WHAT'S YOUR UNDERTONE ?

Cool, Neutral, Warm. These are common ways that brands describe foundation shade categories. Most people, especially women of color struggle with finding their perfect foundation shade. The average consumer doesn’t know their undertone because they don’t understand what an undertone is. An undertone is a shade underneath your skin. Knowing your undertone will help you find your perfect complexion shade as well as help you decide what eyeshadow colors look best on you.

The color of your veins will help you figure out what your undertone is. If your veins are green, it’s safe to say you have a more warm undertone. If your skin looks best with neutral colors like black or bright white; then you have a cool undertone. If your skin is more on the neutral side; it looks best in more subtle colors like tans, browns & ivories. Having a warm undertones means that the base tone of your skin is yellow or gold. Having a cool undertone means that you may see hints of blue, pink or red. Having a neutral undertone means that you have a mixture of both color hues OR that your undertone is the same color as your actual skin color.

It’s also important to understand that someone with a lighter skin tone can actually have a warm undertone. Beyonce has warm undertones with her golden skin while a model Alek Wek has more red hues which would technique suggest that she has cool undertones. The idea that if you have lighter skin then that means you have cool undertones and if you have darker skin then you must have warm undertones is a myth.

Another way to test your skin’s undertone is the jewelry test. If your skin looks more flattering in gold jewelry than your skin has a warm undertone. If your skin is more flattering in silver jewelry; your skin is more likely to have a cool undertone. I also suggest going to stores like Sephora or Ulta to try out foundations. They have makeup on display and you can grab and try without to help of a sales associate. Test out your foundation on your chest area. Try two at one time, one with a warm undertone & then one with a cool undertone. If the warm tone or cool tone blends into your skin best; that will help determine what category you’re in. If you are still unsure, get foundation samples to take home and try it out in natural light. Lighting in many makeup stores can be very deceiving. It may look great in-store but not as flattering when you step out in different lighting.

Finding my perfect foundation match at Sephora Downtown, Brooklyn. After swatching on my hand to see the texture and finish of the foundation, I then swatched it on my chest. My hand and my face are not the same color so swatching on my hand wouldn’t have been a great way to match.

Finding your skins undertone will help you find the best foundation color, eyeshadows, lipsticks and many other makeup products. I hope these tips were helpful. In my next post we will talk all about foundations. Liquid, powder, cream, matte, dewy, satin, etc. I will cover it all. Talk soon & don’t forget to share, comment and subscribe! xoxo