinkish cheeks and in the nose area for as long as I can remember. But, how do I tell whether it's caused by irritation or not?

I've heard people telling me that cool toned people would have blue veins and warm toned green. Based on that, the veins on my wrist are definitely more blue (slightly purplish, or it could be just the light?) than green.

I would try your suggestion, have been wondering which kit to get for a few days now. Haha.

Which brow powder would you recommend for my skin tone? I have dark brown hair (dyed, originally black) and dark brown eyes. I am torn between deep brunette and medium ash. I prefer something that is not too dark and not too light and has no red undertone in it.

Thanks Jen, you're such a big help

[JenW]

I can ony recommend samples before you buy a foundation kit. I still think Ebony is the place to start. It is neutral-cool toned.

You can see how dark my brows are in my avatar. I use Medium Ash. I too like a more subtle brow color with no red whatsoever.

[m3Lz]

Just thought I'd post up my pic, maybe you could tell whether I have neutral cool or have a bit of a warm as well



taken under natural light (duh), no blush on or anything, just moisturizer and powder foundation.

thanks!

[JenW]

First, you have lovely skin!

I don't really see any cool........I am now thinking Olive, actually (about 1:12ish). Your coloring seems along the same line as mine, but a little deeper. Ebony might still work for you.....I can usually wear Ebony or Olive, but Olive matches better. You do have slightly more yellow in your skintone (not enough to go for a yellow foundation) than I do, so Warm Gold might work, too.

Definitely Medium Ash for the brows.

The reason you may have more pink to your face than your neck is that your neck rarely gets direct sunlight. I honeslty would try to do a color in between your face and neck colors. Is the powder in your pic a colored powder? If so, it might be a little too pink/cool for you. Mind that I am only looking at a photo.....real life color sometimes translates differently.

[m3Lz]

Aw, thanks for the compliment.

Would olive help tone down any redness (assuming that it's got yellowish/greenish hue)? After looking at the FOTD thread last night, my bf also told me that my coloring is similar to yours except that I'm probably about a shade or two darker. So I suppose olive would probably suit me better if that is the case. But the Perfect Harmony sample kit doesn't have olive as a base color, right?

Yes, I used NW20 powder in the pic, I suppose it does make me look slightly too pink at times (the liquid foundation was definitely too dark for me, and too orange). It seems that my skin changes color very fast, because when I first bought it, it seemed to blend in very nicely. And now it doesn't seem so anymore. Ah well.
But with NC25 powder I looked very yellow, NC20 makes me look a bit dull (although it matches my neck nicely, I think, I didn't check under natural lighting though). It's very confusing for me haha.

Would it help if I take a picture of my totally bare face under natural light and indoor? Sorry for troubling you with all these questions hehe just that I'd like to get some guidance before deciding which samples/kits to get. Thx

[JenW]

The sample kits are now packaged with Olive rather than Peach. (I did double check the sample kit page.) It is our newest color base, and it seems to match more people. The Peach is almost best for those who need a cooler tone than Ebony.......or more peach rather than brown. Peach is a chameleon color, too, it has the warmth of yellow, but the cool of pink. Ebony has very little yellow, slight pink and more brown.

The Olive will help with the redness. However, you won't be loooking ill or anything like that. It is not quite Olive enough for our very Olive toned customers....they still need the green color booster (A funny thing about the green color booster.....I am going to blend up some green makeup for a friend to wear on Halloween )

I am not sure another picture will help me much more than the one you posted. Photos only give a good starting point as real life is usually slightly different. I completely understand wanting to have a good idea of what you need to try before purchasing, though. I recommend Olive, Warm Gold, or Ebony (all three come in the Perfect Harmony foundation sample kit). If I had to narrow it to one.....Olive would be my choice. Ebony will be 1:7, Warm Gold about 1:10, Olive about 1:12-14