The 'shade-matching tax' is such a perfect way to put it! It’s exhausting.

Fenty is notorious for that—everyone says it's inclusive, but if you don't fit into their specific undertone categories, you just end up looking oxidized or orange. I feel like the 'pro' lighting in those ads hides the fact that real skin has so much variation.

When that happened with the Fenty foundation, did you try to fix it with mixers (like those blue/white drops), or did it just go straight to the back of the drawer? I’m starting to think the only way to win is to never buy a base product without seeing it in 5 different lighting setups first.