Sephora + Pantone recently launched Color IQ, a new technology to help people find their correct foundation match once and for all. Using a new color-scanning technology, they scan 3 different sections of your face, find the median of the 3 (for an overall flawless cover), and then they tailor the findings based on skin-type (normal, oily,combination or sensitive), finish, and if you prefer a liquid, cream, powder, etc.

I’m always testing out foundations, so I decided to try it out. For the most part I’m good at matching it on my own over brands, but sometimes you want to take the guesswork out and just shop! I did my scan, and this is what it looks like once it does the analysis:

This is just a snippet of their findings-it shows my perfect match across all of the brands that they carry. 2 of the colors we tried were the NAR’s Sheer Glow Foundation in Syracuse,

and the new SEPHORA COLLECTION 10 HR Wear Perfection Foundation in Medium Almond.

I have combination skin, prefer liquid foundations, and I like a sheer-to medium coverage with a natural/radiant finish, so these were perfect for that. They apply a shade to each side of your face to do a comparison:

Eek! I don’t have on any concealer or mascara and had been up since 5 am so ignore my tired eyes!!

Upon first glance, the colors are virtually the same, but when we looked closer, the Sephora foundation had slightly more coverage. I have a few hyper-pigmentation spots that I want to cover (as I treat them with my skincare routine), so I went with the Sephora brand (product review coming!). You have the option to purchase or take home a sample to test out, so you won’t be stuck with a color that may match, but doesn’t necessarily agree with your skin.

One thing to note: just because it goes across brands doesn’t mean it will pull from the line that you want. One of the reasons I decided to do the scan was because I wanted to try Urban Decay’s new Naked Foundation; the rep that helped happened to be wearing it and our skintone was similar, so I figured this would be easier than swatching myself silly. The option didn’t even come up! (sad face).

Also, I’d recommend working with a rep whose makeup you actually LIKE. Mine had gorgeous skin, and a “real world” pretty look (warmed skin, bold lip, groomed brows), so I trusted that she would know what she was doing. If you’re shy about going into a store, no worries: if you’ve ever purchased foundation or powder from Sephora (and it was a good match), you can enter the information online and it still matches for you!

Have you tried Color IQ yet? Will you? Comment below!

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