What’s Your Skin Undertone? Here’s How to Find Out

Don’t worry; there are only three possibilities, warm, cool or neutral, and it’s pretty easy to figure out what undertone you have. Here are a few easy skin undertone tests to determine what yours is:
 

• The Wrist Test: Examine the colour of the veins on the inside of your wrists in natural light. Cool undertones have blue or purple-looking veins, warm undertones have veins that appear green or olive and neutral people’s veins look blue-green.

 

• The Paper Test: Hold a piece of white paper next to your face (including your neck and chest) and look in the mirror (even a white T-shirt will do). If your skin appears yellow-y you have warm undertones and if you look more on the pink/blue-y side then you probably have cool undertones.

 

• The Sun Test: Cool undertones burn easily and go red after being in the sun, while people with warm undertones just go more brown or golden.

 

• The Jewellery Test: Forget what colour jewellery you like, think about which colours actually look best on you. Silver and platinum pieces suit cool toned people and gold looks better on people with warm undertones.

 

• The Neutral Test: Certain neutral colours have the power to wash you out, so think about which ones do the opposite and make your skin and eyes look fresh and bright. If you suit white and black then you probably have cool undertones and if browns and creams are more suited to you then you are likely a warm-toned person.

 
Now that you’ve figured out what undertones you have, let’s get specific about what is going to look amazing on you and what to avoid if you don’t want your make up to do the opposite of what it’s meant for and actually make you look worse.

If you have tried all the tests and just can’t figure out what your undertones are, you are probably neutral. This is good news for you, as neutral people can pull off just about anything.

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Cool Skin Undertone: Makeup Shades For Pink/Blue Toned Skin

Your skin: Can be super pale or super dark and has a blue-ish tinge or pink hue to it.

Your hair: Could be anything from blonde to black, usually with blue, silver or ash undertones.

Your eyes: Are most often blue, green, grey or deep brown.

Celebrities with cool undertones: Liv Tyler and Lupita Nyong’o.

Colours that really work on you: It goes without saying that cool colours really make your features pop so go for blues, greens and purples. If you want to wear colours on the warm spectrum then be sure to choose shades with cool undertones to them, like shocking pink, cerise or ruby red. Neutral tones that are too warm can make you look sallow and sickly so stick to icy whites or jet blacks.

Colours you should probably avoid: Anything too orange or yellow.

Your go-to makeup shades:
Lips: Baby pink, purple-y pinks and berry tones work best: Essence Stay 8 Hour Matte Liquid Lipstick in To Be Fair, Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in Silhouette and Black Opal Color Splurge Lipstick in Torrid.

Eyes: You can rock metallics, icy blues and cool pastels: Rimmel Magnifeyes Multi Eyeshadow in Elecviolet, LA Girl Beauty Brick Eyeshadow in Smoky Eyes, and Palladio Eyeland Vibes in Cabana.

Nails: Pinks and purples with a blue hue and pastel cool tones look great on you: Essence Shine Last & Go Gel Nail Polish in Get Ready or Take Me To Heaven and Essie Nail Polish in Sugar Daddy and Mint Candy Apple.

Face: Cool-toned foundations with pinky-red undertones are perfect for your skin: Revlon Colorstay makeup in Nude, True Beige, Hazelnut, Cappuccino or Java. When it comes to choosing a blush, cool undertones look best with soft or rich pinks, mauves, light berry or fuschia shades.

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Warm Skin Undertone: Makeup Shades For Golden/Yellow/Olive Toned Skin

Your skin: Has a golden, olive or yellow-ish tinge to it. This is the most common undertone found in South African women of all skin tones.

Your hair: Is probably somewhere between black/dark brown and dark blonde and in the light, you can see hints of gold or red undertones.

Your eyes: Are usually a warm brown, hazel or amber.

Celebrities with warm undertones: Beyoncé and Blake Lively.

Colours that really work on you: Warm colours make you glow and look healthy so choose reds, oranges and golden tones. If you want to play around with cool tones then try ones with a warm hint to them, like moss green, magenta, deep turquoise and orchid. When choosing neutral colours avoid crisp extremes, like pitch black or pure white. Chocolate-y shades, off-whites and taupe tones will flatter you best.

Colours you should probably avoid: Anything too cool and icy will wash you out and look unnatural.

Your go-to makeup shades:
Lips: Lipsticks in peach, orange and rich red tones: Maybelline Color Sensational in Sunset Spark, Yardley Stayfast High Definition Lip Gloss in Electrtang and Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Orange Flip.

Eyes: Go for bronze, rust and gold tones to play up your natural glow: Catrice Art Couleurs Eyeshadow in Gold Is What You Came For, Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow in Maverick and Palladio Silk FX Eyeshadow Eyes A La Mode.

Nails: A taupe for an everyday look, and a glitzy sparkly shade for the weekend: OPI Infinite Shine Nail Polish in Taupe-less Beach, Catrice Iconails Gel Lacquer in Taupe League and Essence Shine Last & Go Gel Nail Polish in Rockstar.

Face: The best warm foundation shades in the Revlon Colorstay range are Medium Beige, Toast, Caramel and Hickory. For blush, stick with peachy coral and deep peach shades, warm brown or tangerine.

Read More. How to Find the Perfect Nude Lipstick for Your Skin Tone

Neutral Skin Undertone: Makeup Shades For A Mixed Warm And Cool Toned Skin

Your skin: Has a mixture or warm and cool tones to it, giving you a more neutral colour that is neither pink-blue nor yellow.

Your hair: Could be blonde, black, brown or red with a mixture of warm and cool undertones in it.

Your eyes: Are often hazel and change according to what colour clothing you wear.

Celebrities with neutral undertones: Jessica Biehl and Kerry Washington.

Colours that really work on you: You can pretty much play with all the colours of the rainbow but slightly muted pastel shades look best.

Colours you should probably avoid: Very bright and bold colours can be overwhelming to your complexion, unless it’s a statement red lip, which always works for you.

Your go-to makeup shades:
Lips: Muted berry and red tones add life to your face, and of course a beautiful deep red should be a staple in your make up bag: Rimmel Lasting Finish Extreme Lipstick in Mauve Maxx, L'Oréal Rouge Signature Lip Colour in I Rebel and Maybelline Sensational Liquid Matte Lipstick in Flush It Red.

Eyes: A neutral undertone deserves the perfect neutral palette to play around with: LA Girl Beauty Brick Eyeshadows in Nudes and Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette.

Nails: Get experimental with any shade in any finish, from matte to chrome: Catrice Gold Effect Nail Polish in four gorgeous colours and Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Holo Back.

Face: Neutral shades in Revlon’s Colorstay foundation range include Nude, Golden Beige, Toffee and Mahogany. You can use almost any blush shade you like but just make sure it blends with the colours you’re using on the rest of your face. If in doubt, fall back on a bronzer for a little bit of warmth.

Read More. How Choosing the Best Blush Is the Key to Always Looking Awesome

The Universally Flattering Shades

If all of this information about undertones and cool and warm colours has left you overwhelmed don’t worry. True red, teal, eggplant and blush pink are said to be equally as flattering to all skin tones, no matter the undertone. So when you’re feeling overwhelmed you can play it safe with any of these colours.

View Video. Is Your Skin Warm or Cool? | Why Undertones Matter | Justine Leconte