I just stumbled upon this site and totally relate to your long quest for that foundation holy grail! I too just purchased Laura Mercier oil-free tinted moisturizer in Almond. I have difficulty matching my skin tone and I think that your skin tone looks similar. I am a brown-eyed brunette, tan easily, but I wear moisturizer with sunscreen year-round. As a result, I’m typically tan from the chest down starting in May, but my face is a few shades lighter. I’ve only tried the oil-free moisturizer once and I’m still not convinced of the shade. I may try using a sponge for lighter coverage. I’ve defintely got both yellow and pink undertones, but worry that the sand would be too light for summer and fawn would be too pink. What would you suggest? I ordered from sephora online, but I guess I’ll have to go to the store to sample the other colors.

Thanks,
Melissa

Thank you for your nice comments! I’m on vacation right now so when I get back I’ll do some more research and I’ll try to do a post on why some foundations make people look ashy/grey. Foundation is really hard to find, isn’t it? It sounds like you are going to have to do some good ole’ fashioned trial and error. I’ve never had success with MAC foundations, but if you want to stick to the brand you might want to find a nice, knowledgeable MUA and talk to her/him at length about what you don’t like about your current color and what formulations and colors they’d suggest. Purchase your foundations from a store with good customer service AND a good return policy - that way you can return it if you don’t like it after a week or so. I like to buy foundations from Nordstrom because the MUA’s are great and they don’t give me drama if I need to return something if it doesn’t work for me. Or, get some samples, use your samples for a week or for however long it lasts and then make your decision then. And if MAC doesn’t work for you, don’t be afraid to branch out to other lines. I love Laura Mercier, but I’ve also read great things about Bobbi Brown and Armani foundations too. Good luck, and let me know when you find something!

Karen

Thanks

Thank you! I’ve got another Laura Mercier article coming up in the next few days so check back soon.

Karen