The shade file
SMITH & CULT, 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.
SMITH & CULT names an undertone for 42 of these shades. Read off the brand’s own swatch under D65, 25 of them — 60% — 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.
Veiled Threat Weightless Micro-Blurring Foundation42 shades
| Shade | Brand says | L* | a* | b* | ITA° | Depth band | Swatch reads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | neutral · fair | 91.09 | 4.82 | 6.11 | 81.54 | very_light | cool |
| 120 | cool · fair | 90.86 | 3.64 | 7.32 | 79.84 | very_light | neutral |
| 140 | warm · fair | 84.63 | 5.96 | 23.7 | 55.61 | very_light | warm |
| 130 | neutral · fair | 83.48 | 12.44 | 16.89 | 63.23 | very_light | cool |
| 110 | neutral · fair | 82.97 | 8.79 | 16.59 | 63.29 | very_light | neutral |
| 150 | warm · light | 81.96 | 7.09 | 21.51 | 56.06 | very_light | warm |
| 160 | neutral · light | 81.65 | 10.58 | 19.55 | 58.3 | very_light | neutral |
| 170 | warm · light | 81.32 | 12.41 | 17.5 | 60.81 | very_light | cool |
| 190 | warm · light | 78.25 | 14.07 | 25.52 | 47.91 | light | neutral |
| 180 | cool · light | 76.66 | 15.51 | 20.05 | 53.05 | light | cool |
| 260 | warm · medium | 76.46 | 19.57 | 31.22 | 40.28 | intermediate | cool |
| 250 | warm · medium | 75.66 | 15.19 | 29.44 | 41.08 | light | neutral |
| 230 | warm · medium | 75.06 | 13.09 | 25.3 | 44.73 | light | neutral |
| 240 | neutral · medium | 74.71 | 10.41 | 22.02 | 48.29 | light | neutral |
| 200 | neutral · light | 74.44 | 11.98 | 26.56 | 42.62 | light | neutral |
| 220 | neutral · medium | 73.61 | 11.82 | 23.75 | 44.83 | light | neutral |
| 210 | cool · light | 73.07 | 15.32 | 27.99 | 39.5 | intermediate | neutral |
| 270 | neutral · medium | 72.09 | 15.81 | 28.26 | 38.01 | intermediate | neutral |
| 320 | warm · medium | 70.64 | 23.55 | 40.97 | 26.74 | tan | neutral |
| 310 | neutral · medium | 70.37 | 20.04 | 37.86 | 28.28 | intermediate | neutral |
| 280 | warm · medium | 69.92 | 18.89 | 29.69 | 33.86 | intermediate | cool |
| 290 | warm · medium | 69.51 | 20.08 | 30.79 | 32.36 | intermediate | cool |
| 300 | neutral · medium | 68.31 | 12.33 | 34.3 | 28.09 | intermediate | warm |
| 330 | warm · tan | 67.13 | 24.41 | 42.17 | 22.11 | tan | neutral |
| 340 | warm · tan | 65.24 | 23 | 44.84 | 18.77 | tan | neutral |
| 370 | neutral · tan | 63.38 | 22.3 | 36.11 | 20.33 | tan | neutral |
| 360 | neutral · tan | 63.35 | 29.64 | 42.23 | 17.54 | tan | cool |
| 350 | cool · tan | 63.22 | 25.6 | 38.71 | 18.86 | tan | cool |
| 390 | cool · tan | 60.09 | 24.3 | 35.62 | 15.82 | tan | cool |
| 380 | warm · tan | 59.5 | 24.98 | 34.87 | 15.24 | tan | cool |
| 400 | warm · tan | 58.96 | 30.3 | 43.96 | 11.52 | tan | cool |
| 410 | warm · deep | 56.87 | 28.75 | 41.27 | 9.45 | brown | cool |
| 430 | neutral · deep | 56.44 | 27.39 | 41.72 | 8.78 | brown | cool |
| 440 | neutral · deep | 54.66 | 31.63 | 40.22 | 6.61 | brown | cool |
| 420 | cool · deep | 50.31 | 24.49 | 37.06 | 0.48 | brown | cool |
| 450 | cool · deep | 45.63 | 33.08 | 40.71 | -6.13 | brown | cool |
| 480 | neutral · deep | 37.07 | 25.79 | 28.65 | -24.29 | brown | cool |
| 460 | warm · deep | 36.81 | 22.61 | 27 | -26.04 | brown | cool |
| 470 | cool · deep | 36.04 | 25.41 | 25.53 | -28.67 | brown | cool |
| 510 | cool · deep | 34.37 | 22.85 | 29.13 | -28.22 | brown | cool |
| 490 | neutral · deep | 29.91 | 20.26 | 20.83 | -43.96 | dark | cool |
| 500 | cool · deep | 28.85 | 13.93 | 22.87 | -42.76 | dark | neutral |
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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