Foundation match

MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Stick NW60

The closest shades to this one in 8 other brands, ordered by how different they actually look rather than by how similar the names are.

Depth
deep
Undertone
neutral read from the swatch
Swatch
#653A29

Closest matches in other brands

One shade per brand, the nearest one they make. ΔE is the perceptual distance between the two swatches: smaller is closer, and anything under about 2 is hard to tell apart side by side.

BrandShadeUndertoneDepthHow close
Too FacedGanacheBorn This Way Matte 24 Hour Foundationneutraldeepvery close ΔE 0.8
Smashbox4.5Studio Skin 24 Hour Oil-Free Hydra Foundationwarmdeepclose ΔE 2.2
TarteMahoganyBabassu Foundcealer Skincare Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 20warmdeepclose ΔE 2.8
Estée LauderEspressoDouble Wear Stay-in-Place Makeupneutraldeepclose ΔE 2.9
CliniqueEspressoEven Better Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15neutraldeepclose ΔE 3.2
Armani Beauty15Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free Foundationneutraldeepclose ΔE 3.3
It CosmeticsDeep NeutralYour Skin But Better Foundation + Skincareneutraldeepclose ΔE 3.5
bareMineralsCedarComplexion Rescue Hydrating Foundation Stick Broad Spectrum SPF 25cooldeepclose ΔE 3.7

If NW60 is not quite right

The nearest shades in the same product. Foundation that is very slightly too dark usually settles as the day goes on; too light does not, and reads grey in photographs.

  • NC60neutral · deep · ΔE 13.8
  • NC50warm · tan · ΔE 19.5
  • NW43cool · tan · ΔE 27.4
  • NW25cool · medium · ΔE 34.7

How to confirm the match

A table gets you to a shortlist and no further. Everything below is what actually decides it, and none of it can be done from a screen.

  • Swatch on your jaw, not your hand or your wrist. The colour of the back of your hand is rarely the colour of your face.
  • Check it in daylight, near a window. Shop lighting is designed to sell foundation and is the reason so much of it goes home wrong.
  • Wait ten minutes before deciding. Most foundations oxidise slightly and settle a shade warmer than they look going on, which is why the perfect match at the counter is orange by lunchtime.
  • Trust the undertone over the depth. A shade one step too light or dark still works; the wrong undertone never does.

Not sure this shade is right for you at all?

This page assumes NW60 already works on you and answers what it is called in another brand. If the real question is whether the depth or the undertone suits you, a table cannot answer that. You need to see it against your own face.

Questions

What is the closest shade to MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Stick NW60?

By perceptual colour distance, Too Faced Ganache in Born This Way Matte 24 Hour Foundation, ΔE 0.8, which reads as very close. The full ranking is in the table above, one shade per brand.

How accurate is this?

It is a shortlist, not a measurement. The swatch colours come from product photographs on retailer websites, taken under that site's lighting, good enough to rank candidates reliably, not good enough to promise a match. Nothing replaces swatching on your own jaw in daylight.

What does ΔE mean?

The perceptual distance between two colours, using the CIEDE2000 standard. It is built so that equal numbers mean equally visible differences, which plain RGB distance does not. Under 2 is hard to see side by side; over 7 is a visibly different shade.

Is the shade list current?

The list was collected in January 2021 from Sephora and Ulta. Brands reformulate and discontinue shades, so treat a name as a starting point and check it is still made before ordering. We do not show prices or stock for the same reason.

Does this cost anything?

No. This page is free and needs no account. Uptone's paid plans are for generating previews on your own photo, which is a different thing from this table.

Shade names and swatch colours from The Pudding’s foundation dataset (MIT licensed, Copyright © 2019 The Pudding), collected January 2021. Uptone is not affiliated with any brand listed here and earns nothing from these pages.

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