4 Easy Ways To Identify Your Skin Undertone

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...

WHAT'S AN UNDERTONE?

Your skin's undertone is the tone beneath the surface of your skin that harmonizes with whatever makeup you apply over it. Get it right, and your foundation, concealer and powder sync up like magic, and look just like skin. Getting it right is the secret to being “naturally” flawless-looking. But—get it wrong, and you’re a walking “What NOT to do”.

Pro Tip: Break away from preconceived “skin tone” notions. A warm, cool or neutral undertone in no way implies an ethnicity or race. You can find examples of each undertone in every skin tone family - deep, medium and light.

HOW TO FIND YOUR UNDERTONE: 4 DIY TESTS

We culled the best advice from our makeup experts to help you figure out your complexion once and for all.

1. Vein Test: Turn over your forearm and look at your veins. If they have a green tinge to them, they likely run warm. If they have a bluish tinge to them, your tones probably run cool.
2. Jewelry Test: Are you more into gold jewelry and all its yellowy warmth? Or are you a cool, crisp silver kind of person? If the answer is gold, you most likely have warm undertones. If it is silver, your skin is inclined to have cool undertones.
3. White Cloth Test: Put a white cloth next to your bare face and observe what cast your skin takes on. Skin with warm undertones will appear yellowish, while skin with cool undertones will seem blueish or pinkish.
4. The White vs. Cream Test: Grab two articles of clothing, one white and the other off-white. While wearing no makeup, decide which color complements your skin tone best. If it’s the pure-white shade, your undertones are warm. If the cream color suits you more, you have cool undertones. If both flatter you just the same, you’re neutral.