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What is My Skin Tone? Find the Best Makeup Matches for Your Skin Color
Having a mismatched makeup look can spell out all sorts of horror stories. Disconnected face and neck colors, uncomfortable looking lipstick, and so on — these are just a few of the mishaps prominent in people who don’t know their skin tone and skin undertones. We’re definitely guilty of committing a few of these crimes.
Finding out your skin tone as well as the undertones can help you not only select the best makeup, but also the right clothes and accessories. It can also lead to plenty of new ways to blend different kinds of colors and new makeup looks to achieve that attractive girl aesthetic.
Warm undertones, cool undertones, or neutral undertones — where do you belong? Find out in our guide!
What is my skin tone and undertone?
The first thing to do is actually find out your correct skin tone. There are three very broad categories of skin tones, which are light, medium, and dark.
If you’re fair-skinned and have a pale complexion, then you belong to the light side. Deeper, browner-looking skin falls under the dark complexion part of the spectrum, and those who have beige to olive tones are within the medium scale.
Now, that part you obviously already know. All you really have to do is look in a mirror. But skin tones come in all sorts of hues and undertones. That’s what makes us all unique, wonderful individuals. However, it also makes choosing the perfect color palette a pain in the butt.
What is my skin tone called?
Obviously, there are more than just three skin tones and plenty of subcategories that fall under it. However, there is not just one single scale that encompasses all the different skin colors. Even the popular Fitzpatrick scale isn’t too inclusive of medium and darker skin tones, so it kind of lacks a little info if you’re on that spectrum. If you look at the picture, you’ll only see six subcategories.
Compare it with more recent foundations, such as Fenty Beauty’s lineup which has 50 shades that encompass light to medium to dark skin tones. This skin tone chart from Skincare Geek might be helpful:
Knowing your skin tone isn’t just handy for color matching purposes, but can also help you decide which laser treatment to go for.
How do I know if I have a warm skin tone?
Place your wrist under a well-lit window or a light and you should be able to see the color of your veins clearly. If you have green veins, it means your skin’s undertone favors warmer undertones. Whether you have light skin, a medium skin tone, or a deep skin tone, you’ll notice that you look best wearing warm colors and gold jewelry.
What are the best colors for warm undertones and warm skin tones?
Thankfully, if you’ve figured out your exact skin undertone, choosing the right colors comes much easier. If you have a warm undertone then you’ll favor clothes and makeup products that also have warm undertones.
That’s why you should go for warmer shades of foundation and stick to the same color palette in your other products. Honey, golden-colored eyeshadows will look extra flattering on you. While you’re at it, stick to bronze and orange-toned colors in your blush, contour, lips, etc.
Other colors you may want to have are those in the warm family, like red, orange, and yellow. However, you can also go for warmer greens which will look incredible. A dark, creamy off-white is a good option, too.
As we said, a good rule of thumb is to go for makeup shades that match your skin’s undertones. Warm tones flatter warmer skin tones and cool tones flatter cooler skin.
How do I know if I have cool skin tone?
On the other end of the spectrum are cool skin tones. If you look under natural light and see blue veins or purplish looking veins jutting out, then you’re definitely one who has cooler undertones. Stick to silver jewelry and cool toned colors for the best results.
What colors go with a cool undertone?
As for makeup, you’ll flatter your natural skin tone the best by choosing cooler tones like pink, blue, black, and grey. Try to stay away from products with a yellowish undertone. While they won’t look bad on you per se, they can make your face look ashy or mismatch the skin tone on the rest of your body. Having a cool undertone means you’ll rock cool colors and jewel tones with bluish hints.
What’s my skin undertone if my veins look like a mix of yellow and green?
Apart from warm, cool, or neutral, you can actually have olive skin or olive undertones. This is when you’re not exactly sure if your veins look green or yellowish. Because this color is closer to a warm undertone than it is to a cool undertone, you’ll be better off applying warm colored makeup in shades of peach, bronze, salmon, and so on. Pastel tones may not complement your skin undertone very well.
What are the right makeup colors for a neutral skin tone?
If you’re lucky enough to have a neutral undertone, congratulations! People with neutral undertones can work with almost anything, whether it’s pink undertones or a warm yellow undertone. You can rock both silver and gold jewelry.
Also, if you notice that you can change foundation shades without looking too bad, then you’re probably someone who has neutral undertones. Pretty much any foundation shade or undertone can be the correct shade.
However, the best color would have to be a mix of both warm and cool. To complement your natural tone, go for a peachy-looking foundation and similar neutral tones for the rest of your palette.
Still unsure if you have a warm, cool, or neutral undertone? Another quick way to determine your skin tone is to observe how your skin reacts to sun exposure. Often, people with warmer tones — even those who have tan skin — will tan easily. Conversely, people with cooler undertones will burn instead of tan.
Final Note
If you’re struggling with your makeup but can’t exactly pinpoint what the problem is, learning all about the nuances of skin undertones might just help. I know it helped me. Not just with makeup, but with choosing an OOTD for each day. I kind of wish I knew before that gigantic online shopping haul, but hey, it’s all part of the journey.
At the end of the day, whether you have fair skin or favor warm-toned colors, the most important thing is loving your body for what it is. By choosing the right color schemes, you’re giving your skin room to shine and you’ll look effervescent no matter what!
Want more content on beauty, fashion, and skincare? Tell us what you want to read about next in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What skin tone is Indian?
According to Skincare Geeks, most Indian people will have a gold-yellowish complexion. If you’ve confirmed it yourself, then it might be best to stay away from neutral or cool undertones in favor of warmer ones that’ll make you glow.
Joey is an AB Psychology graduate of the University of St. La Salle – Bacolod. Her life’s passions include writing, film, and spending hours on end binge-watching fashion vloggers on Youtube.
