Steal A Base: Find Your Perfect Foundation Shade

By InStyle Staff
Updated Dec 20, 2017 @ 4:30 pm
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Neilson Barnard/Getty Images; Julian Parker/UK Press/Getty Images

No need to waste your cash on another game of Guess Hue. We asked the pros behind these flawless faces to reveal the star cover-ups that'll help you find your best complement. Trust, there’s a formula to match all skin tones and types.

Thankfully, the way to perfect-looking skin doesn't have to cost you a fortune! Many celebs, like Emma Stone and Zoe Saldana, get their flawless finish from foundations you can find at the drugstore. For star-approved formulas, match your coloring to a celebrity in our gallery and shop away!

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Deep Brown with Red Undertones

Credit: Jamie McCarthy/WireImage; Time Inc. Digital Studios

Deep-brown skin tends to have reddish undertones, says pro Nick Barose, who works on Uzo Aduba. To flatter those colors, use a fluid with a slight orange tint like MAC’s Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation in No. 8.0 ($38; nordstrom.com; yellow pigments can make your skin appear ashy.

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Dark with Green Undertones

Credit: Byron Purvis/AdMedia/Sipa USA; Time Inc. Digital Studios

Is your toffee complexion looking a little sallow? Makeup artist Cindy Williams, who works with Kaling, says a base that skews on the orange side counteracts those greenish undertones. She recommends Make Up For Ever’s HD Foundation in No. 175 ($43; sephora.com).

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Dark with Yellow Undertones

Credit: David Fisher/Rex USA; Time Inc. Digital Studios

Saldana's pro Vera Steimberg reaches for L'Oreal’s Match Super-Blendable Makeup in N7 Classic Tan ($11; walgreens.com), a rich golden-brown base, to help warm up the yellow tones in the actress's skin: "I blend it in with a brush until it totally disappears."

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Medium Dark with Golden Undertones

Credit: Marion Curtis/StartraksPhoto; Time Inc. Digital Studios

Alba has "medium-dark skin with golden undertones," so a camel-colored liquid with a bit of gold like Koh Gen Do’s Maifanshi Aqua Foundation in No. 143 ($66; sephora.com) allows her face to glow without looking overly tan, says makeup artist Daniel Martin.

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Medium Fair

Credit: Andrew Toth/Getty Images; Time Inc. Digital Studios

If you can't spot any undertones in your medium-fair complexion, go for a peachy-beige base. I like to buff it in with a circular motion from the center of the face outward, says Fox's pro Monika Blunder Prensena, who used La Prairie’s Skin Caviar Concealer Foundation Sunscreen in Sand Beige ($225; nordstrom.com).

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Light with Yellow Undertones

Credit: Rex USA; Time Inc. Digital Studios

A light beige liquid foundation with a trace of yellow like Cle de Peau’s Beaute Radiant Fluid Foundation in O20 ($125; nordstrom.com) is an ideal pairing for Liu's coloring, says Matthew VanLeeuwen, a makeup artist who works with the actress.

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Fair with Yellow Undertones

Credit: Ernesto Ruscio/WireImage; Time Inc. Digital Studios

A vanilla-colored formula that appears more yellow than pink can let Stone's freckles peek through while canceling out the redness often found in fair skin, says makeup artist Rachel Goodwin. Her go-to? Revlon Nearly Naked Makeup in Vanilla. For a similar product, try Revlon New Complexion One-Step Compact Makeup ($13; walmart.com).

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Fair with Pink Undertones

Credit: Daniel Robertson/StartraksPhoto; Time Inc. Digital Studios

Look for a featherlight ivory foundation with a light-pink cast to it. Lancôme's Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation in Ivoire N ($47; sephora.com) "neutralizes red patches on alabaster skin like Blanchett's," says makeup pro Jeanine Lobell.

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By InStyle Staff