How to find your TFIT foundation shade

How is a TFIT shade code put together?

Every TFIT foundation shade has 2 parts in its code: a letter for undertone and a number for depth. N02 Nude in Radiance Fit Serum Foundation reads as neutral undertone, depth 02.

The word after the code is only a name. Nude, Linen and Toffee help you remember a shade, but the letter and the number do the sorting.

• 30shades in each foundation
• 3undertone letters: C, N and W
• 3depth groups: light, medium, deep
• 9of the codes repeat in Idol Cover Concealer

C stands for cool, N for neutral and W for warm. Two shades with the same number and different letters are equally deep. They differ only in whether the color leans pink, balanced or golden.

The number runs from 00 to 13. A higher number means a deeper shade. Some steps carry a half, such as 1.5, 2.5, 4.5 and 5.5, and those sit between the whole numbers on either side.

Depth first: light, medium or deep

Start with depth, because it is the easier half. The scale falls into three groups. Light covers codes 00 to 1.5, medium covers 02 to 5.5, and deep covers 06 to 13.

• Light7 shades
• Medium12 shades
• Deep11 shades

To place yourself, look at bare skin along the jaw and the side of the neck in daylight. The center of the face is often redder or darker than the rest, so it misleads.

Then decide where you sit inside the group. The pale end of light is 00. The tan end is 1.5, one small step before medium begins at 02.

Half steps matter most in the middle of the scale. N02 Nude and N2.5 Amber share a letter and sit half a number apart. They look close on a screen, but on a jaw half a step can be the difference between a match and a faint line.

Three home checks for undertone, and how far to trust them

Undertone is the tint under the surface color. Three quick checks are common at makeup counters. They are conventions, not measurements, so treat each as a hint.

• Wrist veins. In daylight, veins that look blue or purple are read as a cool sign. Veins that look green or olive are read as warm. If you cannot decide, that itself points to neutral.
• Jewelry. Hold something silver and something gold against bare skin. The metal that makes your skin look clearer is the hint: silver for cool, gold for warm, both for neutral.
• Sun memory. Skin that goes pink first is often filed under cool. Skin that browns with little pink is often filed under warm.

The sun check is a memory test, not an experiment to run. The American Academy of Dermatology is blunt about tanning on purpose.

There is no safe way to tan. Every time you tan, you damage your skin.

Use the checks the way you would use three opinions. Two that agree are enough to pick a letter to try first.

Cool: the C shades

C shades lean pink or rosy. Pick C if the vein and the jewelry check both point cool.

Light3

• C00Fair
• C01Porcelain
• C1.5Lingerie

Medium2

• C02Peach
• C03Rosy

Deep3

• C07Maple
• C09Sepia
• C11Mahogany

Neutral: the N shades

N shades sit in the middle and form the largest family. Pick N if your checks disagree. A neutral shade is the lower-risk first order, because it is off by less when the guess is wrong.

Light3

• N00Cream
• N01Linen
• N1.5Suede

Medium5

• N02Nude
• N2.5Amber
• N03Ginger
• N4.5Camel
• N05Toffee

Deep4

• N06Hazel
• N09Chestnut
• N11Auburn
• N13Burnt

Warm: the W shades

W shades lean yellow or golden. Pick W if both home checks point warm.

Light1

• W01Vanilla

Medium5

• W02Almond Butter
• W2.5Honey
• W03Healthy
• W04Buff
• W5.5Tawny

Deep4

• W06Bronze
• W08Tan
• W09Walnut
• W10Cocoa

All 30 shades, group by group

With a depth group and a letter in hand, the list is short: a handful of codes in each group, lighter to deeper.

Light: 00 to 1.5

Depth 01 comes in all three letters, so it is the best place to learn what C, N and W look like side by side. C00 Fair and N00 Cream are the two palest shades we make.

Medium: 02 to 5.5

Medium has the most half steps. From 04 up, the letters alternate: W04 Buff, then N4.5 Camel, N05 Toffee and W5.5 Tawny.

Deep: 06 to 13

Deep runs from N06 Hazel to N13 Burnt. Depth 09 comes in all three letters. Past 09 the steps are wide, and no shade carries the number 12.

The shade finder lays the same codes out as one grid of depth by undertone.

One code, two foundations

Radiance Fit Serum Foundation and Sleek Fit Cover Foundation use the same codes and the same names. If you wear N03 Ginger in one, N03 Ginger is the shade to order in the other.

What changes is the film on the skin. Radiance Fit is a medium-cover foundation with a radiant finish, built on an 83.6% serum base. Sleek Fit is full cover with a soft matte finish, and we rate it for 24 hours of wear.

• Radiance Fit Serum Foundation
  CoverageMediumsheer → full

  FinishRadiantmatte → dewy
• Sleek Fit Cover Foundation
  CoverageFullsheer → full

  FinishSoft mattematte → dewy

So choose the foundation by finish and cover, then carry your code across.

Each has a limit. Radiance Fit names no wear time in hours, and its dewy finish will not suit you if you want a matte face. Sleek Fit covers freckles along with everything else, so it is the wrong pick for a sheer, skin-showing look.

• 

  TFIT Radiance Fit Serum Foundation

  Radiant finish · medium coverage · 30 g

  4.3 · 233 ratings

  from $17.28 30 shades

• 

  TFIT Sleek Fit Cover Foundation

  Soft matte finish · full coverage · 30 g

  4.4 · 30 ratings

  $16.99 30 shades

Where foundation sits among primer, concealer and powder is a separate subject. The base routine in order walks through it step by step.

Between two shades: read the ladder

Sooner or later you are down to two candidates. Most often they are neighbors on the same letter. Think of each letter as a ladder.

Two rules settle most ties. When two rungs of the same letter both seem right, take the lighter one. You can warm a slightly light shade with blush or bronzer, while a shade that is too dark has no easy fix.

When your letter has no rung at your depth, change the letter before you change the depth. Moving from W to N at the same number shifts the tint a little. Moving a full number in the deep group shifts the whole face.

One buyer of Radiance Fit tried three neighbors before settling.

I tried N01/N1.5/C1.5, and I think N1.5 fits me the best.

Season is the other reason to know your neighbors. A summer face can sit one rung deeper than a winter face, with the same letter.

Why does a TFIT foundation look too pale or too dark at first?

Because a wet stripe is not the finished color. In our reviews, 1 buyer of Radiance Fit in C00 Fair called it too pale on application and a good match a few minutes later.

it appeared greasy and too pale for my skin tone, however after allowing a few minutes to absorb into my skin and reviewing my face in natural light I am actually very pleased with the product and colour match.

The reverse shows up with Sleek Fit. A buyer of N02 Nude found the cream deeper in the tube than on the face.

Out of the tube it looks very dark but it matched my skin tone and Blended in nicely.

Buyers disagree about what happens over a day of wear. One buyer of Sleek Fit saw the color turn warmer on the arm.

After wearing it for a while it became more and more orange on my skin.

A buyer of Radiance Fit in C00 Fair reports no such pull.

Good color for pale skin that doesn't pull orange or peachy.

Skin differs, so judge the shade after it has set and again a few hours later, before you decide to keep it.

The jaw check, step by step

Judge a match in one place and one light. The place is the jawline, where face meets neck. The light is daylight by a window, because indoor bulbs tint everything yellow or blue.

1. Start with clean, moisturized skin and no other makeup on the lower cheek.

2. Draw a short stripe from the lower cheek over the jaw toward the neck. Use the amount you would wear.

3. Blend only the middle of the stripe. Leave both ends visible.

4. Wait a few minutes for the foundation to set. Do not judge it wet.

5. Stand by a window with a mirror. A matching shade is hard to find at both ends of the stripe.

6. Look again after a few hours. If the color has moved on you, note which way.

A pale, chalky edge means the shade is too light or too cool. An orange or muddy edge means it is too deep or too warm.

Testing at home on your own tube has one more advantage over a shop counter. The FDA has a plain warning about shared testers.

"Testers" at cosmetic counters in stores are even more likely to become contaminated than the same products in your home.

The same page advises against sharing makeup at all.

Should I patch test a new foundation before wearing it?

Dermatologists at the AAD recommend it for any new product: test a small spot for 7 to 10 days before regular use. That applies to Radiance Fit and Sleek Fit as much as to a moisturizer.

Apply the product to a test spot twice daily for seven to 10 days. Choose a quarter-sized spot on your skin where the product won’t be rubbed or washed away, such as the underside of your arm or the bend of your elbow.

The AAD adds that the spot should get the normal amount, left on for as long as you would normally wear it. If the skin turns red, itchy or swollen, wash the product off and do not use it again.

Label terms are not all defined in law. The FDA gives one example.

There are no Federal standards or definitions that govern the use of the term "hypoallergenic." The term means whatever a particular company wants it to mean.

So read ingredients, not comfort words. We make Sleek Fit without fragrance, alcohol and parabens, and that is a statement about three ingredients, not a promise about your skin.

Which Idol Cover Concealer shade matches my foundation?

The one with your foundation code, if it exists: 9 skin-tone shades of Idol Cover Concealer carry the same letter and number as the foundations.

The concealer range is shorter than the foundation range. It stops at depth 05. If your code is missing, step along the ladder to the nearest rung with the same letter.

Two tubes in that line are not skin tones at all. B20 Coral and B30 Green are correctors that go under a skin-tone shade, so never match them to your foundation. The tube also holds 6.5 g, which is enough for spots and under-eyes and not for a whole face.

The 3 Color Concealer Palette has its own numbers

The 3 Color Concealer Palette does not use foundation codes. Its palettes are numbered 00 to 05, plus B01 for correcting, and the number is not a foundation depth. Palette 02 is not the partner of foundation 02.

Match a palette by the skin it is made for, then compare its wide-area pan with your foundation. The other two pans are meant to be lighter, deeper or tinted, each for its own job.

The palette is a spot concealer and will not replace foundation over the whole face. Which pan goes where is the subject of the concealer palette guide. Both concealers sit in the concealer collection.

Which finishing powder shade goes with my foundation depth?

01 White suits any foundation shade, because it is the translucent one of the eight shades of Translucent Set Finishing Powder. The beige shades follow depth instead: 2.1 for medium skin, 2.2 for tan, 2.3 for deep.

The powder has no undertone letters, so match it by depth alone. A light foundation pairs with 01 White or 02 Skin Beige, and a deep one with 2.3 Deep Beige.

Powder shade errors in our reviews run toward too dark. When you hesitate between a beige and 01 White, the white one is the safer order.

The powder has limits of its own. It contains fragrance, it is loose and can spill from an open jar, and Green, Lavender and Baby Pink will not match any foundation because they are tone correctors.

Should I order one TFIT shade or two?

Order 1 tube when your home checks agree on a single code. Order 2 neighbors when you are stuck between rungs: Radiance Fit starts at $17.28 and Sleek Fit at $16.99.

Two tubes also make sense when you are sure of the depth and unsure of the letter, or when your skin moves a rung between winter and summer.

I got the N02 Nude shade, and it was way too white for me. It definitely runs on the lighter side, so I really wish I would have ordered a darker shade to match my actual skin tone.

When a first try is that far off, move a full rung, not half. A half step fixes a near miss and nothing more.

If you order two, test both on the same day on the two sides of the jaw. Orders and returns are handled by our retail partner, so check the return terms at checkout before you open the second tube.

Do not stock up on a spare of the same shade far ahead. The FDA notes that cosmetics change with time and storage.

Temperature changes and exposure to sunlight and air can cause changes in color and texture and may cause the products to smell.

A tube that has changed color tells you nothing about your shade. Store it away from heat and direct sun.

What a matched shade still will not do

A right shade solves one problem: the foundation disappears into your skin tone. It does not change what the product is.

• No sun protection. Radiance Fit and Sleek Fit carry no SPF. Sunscreen goes on underneath, every time.
• No single finish for everyone. Radiance Fit dries dewy, and we make it for dry and normal skin. If your skin runs oily and you want matte, it is the wrong tube.
• No sheer option in Sleek Fit. Its full cover hides freckles. Dry skin may also need a moisturizer or a hydrating primer under its soft matte finish.
• No shade for a tan you do not have yet. Match the skin you have this month.

Screens add one last caveat. A phone may show a shade warmer or cooler than it is. Use the photos to compare neighbors, and let the jaw check make the final call.

From here, three doors are open. The foundation collection holds both formulas, the shade finder shows every code on one grid, and the full range covers primer, powder and blush.