Color IQ Question

[GingerMelody]

I'm confused at this point about how to choose a foundation color.  I went to the Sephora store this weekend and learned my color IQ which is 1R05.  I was interested in the Make Up Forever Foundation because I received a sample.  The sample is in R230 which I thought was too dark.  My Color IQ says that my match is even darker at R260.  Then the saleswoman matched me to the lightest shade, Y205, but she said I'd need to wear blush because the color washed me out.  Should I be disregarding my Color IQ?  

[roselam]

When I got matched in store, I was matched to 3Y07. When I tried foundation samples in that colour, they were a shade too dark, so I tried foundations a shade lighter which would be 3Y06 and it actually matched. So the colour IQ wasn’t totally off for me. It’s also important to tell the Sephora employee what part of your body you want your foundation to match, such as your chest, neck or centre of your face, etc. Your skin colour is not uniform all over your body.

[jwilk241]

I've never had any luck with ColorIQ. I've tried it twice and both times it matched me to a shade that was about 3 shades darker than my neck. I used to have a picture on here to show people how insanely bad the match was but of course it disappeared after they revamped the forums. I've found that swatching a couple shades on my neck right at my jaw line gives me the best match. However, make sure to walk outside to look at the swatches as the lighting in Sephora it notoriously bad.

[molufemi]

I feel like color IQ is tricky because it doesn't leave much room for people to have neutral undertones, it assumes you're either more red or more yellow. I just swatch along my jawline and on my arm, walk around the store and ask maybe 2 different employees what their opinion is. From there, I put the foundations in the color IQ online and see what recommendations they give me. If a lot of the foundations they give are true to what looks good on my face, then I go with that color. Based on the foundations that look good on my face I could be 1R13 or 1Y13, even though the machine in the store matched me to 2R12 (which is too red and too light IMO).

[hellomarg]

did you have any makeup on when they matched you? i've definitely made that mistake in the past... code came out super grey because i had BB cream on when i was first matched, so i went back without any makeup to get a more accurate match.

[kristanicole]

maybe you got a new newbie, normally they just swab 3 parts of your face (chin, cheek and forehead) with makeup remover before scanning for a match. Silly you had to leave and go back

[naturalooks15]

@kristanicole They never removed my make up and said it doesn’t make a difference when I told them I have tinted moisturizer on, should we remove it. I had BB cream one time and tinted moisturizer the other. I guess that is the reason the shade they matched me with was too grey on me both times.

i decided to not go with the recommendation and try the sample first. 

[cathynow]

I haven’t had the best luck with it either. I wonder if the Color IQ also reads other things (like freckles, discoloration) as the actual skin color.

[IdrisT]

Or skin damage that isn't visible to the naked eye but the device does. 

[shyvicki]

Highly likely. The last time I had my Color IQ done, the SA made sure to not get the device near my freckles. Most of mine are concentrated on the tops of my cheeks.I had also made sure to not wear anything on my cheeks thinking the last couple times the device read my bronzer.

[GingerMelody]

Oh my goodness, I bet you are right. Of course I have a ton of freckles. That makes so much sense

[lorrainejrd7]

When I was matched, it worked for me with the few products I tried with it. You can ask to be matched again. Ive been trying to get a sample first when I try new products.