The shade file
Exa, 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.
Exa names an undertone for 36 of these shades. Read off the brand’s own swatch under D65, 25 of them — 69% — 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.
High Fidelity Foundation43 shades
| Shade | Brand says | L* | a* | b* | ITA° | Depth band | Swatch reads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 530 | neutral · fair | 91.1 | 2.84 | 9.76 | 76.64 | very_light | warm |
| 420 | neutral · light | 81.91 | 12.28 | 30.08 | 46.69 | light | warm |
| 410 | neutral · light | 81.78 | 10.71 | 24.01 | 52.93 | light | warm |
| 510 | warm · fair | 80.99 | 8.43 | 30.28 | 45.66 | light | warm |
| 460 | — · fair | 79.9 | 6.3 | 18.54 | 58.2 | very_light | warm |
| 470 | warm · fair | 79.85 | 10.41 | 22.33 | 53.2 | light | neutral |
| 450 | warm · light | 77.9 | 9.74 | 23.83 | 49.5 | light | warm |
| 480 | neutral · fair | 77.58 | 8.83 | 19.04 | 55.38 | very_light | neutral |
| 520 | — · fair | 76.35 | 12.45 | 23.86 | 47.84 | light | neutral |
| 490 | olive · fair | 76.17 | 8.43 | 26.19 | 44.98 | light | warm |
| 500 | — · fair | 75.88 | 12.3 | 21.03 | 50.9 | light | neutral |
| 350 | warm · light | 75.25 | 7.9 | 23.26 | 47.35 | light | warm |
| 360 | neutral · light | 74.62 | 11.48 | 23.01 | 46.94 | light | neutral |
| 320 | warm · medium | 73.97 | 12.02 | 21 | 48.78 | light | neutral |
| 430 | — · light | 73.35 | 14.4 | 16.9 | 54.1 | light | cool |
| 380 | warm · light | 72.37 | 11.26 | 24.72 | 42.14 | light | neutral |
| 390 | warm · light | 71.84 | 9.48 | 19.54 | 48.18 | light | neutral |
| 440 | warm · light | 70.77 | 10.72 | 25.72 | 38.92 | intermediate | warm |
| 310 | warm · medium | 70.4 | 13.47 | 29.64 | 34.54 | intermediate | neutral |
| 400 | neutral · light | 69.92 | 16.66 | 21.39 | 42.96 | light | cool |
| 290 | warm · medium | 68.99 | 11.02 | 27.07 | 35.05 | intermediate | warm |
| 280 | neutral · medium | 67.38 | 15.09 | 27.69 | 32.11 | intermediate | neutral |
| 370 | warm · light | 67.03 | 13.66 | 28.25 | 31.08 | intermediate | neutral |
| 340 | cool · medium | 65.96 | 20.03 | 24.2 | 33.41 | intermediate | cool |
| 260 | — | 65.36 | 12.03 | 22.01 | 34.91 | intermediate | neutral |
| 330 | warm · medium | 64.89 | 18.67 | 27.1 | 28.79 | intermediate | cool |
| 300 | neutral · medium | 63.49 | 13.23 | 27.75 | 25.93 | tan | neutral |
| 270 | — | 63.44 | 14.51 | 28.28 | 25.42 | tan | neutral |
| 250 | cool · tan | 63.19 | 17.82 | 30.25 | 23.56 | tan | neutral |
| 240 | warm · tan | 56.43 | 17.13 | 31.59 | 11.51 | tan | neutral |
| 210 | warm · tan | 54.38 | 17.93 | 37.64 | 6.64 | brown | neutral |
| 230 | olive · tan | 53.76 | 20.22 | 32.58 | 6.58 | brown | neutral |
| 190 | — | 49.31 | 13.58 | 20.02 | -1.97 | brown | cool |
| 220 | neutral · tan | 48.45 | 18.02 | 41.67 | -2.13 | brown | warm |
| 180 | olive · medium | 44.83 | 15.63 | 34.62 | -8.49 | brown | neutral |
| 170 | warm · medium | 44.77 | 21.11 | 34.26 | -8.68 | brown | neutral |
| 140 | warm · rich | 42.71 | 16.26 | 20.39 | -19.67 | brown | cool |
| 200 | warm · tan | 42 | 18.79 | 33.42 | -13.46 | brown | neutral |
| 160 | neutral · rich | 40.28 | 12.09 | 18.09 | -28.25 | brown | cool |
| 150 | neutral · rich | 38.95 | 14.97 | 16.92 | -33.15 | dark | cool |
| 130 | neutral · deep | 36.08 | 9.36 | 12.08 | -49.05 | dark | cool |
| 120 | cool · deep | 34.42 | 11.28 | 11 | -54.78 | dark | cool |
| 110 | warm · deep | 27.75 | 13.9 | 11.84 | -61.98 | 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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