The most important thing to selecting the proper foundation shade is to first match the skin undertone and then its surface tone.
The skin's undertone is the natural tone that will never change. If you are olive skinned, you will always remain olive skinned even if the shade of your skin appears lighter or darker over time due to sun exposure or age.
The surface tone is the varying color on the surface of the skin due to factors such as redness, hyperpigmentation or acne.
Below are some hints to help you determine your skin's undertone:
Using the chart to the right, choose the correct undertone group, then select the appropriate surface tone from within the group you chose.