So, a N shade has more of a yellow/pink balance, a C shade is more yellow than a NC shade, and a W shade is more pink than a NW shade. N, C, and W stand for “neutral,” “cool,” and “warm,” respectively. NW stands for “neutral-warm,” and corresponds to pink or rose. NC stands for “neutral-cool,” and corresponds to yellow, golden, or olive.
It’s rather unfortunate, but, well, that’s just the way it works! You may have to blend to find your perfect shade.
I’m going to start off by saying that, though MAC does a lot of shades, not everyone will be able to find a perfect match.
Most of the time, you only have two choices. Perhaps the trickiest thing about MAC’s shade system is that you have to know your undertones. L-R: MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF 15 in C15, NC15, and NW15 PLEASE NOTE: if you are viewing these images in a browser that doesn’t colour-manage (ahem, Chrome), the colour values will be off! The letters There’s a lot of confusion when it comes to MAC shade numbers and MAC shade names, but hopefully, this’ll help clarify things for you before you purchase your MAC concealer or foundation at MAC Cosmetics, Sephora, or Nordstrom. I know, I know I’m awful, and my levels of procrastination know no bounds. To celebrate ( ahem) the start of Fall term, I thought I’d finally post some photos I took… in June of 2010.
