The shade file
about-face, beyond the shade name.
Compare the brand’s descriptions with readings from published swatch images.
What do the numbers mean?
L* describes lightness; a* and b* describe color axes. ITA° is calculated from lightness and the yellow–blue axis to group the swatch into a depth band. None of these readings measures coverage, wear or how a formula will look on your skin.
about-face names an undertone for 45 of these shades. Read off the brand’s own swatch under D65, 26 of them — 58% — land in a different undertone than the name claims. That is not an accusation of bad faith: undertone is a word, and a word is not a measurement. It is why the house publishes the number beside it.
THE PERFORMER Skin-Focused Foundation45 shades
| Shade | Brand says | L* | a* | b* | ITA° | Depth band | Swatch reads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F0COOL | cool | 94.95 | 3.23 | 6.03 | 82.36 | very_light | neutral |
| F1WARM | warm | 91.8 | 4.06 | 13.45 | 72.16 | very_light | warm |
| F2COOL | cool | 91.32 | 8.6 | 9.16 | 77.5 | very_light | cool |
| F1NEUTRAL | neutral | 90.6 | 5.45 | 9.08 | 77.39 | very_light | neutral |
| F2OLIVE | olive | 88.37 | 4.06 | 17.92 | 64.97 | very_light | warm |
| L1NEUTRAL | neutral | 88.17 | 6.47 | 16.64 | 66.45 | very_light | warm |
| L1COOL | cool | 87.26 | 13.29 | 16 | 66.76 | very_light | cool |
| L1WARM | warm | 86.48 | 7.68 | 24.79 | 55.8 | very_light | warm |
| L2PEACH | warm | 83.65 | 15.09 | 28.38 | 49.86 | light | neutral |
| L2NEUTRAL | neutral | 83.03 | 9.77 | 25.77 | 52.04 | light | warm |
| L2OLIVE | olive | 82.19 | 9.18 | 26.68 | 50.35 | light | warm |
| LM1WARM | warm | 81.62 | 6.53 | 28.98 | 47.49 | light | warm |
| LM1NEUTRAL | neutral | 79.6 | 5.6 | 29.85 | 44.76 | light | warm |
| M1WARM | warm | 77.84 | 13.07 | 36.6 | 37.26 | intermediate | warm |
| LM1COOL | cool | 77.36 | 15.34 | 20.51 | 53.14 | light | cool |
| LM2OLIVE | olive | 75.94 | 5.45 | 31.67 | 39.32 | intermediate | warm |
| M1NEUTRAL | neutral | 75.23 | 17.31 | 36.89 | 34.37 | intermediate | neutral |
| LM2PEACH | warm | 75.07 | 12.67 | 31.22 | 38.76 | intermediate | warm |
| LM2NEUTRAL | neutral | 74.3 | 9.69 | 29 | 39.96 | intermediate | warm |
| M2COOL | cool | 73.55 | 27.77 | 31.75 | 36.57 | intermediate | cool |
| M1PEACH | warm | 72.96 | 25.22 | 39.39 | 30.24 | intermediate | cool |
| M3WARM | warm | 72.01 | 20.21 | 43.66 | 26.75 | tan | neutral |
| M2NEUTRAL | neutral | 69.52 | 18.2 | 38.77 | 26.72 | tan | neutral |
| M3PEACH | warm | 66.81 | 29.64 | 44.06 | 20.88 | tan | cool |
| M2OLIVE | olive | 66.77 | 13.39 | 39.7 | 22.9 | tan | warm |
| MD1WARM | warm | 63.23 | 25.12 | 49.4 | 14.99 | tan | neutral |
| MD1NEUTRAL | neutral | 62.99 | 23.33 | 42.01 | 17.18 | tan | neutral |
| MD1OLIVE | olive | 61.99 | 15.45 | 42.97 | 15.59 | tan | warm |
| MD2NEUTRAL | neutral | 55.39 | 25.25 | 41.85 | 7.34 | brown | neutral |
| MD2OLIVE | olive | 54.52 | 19.59 | 43.05 | 5.99 | brown | neutral |
| MD3COOL | cool | 52.05 | 36.34 | 44 | 2.67 | brown | cool |
| MD3WARM | warm | 48.7 | 29.03 | 46.81 | -1.59 | brown | neutral |
| D1OLIVE | olive | 44.11 | 21.27 | 43.02 | -7.8 | brown | neutral |
| D1NEUTRAL | neutral | 39.98 | 25.48 | 34.53 | -16.18 | brown | cool |
| D2OLIVE | olive | 36.96 | 20.06 | 35.85 | -19.99 | brown | neutral |
| D2COOL | cool | 32.5 | 27.16 | 29.33 | -30.82 | dark | cool |
| D3NEUTRAL | neutral | 31.31 | 24.85 | 36.51 | -27.11 | brown | cool |
| D3OLIVE | olive | 30.8 | 21 | 35.69 | -28.28 | brown | neutral |
| D4NEUTRAL | neutral | 25.56 | 21.41 | 27.39 | -41.74 | dark | cool |
| D4COOL | cool | 25.25 | 27.25 | 29.59 | -39.91 | dark | cool |
| RD1NEUTRAL | neutral | 22.37 | 21.4 | 24.13 | -48.87 | dark | cool |
| RD2NEUTRAL | neutral | 17.21 | 20.21 | 16.22 | -63.68 | dark | cool |
| RD3NEUTRAL | neutral | 12.87 | 19.76 | 16.37 | -66.21 | dark | cool |
| RD2COOL | cool | 10.74 | 21.15 | 14.53 | -69.69 | dark | cool |
| RD3COOL | cool | 5.7 | 13.99 | 7.98 | -79.79 | dark | cool |
Match a shade you already wear
Colours are read from each shade’s own swatch image published by the retailer, not from a drawdown measured by the house — a screen swatch and a colorimeter are not the same instrument, and the house does not pretend otherwise. ITA° is the open dermatological standard, computed from the reading; no licensed colour library is used. A shade listed without a reading is one the house holds but has not yet seen.
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