How to Check Any Product In-Store (Before You Buy)

You're standing in the drugstore beauty aisle. There are 40 lip colors in front of you. The packaging all looks similar. The shade names tell you nothing useful — "Bare It All," "Honey Drizzle," "Mauve About You." You're trying to remember what your color season means you should pick. And honestly? You're about to just grab one and hope for the best.

There's a faster way. You can check any product's color match score from your phone — right there in the aisle, before it goes in your basket. Here's exactly how.

Step 1: Know Your Season Before You Go

If you haven't taken a color analysis quiz yet, do it before your next shopping trip. It takes about two minutes. You'll answer questions about your natural coloring — skin, hair, eyes — and get one of 12 color seasons. That season is your reference point for everything that follows.

Already know your season from a professional analysis? Even better. You can skip the quiz and just tell TruHue your season directly. Professional analysts and the app use the same 12-season Sci/Art system, so your results carry over.

Step 2: Scan the Barcode

Pick up the product. Find the barcode on the back of the packaging. Open TruHue and tap the scan button. Point your phone camera at the barcode — you'll get a result in seconds.

The app identifies the product from its barcode, looks up the shade's color properties (undertone, depth, chroma), and scores it against your season. You'll see one of three results:

YAY — this shade harmonizes with your coloring. The undertone, depth, and chroma all sit comfortably within your season's range. Go for it.

OKAY — it's wearable. One or two color dimensions are slightly off, but it won't clash. A solid everyday choice if you like the shade.

NAY — the color properties clash with your season. The undertone pulls the wrong way, or the depth is too far from your natural range. You'll probably notice it doesn't look quite right once you get it home.

Step 3: No Barcode? Search by Name

Some products don't scan easily — testers without packaging, products behind glass, samples at a counter. No problem. Type the product name or brand into TruHue's search. The catalog covers 45,000+ products across 735 brands, so chances are strong it's there.

You can also browse by category. Looking for a blush? Search "blush" and filter by your season to see which options score YAY. You'll go from staring at 40 choices to a shortlist of shades that actually work with your coloring.

What About Swatching?

You might be thinking: can't I just swatch it on my hand and see? Here's the thing — a swatch on your hand tells you the shade's texture, finish, and pigmentation. Those matter. But it doesn't tell you about undertone harmony with your face.

Your hand and your face have different color properties. A lipstick that looks warm and flattering on your wrist might pull differently next to your cheek, eyes, and hair — where the real color interaction happens. The swatch tells you about the product. The score tells you about the match.

Both are useful. But if you can only do one, the score gives you more information than the swatch.

Shopping Online? Use the Browser Extension

This isn't just for physical stores. If you're browsing Sephora, Ulta, or any major beauty retailer online, TruHue's browser extension does the same thing — it scores the product right on the retailer's page. You'll see your YAY/OKAY/NAY without leaving the site.

Between the app for in-store and the extension for online, you have a pocket color expert everywhere you shop.

The Payoff: Fewer Misses, Less Waste

The average person has multiple barely-used makeup products sitting in a drawer. Shades that looked great in the store lighting, seemed fine on the hand, and turned out wrong once they got home. Each one cost real money.

Checking your score before you buy doesn't take the fun out of shopping. It just takes the guesswork out. You still get to discover new products, try new categories, explore new shades. You just skip the ones that were never going to work with your coloring in the first place.

Next time you're in the beauty aisle, try it. Scan one product you were going to buy anyway. See what score you get. That's all it takes to start shopping differently.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check if a product matches my skin tone?

Take TruHue's free color analysis quiz to find your color season. Then scan any product's barcode with the app — you'll see a YAY (great match), OKAY (wearable), or NAY (clashing) score based on how the product's undertone, depth, and chroma align with your season's palette.

Can I scan makeup products with my phone?

Yes. TruHue's app lets you scan any makeup product barcode with your phone camera. The app identifies the product from its barcode, looks up its color properties, and scores it against your color season in seconds — right in the store, before you buy.

How to shop for makeup by color season?

First, know your season (TruHue's free quiz takes about 2 minutes). Then use the app to scan products in-store or search by name. You can also browse pre-scored product feeds filtered by your season to discover new picks across 45,000+ products and 735 brands.