What do the three numbers mean on all the Brand New Mary Kay TimeWise Foundations? There is an actual methodical answer for this, let me try and explain... The numbers in question usually follow TimeWise Medium (for Oily and Combination Skin) or Full (for Normal to Dry) coverage Foundation. I'll use Beige 300 to explain. 300 is a shade number/level. Any shade that ends in _00 (like this one, Beige 300) is the going to be for most women's skin tones. It is specifically meant for skin that may burn when in the sun, but will tan. Most people will wear one shade in winter and then go to the next darker (increase the first number by one) shade (in this case, Beige 400) during the summer. Any Foundation shade that ends in _04 is for skin that burns very easily, and in most cases just won't tan (I always associate the beautiful English, Milky Rose complexion with this shade) Anyways, I know this is strange but Beige 304 is actually a lighter shade than Beige 300... Beige 302 is darker than Beige 300. Lastly, any Foundation shade that ends in _02 is generally for easy to tan skin, usually these people don't get sunburn. (Many times these women have a bit of olive coloring in their skin.) Beige 302 is a darker shade than Beige 300. To Recap: this is the order from Lightest to Darkest in the Beige family. Earlier the Ivory Family Beige 304 Beige 300 Beige 302 Beige 404 Beige 400 Beige 402 After this you are in the Bronze Skin Tones. Hope this was helpful...