Il Makiage ‘Woke up like this’ Foundation has 50 shades for several skin tones and undertones. Having so many is great, but it makes choosing one for you challenge – how do you know which is the right one? Hopefully, my article will help you figure it out! If it doesn’t, Il Makiage have a shade matcher on their website which is pretty accurate (it was for me).
This guide focuses purely on Il Makiage foundation shade ranges and colour swatches, including undertones and examples.
If you’re looking for how the foundation wears on skin, read my full Il Makiage foundation review here.
Contents:
Il Makiage skin tone shades
Il Makiage has 4 skin tones to choose from:
- Light – includes 12 shades
- Medium – includes 14 shades
- Tan – includes 12 shades
- Deep – includes 12 shades
They each have 4-5 undertones to choose from.
- Neutral
- Pink
- Yellow
- Olive
What’s the difference in skin tone and undertone?
Your undertone is the faint colour that’s under your skin. While your skin tone (light, medium etc) might alter a bit when you tan, your undertone usually stays the same.
…For example, I tan well, so in the winter months when I’m paler, I’d use Light Neutral foundation, and in summer, I’d use Medium Neutral. I wouldn’t go from Light Neutral to Medium Pink because my undertone doesn’t change.
How do I find my undertone?
Il Makiage describes these in their shade matcher quiz:
- Yellow/Golden/Warm – you have veins with a blueish-greenish hue. You tan or darken in the sun. You look better in gold jewellery than silver.
- Pink/Red/Cool – you have veins with a blueish or purple hue. You burn easily in the sun. You look better in silver jewellery than in gold.
- Neutral – your veins have a mix of blueish, greenish and purple hues. You can tan, but you can burn if you stay in the sun too long. You look equally good in silver and gold jewellery.
Other ways to find your undertone:
- Put your photos into AI and ask it which you are! An AI such as chatGPT. Make sure the photos are clear without makeup and good lighting!
- Go into a store that sells makeup and ask the staff for help.
- Buy cheaper makeup to find your colour, then use online shade-matchers to match to your preferred foundation.
- Go online – Tiktok mainly – and search for Il Makiage shade options. You’ll probably start to find 3-4 shades you think would be ok. Once you have them, do some Google searches to get better quality photos so you can really compare people’s skin colour to match your own.
Even if you buy the wrong shade, Il Makiage have a really good returns policy – see more at the end of this blog.
I’m neutral because my skin hasn’t got an obvious pink or yellow hue to it. I don’t burn unless I overdo it in the sun, and I can wear both silver and gold jewellery (whether they look good is another issue…!)
Il Makiage shade matcher
Although only one type of foundation is ever suggested, the Il Makiage shade matcher will match a shade to your skin tone and undertone. You’ll look at a few photos and select the one that best matches you.
I used the shade matcher and got 35 which is perfect for me.
Some tips when choosing a foundation:
- Always match the colour to your neck, not your face
- If you know your skin tone is likely going to be light, focus on undertone: Google search photos/Tiktok to look at how other people look in the different undertones of neutral, pink and yellow and compare them against you.
- If you have a foundation that looks great but want to try Il Makiage, use an online shade-matching website. You put in your current brand and shade, and it spits out several recommended to you. I use findation.com. Or nowadays you could probably use AI.
Il Makiage shade colour options
Skin tone: Light
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’:
Included within the Light skin tone is #35 which is what I am:
If you’re on the fence, check out my full review of Il Makiage foundation where I test it on my oily, acne-prone, 35yo skin. I’ve now been using the foundation for several years.
Skin tone: Medium
There are 12 medium skin tone shades, with 4 undertones:
- neutral – 4 shades
- pink – 4 shades
- yellow – 4 shades
- olive – 2 shades
This is the lightest medium shade starting at #65:
Skin tone: Tan
There are 12 ‘tan’ skin tones with 4 undertones:
- Neutral – 3 shades
- Pink – 5 shades
- Yellow -4 shades
Skin tone: Deep
There are 12 ‘deep’ skin tones, with 3 undertones:
- Neutral – 5 shades
- Yellow – 3 shades
- Pink – 4 shades
Foundation shade matcher
If you choose (as I did) to go through Il Makiage shade matcher quiz, they ask several questions, to help find the right shade for you. Questions such as your vein colour, what colour jewellery looks best and several questions asking you to choose the best photo that matches you (this is useful for a visual guide!).
As you can see, the images get more in-depth and harder to choose from because they get more similar.
Shade match results
When you finish the foundation shade matcher, you land on a tailored page like this after putting your email in. It gives you the recommended shade, benefits and helpful information, such as free returns if you don’t like it.
This was a big selling point for me as I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve purchased the wrong shade online only having to sell it on eBay for a 5th of the price.
Once you get your match, google it and go on Tiktok. There will be reviews and people wearing the colour. You’ll be able to see if their skin colour and tone matches yours.
If you still aren't sure if the shade is for you, send Il Makiage a message for help. I did this and sent them photos on my face in daylight. They suggested a shade and it was perfect for me. What’s the Il Makiage foundation returns policy?
At the time of writing, it’s this:
Free 60 day exchanges or returns
1. Try your products from the comfort of your home.
2. Love them? Yours to keep.
3. Not your fav? Just download our prepaid return label for simple, free & easy exchanges or returns.
After buying foundation for nearly 20 years, I’d say this is pretty reasonable. Read more on the Il Makiage website.
How much is Il Makiage foundation?
It’s £39 for 30ml. If you subscribe, you get 10% off (£35.10) your first purchase then 20% off (£31.20) & free delivery on all future deliveries. Get it on the Il Makiage website. Use code ‘welcome10’ for money off!
Still not sure?
If you’re still on the fence, check out my full review of Il Makiage foundation where I test it on my oily, acne-prone, 35yo skin. I have now been using the foundation for over 3 years. It’s great for light coverage that I like, but can be buildable for a heavier look without any cakiness.
The foundation is cruelty-free, oil-free, Paraben-free, Phthalate-free, Sulfate-free, and Gluten-free and is enriched with Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid for anti-ageing and moisture. I’ve written about if Il Makiage are non-comedogenic and what this means for your skin.
Still stuck?
If you need further help to understand your skin tone and get a shade match, message Il Makiage.
Before I purchased their foundation, I spoke to them via Facebook messenger. I told them I wasn’t sure, and they asked me to send them headshots with good lighting. I sent them, and they told me which shade to get. It matched the one I got in the foundation quiz and is a perfect shade.