The Ordinary Foundation Buying Guide

You’ve heard the buzz. Skincare brand The Ordinary have launched foundation, The Ordinary Colours. Two formulas: one serum, one full coverage. Priced at £5.70 and £5.90. Both available in 21 shades.

The Ordinary Colours Shade Guide

Sold? Me too. Have pre-ordered, review to follow. But how do you order foundation online? Getting a good colour match is tricky when buying unseen. So here, for your pleasure, The Ordinary Foundation Buying Guide.


1. Find out your MAC shade.

If you don’t know it and can’t visit a MAC store, the Foundation Matrix on Temptalia.com is amazing. Enter your current foundation brand and shade, and it will colour match you to other brands.

It seems to have every foundation listed, drugstore and high end. And the matches are impressively accurate. Refine your results by brand, select MAC.

Temptalia.com Foundation Matrix

2. Use The Ordinary x MAC Foundation Shade Reference Guide below.

Celebrity makeup artist Wayne Goss has been a hero, using his expertise to match The Ordinary Colours to MAC foundation shades.

I’ve used his info to create this guide. Hope you find it helpful.

For full product reviews, do check out The Ordinary Serum Foundation Review and The Ordinary Coverage Foundation Review.

Til next time,

H

x

16 Comments

  1. March 3, 2018 / 6:32 pm

    I used this guide. I am an NC35 but 2.1 Y was a tad dark for me. 🙁 I’m off to buy a new one and will try 2.0N. Hopefully I get it right this time.

    • March 10, 2018 / 7:05 am

      So sorry it didn’t work out for you lovely. Buying foundation online is so tricky, I hoped this guide would get you close at the very least. H x

  2. June 10, 2018 / 9:45 pm

    Thanks for information. I want to try this brand for so long but Ii’s hard to find in my country. Now I finally find it but there are only limited options of skin tone here. I’m nc25 and I know I have neutral tone. After I’ve read the first comment, I think I should go for 1.2N.

    • June 10, 2018 / 10:13 pm

      I do so hope it’s a good match for you! Thanks for reading. H x

  3. Gemma
    September 22, 2018 / 7:19 pm

    Thanks for this, I’m N1 in Mac Face & Body. I can’t see his on the list, does it not translate? I’d love to try The Ordinary.

    • Lily
      May 26, 2020 / 12:52 pm

      Hey I’m the same, did you ever find it?

  4. Marsha
    December 11, 2018 / 3:23 am

    I’m trying to figure out my match to Clinique Even Better foundation in linen (vf-n) 24. Any suggestions on what color I should try with the Ordinary? Thanks

    • December 11, 2018 / 7:08 am

      Sounds like you are the same shade as me! I went for 1.1N, which is a little on the light side, so I would try 1.1 or 1.2. H x

  5. Rosie
    December 28, 2019 / 1:07 pm

    Anyone able to help, I wear Estée Lauder shade 3N1 desert beige. Unsure of what I’d be in the ordinary.

    • Laura Taylor
      May 5, 2020 / 9:17 pm

      Would love to know this too – also wear desert beige in Estee!

  6. Sara
    May 13, 2020 / 3:47 am

    I am the shade Stromboli in nars Adlw what shade would I be in ordinary ?

  7. Rukaya Rahman
    May 29, 2020 / 11:08 am

    Hi I’m
    NC37 it’s not on the list, which shade would be the closest?

  8. Anonymous
    May 30, 2020 / 8:22 am

    I’m an NC35 for MAC Fluid Foundation and got 2.1Y and I just matched it myself but it was definitely dark for me, so I decided to email the company and they said that their foundation oxidize and she told me I’m a 1.2 Y (I believe) instead.

  9. Gemma
    August 19, 2020 / 12:31 pm

    I’m n4.75…any ideas?!

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