Understanding your undertone

With all the variety of colors emerging in the makeup industry, choosing the best color of foundation, lipstick or hair dye has become a tiresome job. To overcome this confusing situation one needs to understand what their “undertone” is.

By undertone, I do not mean whether you have light, medium or dark colored skin. That is your complexion! The undertone is the color or shade exposed on the surface of the skin when you are under sunlight.

There are three types of undertones

• Warm
• Cool
• Neutral

 

Following these simple tests will help you identify your undertone and then depending on your undertone your choice of colors will be made easy:

 

1. Look at the color of your veins on the inside of your wrist

 

 

Examine the color of the veins at the back of your wrist. Make sure, you examine them while standing in natural light – either standing out in the sun or near a door or window. Also, the wrist area should be free of any makeup application and clean.

 

• If your veins are green in color: You have a warm undertone.
• If your veins are blue-purple colored: You have a cool undertone.
• If you are a mix of both and you cannot decide upon the color: It is a neutral undertone!

 

2. The jewelry test

 

 

 Take out some pieces of gold and silver jewelry from your collection. Start wearing them one by one and check which one suits you the most.

• If it is gold, then you have a warm undertone.
• If it is silver then it is a cool undertone.

• And if you are confused again or both suit you equally, you lie in the neutral category.

 

3. Your reaction to the sun

 

 

 What happens when you spend many hours working in the sun? DO you tan or you get freckles on your skin? Or a mix of both?

• In case you tan easily, you most probably have a warm undertone.
• If your skin feels a burning sensation or you get freckles, you have a cool undertone.

•   In case, you tan first and gradually get freckles you have a…ah you are intelligent enough to understand this one. 😉

 

4. The plain white paper test

 

 

• Take a white plain paper and hold it against your face. What happens to the color of your face? Does it look dull? If yes, you have a warm undertone.
• Does it look good? If yes, you have a cool undertone.
• And if there is no change you have a neutral undertone.

 

5. Do you blush easily?

 

 

• If it is so, then you have a cool undertone.
• If not, then you have a warm undertone.

 

6. The skin behind the ear

 

 

Okay, for this test, you might need to ask a friend to do a little favor for you. Ask your friend to look at the skin behind your ear and tell you the color of it.

• If it is yellowish in color, you have a warm undertone.
• If it is pink or rosy, you have a cool undertone.

 

What colors compliment your undertone?

According to your undertone, you can select the colors which best suit you and help you chose colors that compliment you.

 

Warm undertones

You should try colors like:

• Beige
• Cream
• Coral Red
• Mustard
• Yellow-Greens

 

Cool undertones

You can go for colors like:

• Blue-Red
• Purple
• Pink
• Green
• Navy Blue

 

Neutral Undertones

Those of you with neutral undertones always have an advantage. You can mix and match the above-mentioned colors and carry most colors flawlessly 😉

 

 

Proofread and edited by Jane Vivian