Il Makiage Foundation: Your Full Guide to Shade Ranges Comparison Colour Swatches

Il Makiage Woke Up Like This Foundation comes in 50 shades, which sounds helpful until you actually have to work out which one to buy. I was matched to shade 35 using the Il Makiage shade-matching quiz, and it was a very close match for my light, neutral skin.

Find your Il Makiage foundation shade

Contents:

Il Makiage foundation shade range: shades 5 to 250

Il Makiage Woke Up Like This Foundation is available in 50 shades, numbered from 5 to 250. Shades increase by 5, from lightest (number 5) to deepest (number 250). The shades are divided into four broad skin-tone groups:

• Light
• Medium
• Tan
• Deep
• and then separated by neutral, pink, yellow or olive undertones.

Skin-tone range	Shade numbers	Number of shades
Light	5–60	12
Medium	65–130	14
Tan	135–190	12
Deep	195–250	12

The numbers help show roughly how light or deep each shade is, but they do not tell you the undertone. Two shades that look similar in depth can still appear very different on the skin if one is pink and the other is yellow or neutral.

There are 12 light skin tone shades, with 3 undertones:

• Neutral – 5 shades
• Pink – 3 shades
• Yellow – 4 shades

This is the first shade, #5, and is classed as ‘neutral’:

I wear shade 35, which sits within the Light range and has a neutral undertone. I was initially concerned that it might be too pale or too pink, so I looked at photographs of other people wearing it and contacted Il Makiage before ordering. Their recommendation matched the result from the online quiz.

There are 12 medium skin tone shades, with 4 undertones:

This is the lightest medium shade starting at #65:

There are 12 ‘tan‘ skin tones with 4 undertones:

There are 12 ‘deep‘ skin tones, with 3 undertones.

It only takes a few minutes and it will give you a recommended shade: Il Makiage shade matcher

How accurate is the Il Makiage shade matcher?

I used the Il Makiage shade matcher before ordering. The quiz asks about things such as your vein colour, whether silver or gold jewellery suits you best, how your skin reacts to the sun and which photographs look closest to your skin.

The image questions become more difficult as you go through because the skin tones start to look very similar. I wasn’t that confident that I had chosen correctly, but the quiz matched me to shade 35, which is described as Light with a neutral undertone.

I didn’t order immediately. I first looked at photographs of other people wearing shade 35, then sent Il Makiage some photos of my face taken in natural daylight. They independently recommended the same shade, which gave me more confidence in the result.

When the foundation arrived, shade 35 was a close match for both my face and neck. I’ve used it for several years, so the quiz was accurate in my case.

Go to the Il Makiage foundation shade matcher >

What happens if my Il Makiage shade is wrong?

Choosing foundation online is risky. I’ve lost count of the foundations I’ve had to resell because it didn’t match my skin. Il Makiage have a pretty good returns policy. They allow free returns and exchanges if the shade is not right.

They also have Try Before You Buy, but it works differently. You have 14 days to try the foundation and begin a return or exchange before being charged for the product.

Double-check the website or your order confirmation for clarity on this!

I found the returns process reassuring. I don’t think many (if any?) companies offer this.

How much is Il Makiage Foundation?

Il Makiage Woke Up Like This Foundation currently costs £39 for 30ml. It isn’t a cheap foundation, which is why I wanted to feel confident about my shade before ordering.

Il Makiage currently offers 10% off a first purchase when you sign up, while eligible future auto orders receive 20% off. Be careful in signing up to this – I’ve seen reviewers mentioning it’s hard to cancel or they’ve forgotten & been charged for more bottles.

Use code ‘welcome10’ for money off after completing the shade quiz

Want to see how the foundation actually wears?

I’ve used Il Makiage Woke Up Like This Foundation for several years, so I’ve also written a full review showing how shade 35 looks on my acne-prone oily skin and how the foundation performs throughout the day.

My review includes the coverage from one and two pumps, how I apply it, how it lasts on my oily and dry areas, and whether it becomes cakey or separates.

Read my full Il Makiage foundation review

Want to try it? Find your recommended shade with the Il Makiage quiz.

How do I know my Il Makiage undertone?

Il Makiage divides its foundation shades into four undertones: neutral, pink, yellow and olive. Your undertone is separate from how light or deep your skin is, which is why two similar-looking shade numbers may not suit the same person.

I’m light with a neutral undertone and was matched to shade 35. Before taking the quiz, I had no idea about undertone. I find it difficult to tell whether foundations looked too pink or too yellow until I actually wore them.

The shade matcher works this out through several questions rather than expecting you to know the answer yourself. In my case, its neutral recommendation was accurate and looked much more natural against my face and neck.

In natural light, shade 35 doesn’t look noticeably pink or yellow on me, which is what I would expect from a neutral foundation.

What’s the difference in skin tone and undertone?

Your undertone is the colour that shows from beneath your skin’s surface. While your skin tone (light, medium etc) might alter a little when you tan, your undertone remains constant.

So for example, I tan well so in winter months when I’m paler, I’d use Light Neutral and in summer, I’d use Medium Neutral. I wouldn’t go from Light Neutral to Medium Pink because my undertone doesn’t change.

Did the Il Makiage shade matcher work for me?

Yes! The Il Makiage shade matcher worked well for me. It recommended shade 35 for my light skin and neutral undertone, and the colour was a close match when I applied it across my face and neck.

My experience doesn’t guarantee that every match will be perfect, but I found the quiz more accurate than choosing a foundation shade from photographs alone. It currently says its matching algorithm predicts the correct shade with over 90% accuracy.