Before the Red Carpet, the Mirror: Every Great Look Starts Under the Skin

Picking a foundation that actually disappears into your skin comes down to one quiet question: what undertone sits beneath the surface? Vogue asked the professionals how to read that hidden layer of color, and how to put the answer to work at the makeup counter. In a sunlit Palm Beach powder room or under the bright lights of a New York gala, it is what decides whether a complexion looks like skin or like product. Our archive is a record of dresses, but every dress in it was worn by a face that someone had to match first.

With reporting from Vogue.