When you're shopping online for clothes and accessories, you can usually make a decent guess at what fits best due to sizing charts and knowing your own measurements. But what if you're shopping online for other things? How do you ensure that you'll get exactly what you need?

A start-up called Findation wants to help you find the right foundation color when you're searching for makeup. They are an incredibly useful tool.

Here's everything you need to know about the company and how to use its website.

1. Why Use Findation?

Findation's concept is very similar to Brayola, which is an online bra-matching service that you can use to buy great bras that fit great.

Findation allows you to use the company's website to find foundation colors that will look great on your skin. It does this by pulling color matches to the cosmetic brands that you already have on hand, using data that you enter through a series of dropdown menus.

They also have a merchant-only side to their service that specifically helps retailers foundation-match for their clients.

Note: Findation was an active start-up in the early 2010s, but their online activity on Facebook and Twitter has wound down significantly. The risk of outdated makeup information is higher.

2. Sign Up to Findation

When you use Findation, you don't need to sign up for anything.

If you're just looking to try out the service to see how it works, or you want to get a one-time recommendation on what foundations to buy, simply open the website and go from there. Findation's handy dropdown list on the main page will help you find your foundation ASAP.

If you're unsure of your choices, however, or you want to save your results, you can log into Findation using Twitter or Facebook to save your recommendations in Findation's system.

Note: If you log out, you'll need to start the selection process of narrowing down your foundation matches all over again.

3. Find Your Best Foundation Shade

To find your foundation matches, Findation will first ask you to enter the brand of foundation or concealer that you currently wear.

To locate your brand, you can either scroll through Findation's massive list, or you can use the Search function.

I use Missha, but "M" is far down the list. I typed the name of my cosmetic brand into the search bar to quickly pull it up instead.

Note: If your favorite brands are not on the list, you can let Findation know that it needs to be added. Otherwise, it's likely that in the hundreds of brands offered, you'll find at least one or two that you've used before.

After you pick out your brand, Findation is going to ask you for the specific name of your concealer or foundation. Once again, you can scroll through the list, or use the search bar to quickly pull up your product.

I typically use various types of BB Cream, so I typed in "BB" to find my product. They didn't have my current favorite, but they did have a product that I've tried out before and really enjoyed: M Signature Real Complete BB Cream.

It's not perfect, but it'll do. I added it as a close alternative for this article.

Once you pick out your individual product, Findation will ask you to name the shade of the product that you use.

This part is important, as it will help you find your foundation color match with more accuracy. After all, there's no point in using this service if it gives you a recommendation that is wildly different from your own skin tone. It just won't work.

When you pick your shade, Findation will automatically take you to a screen where it will tell you that it's "calculated your matches based on what you're currently using." Underneath that, it will tell you the name of the product that it's drawing the data from.

Tips on Finding the Right Color Match

1. For best results, Findation recommends that you add as many different products as you can, provided they are all a good match for your skin, and you've entered the details correctly.
2. If you want to add another product, click on Add another match.
3. If you don't want to add another product, click on Find my matches anyway. It will take you to the results.
4. If you don't know the details of your product, such as its specific shade, don't guess. Makeup is expensive, so it's better to read the label first.
5. Don't enter details for a foundation or concealer that wasn't right for your skin. If you wouldn't buy the product again, the data is irrelevant.
6. If you're only entering details for foundations that are sheer or tinted moisturizers, you won't be able to get a good result for a full-coverage foundation.
7. Make sure you enter at least one full-coverage foundation to your list.
8. For people who use a different foundation shade in the summer or winter, it's recommended that you choose a product that works best for you year-round.

4. Your Findation Results

Once you've entered at least two to three foundations, Findation will be able to make a good recommendation about which foundation shades will suit you. Each result in the list will have:

• The brand name.
• The product name.
• The shade.
• A picture of the product.

While you're on the results page, you can find a specific brand faster by clicking on Look for a match in a specific product. If you're contemplating a particular product and just trying to narrow down the shade you should buy, this option is ideal for you.

On the right side of each search result, you'll see a button that says Tried It?

If you've tried this product before and either loved it or hated it, you can improve further matches for everyone by clicking on the text and giving Findation your feedback.

Explore Product Details

Under each search result, there will also be a blue button where it will tell you if your product is available. If you click on this button, you will be taken to the product's individual page. There, you'll find out more about it.

Here, you can see a picture of the product and an excerpt on what it's for. You'll also see a list of locations where you can buy the product if it's still available. That list of locations is at the bottom of the page.

Next to the product being listed, there will be a collection of related products that you might be interested in. You can buy them through Amazon.

If you haven't shopped for makeup on Amazon before, we recommend that you read our index on Amazon features and services.

And that's it. That's all you need to know on how to use Findation.

Make the Most Out of Recommendation Tools

Buying makeup online can always make a person feel anxious because of the price tag involved. Fortunately, product-matching tools like Findation will give you an educated guess on what to buy.

If you like recommendation sites, check out these fashion and style apps to find the right outfit.