How to Determine your skin undertone

We get this question a lot, and its really important for determining which colors of foundation and concealers would best fork for you. Read on for more info!

 

Why Is it Helpful to Know Your Undertone?

If you've ever struggled with finding your correct concealer or foundation shade, it may be time to define your skin’s undertone. Matching products from the center of the face down to the middle of the neck may give you the most accurate representation and allow you to see any redness in your complexion.

One of the most common makeup mistakes are mismatched foundations. This can make you appear ashy, red or even splotchy.

 

 

Types of Undertones

There are three types of undertones: warm, cool, and neutral.

Warm

Warm includes golden, yellow, or peachy undertones.

Cool

Cool includes pink, red, or blueish undertones.

Neutral:

You're neutral if you're a mixture warm and cool.

 

Ways to check your Undertone

The White Shirt Test

Grab a pure white piece of clothing or even just a piece of white paper. In bright, natural light, hold the item up to your face. If your skin looks pink or rosy by comparison, you're cool toned. If your face looks more yellow, your undertone is warm. If you feel you look better in off-white or creamy hues rather than stark white, that's another sign that you may be warm-toned. If you can wear both colors without feeling like you look washed out, you may have a neutral undertone.

 

How you react to Sun

Sun exposure is very telling when it comes to figuring out your skin undertone. If you burn easily, you’re a cool undertone. If you tan easily, you’re a warm undertone. If you burn and then tan, you're likely a neutral undertone. (We talked about sun exposure in our SPF guide found here for a deeper look at this topic.)

The vein check

 Checking the color of your veins is a great way to determine your undertones in a pinch, but experts recommend looking at the veins in and around your face and neck for a truer match. If you can see blue veins in your skin, you have a cooler tone. If your veins appear green on the skin (olive), you're warm. Neutral is a mixture of both warm and cool undertones.

 

(Image via Wikihow:https://www.wikihow.com/Determine-Skin-Tone)