Never Buy the Wrong Shade of Foundation Again With Sephora + Pantone Color IQ

It’s happened to the best of us. Maybe it’s an inaccurate depiction of the shade in the container, or maybe it’s oxidation… but sometimes it feels like it’s nearly impossible to find foundation in an exact shade to match your skin. Even more so for us Brown Skinned Beauties since a lot of brands think we come in two or three shades or just act like we don’t exist altogether. Either we have to mix shades to create our personal shade, or the darkest shade just isn’t dark enough… but that’s another post on it’s own. Well Sephora has paired with global color authority Pantone to create a technology to make it easier to find an exact match.

Using Pantone Capsure, a handheld device used by design professionals to measure and match color, Sephora + Pantone COLOR IQ system scans the surface of the skin, takes an image, analyzes and assigns an official Pantone Skintone Number. With this number, Sephora Beauty Experts can reference Sephora’s Universal Skintone Library (via iPad)  to help you to determine what products are a precise match for your skintone amongst over a 1000 foundations, brands and formulas available at Sephora. You can also filter your matches by brand, consistency etc.

This is the most advanced foundation matching tool available in North American beauty retail and it sounds super promising. Heads up to the NYC girlies, the exclusive service is available as of July 26th at Sephora 5 Times Square. It will be available on August 2nd in San Francisco at Sephora Powell Street. No news yet as to what other stores will launch the service.

Recommendations for the best SEPHORA + PANTONE Color IQ match:

• No workout 30 minutes prior to match
• No chemical or harsh peels 3-6 days prior to match
• Drink more water and less caffeine prior to match, caffeine restricts blood flow, affecting flush of skin
• If you are wearing self tanner, disclose to the Sephora artist for a better match

I can’t wait to try out this new technology & service! For more information, visit sephora.com.