How to Determine Your Own Skin Undertones

Have you ever fallen in love with a dress or makeup shade for its fantastic color, only to try it on and be disappointed? Your skin has multiple layers, and those layers have different tints of warmer or cooler colors. These skin undertones can make or break your outfit.

When you know if you have cool undertones or warm undertones, you can better choose your clothing, makeup, and jewelry to compliment your skin. Keep reading to find out what kind of undertone you have.

What Are My Skin Undertones?

You can find your skin’s undertone through several different methods. We’ll go through the easiest ones you can do as you read.

If you do these tests and find inconsistent results, it may be because you have neutral undertones (this means you can pretty much get pull off any color, you lucky duck).

The Copy Paper Test

Find a blank sheet of white paper and hold it under your chin. Using a mirror or your phone’s camera, check out how the white either enhances or detracts from your face.

If your face looks rosy and healthy, that means you have cool undertone skin. If your face seems colorless (and bums you out a little), you have warm undertone skin.

Note: This test may not be as accurate if you’ve already put on your makeup for the day.

The Sun Test

Your undertone will determine how your skin handles exposure to the sun. If the thought of being outside on a cloudless summer day makes you stress about your SPF sunscreen holding up, you have cool undertones. Those with cool undertones burn even with limited sunshine.

If you tan without even trying and seem to have a sun-kissed glow all year round, it means your skin has warm undertones. If you burn, but then that sunburn becomes a tan afterward, that means that you have neutral undertones.

The Vein Test

You can find out whether you have warm or cool undertones based on what color your veins appear to be.
Cool undertones make your veins appear blueish or purple, and warm undertones give your veins a more greenish hue. If you can’t really determine the precise color (or even see your veins), you have neutral undertones.

Using Your Skin’s Undertones to Your Advantage

Once you know your undertone you can better choose your makeup, jewelry, and clothing. Remember that these are guidelines, not hard rules. Choose what you feel looks best on you.

Clothing

If you have warm undertones, the best colors to wear are off-white, cream, neutral greens (like olive), browns, and warm yellows and oranges. For those with cool undertones, opt for white, purples, blues, black, and pastel shades.

Jewelry

Because of its warm color, gold will always look best on those with warm undertones. Silver, rose-gold, and platinum go well with cool undertones.

Makeup

The most important part of knowing your undertones is selecting the right foundation. With cool undertones, choose an ivory foundation with a hint of yellow to warm up your complexion. For those with warm undertones, go with a foundation that has more a more golden hue.

When it comes to eye shadow, ladies with cool undertones can go with shades of gray and jewel-toned colors that have blue or purple tints. For cool undertones with fair skin, opt for soft pinks or muted red lipstick. If you have cool undertones and dark skin, you can get away with bolder colors like fuchsia and deep plum lipstick.

Those with warm undertones should stick with pinks and sandy neutrals for eye shadow. For those with darker skin, the best lipstick shades are burgundy, tangerine, and bright red. Those with lighter skin do best with deep reds for lipstick.

Know and Love Your Skin

Know that you know your skin undertones, you can make choices to enhance your skin’s natural beauty.

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