HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR SKIN UNDERTONE

Whether you're shopping for foundation, concealer, or any other type of base product, knowing your skin undertone is key to achieving a natural, flawless finish. Cool, neutral, warm. Unless you're a makeup artist—or possess a crystal ball—these three words might not mean anything to you, but they're actually quite crucial to consider when picking a foundation shade. But, first thing's first...

There are three main types of skin undertones: warm, cool, and neutral. Warm undertones have a yellow or golden hue, cool undertones have a pink or blue hue, and neutral undertones have a mix of both warm and cool hues. If you can't seem to tell, you may have a neutral undertone.

 

Your skin's undertone is the tone beneath the surface of your skin that harmonizes with whatever makeup you apply over it. Getting it right means your foundation, concealer and powder can blend flawlessly; the secret to an effortlessly "naturally" flawless appearance. Conversely, the wrong undertone can make your makeup look off.

 

The first step to great makeup application is to identify your skin's undertone. Here are four tests to help you determine your undertone:

 

1.  Vein Test: Turn over your forearm and look at your veins. If they have a green tinge, you likely have warm undertones. If they have a bluish tinge, your skin probably has cool undertones.

2.  Jewelry Test: Do you prefer gold jewelry with its yellowy warmth, or are you more of a sterling silver enthusiast? If the answer is gold, your skin most likely has warm undertones. If it is silver, your skin might be cool-toned.

3.  White Cloth Test: Put a white cloth next to your bare face and observe how your skin appears under that lighting. Skin with warm undertones will look yellowish, while skin with cool undertones will seem blueish or pinkish.

4.  The White vs. Cream Test: Grab two articles of clothing, one pure white and the other off-white or cream-colored. While wearing no makeup, decide which color flatters your skin tone best. If it’s the white shade, your undertones are warm. If the cream color flatters you more, your undertones are likely cool. If both flatter you equally, you have a neutral undertone.