How to identify your skin’s undertone

Skin undertones

Why is it important to know your skin’s undertone?

Because it can help you when you want to choose the best makeup, clothes or accessories matching your skin undertone. It can also help to enhance your unique features.

Difference between skin tone and skin undertone

Skin tone is your skin’s outermost layer and is defined by the amount of melanin in that layer. Your skin tone depends on several factors such as the weather. It can range from dark to light, including the shades in between.

Skin undertone, however, is the hue that is underneath the surface of the skin. This can be divided into 3 types: cool, warm and neutral. Unlike skin tones, undertones will remain constant throughout the year.

Skin undertones
Image by Laxman Deep from Pixabay

How to find out what your skin's undertone is

If your veins appear blue or purple, then you have a cool skin tone and it includes pink, red and blueish undertones.

If your veins look green, then you have a warm skin tone. This includes peach, yellow and golden undertones.

If you can’t tell whether your veins appear green or blue, that could mean you have a neutral undertone. This includes olive or a mix of the shades mentioned above.

Grab a white piece of clothing or paper and in a natural light, hold it to your face. If your skin looks pinkish, then you’re cool toned. If your skin looks more yellow or if you find that you look better in creamy hues or off-white instead of white, then you may be warm toned. If you find that you can wear both creamy hues and white, then you may be neutral toned.

You can also use your silver or gold accessories to determine your undertone. If you look better in silver, you are probably cool toned and if it’s gold then you are warm toned. If you look good in both, then it’s more likely that you’re neutral toned.

How to style accordingly with the undertones in mind

Cool skin undertone:

Colours that suit this skin undertone are: grey, brown, navy blue, burgundy or green. As for accessories, platinum or silver would be best suited.

Warm skin undertone:

Colours that are warmer such as yellow, brown, red, or orange, will more likely compliment your skin. Gold or bronze jewellery would be best suited for accessories.

Neutral skin undertone:

With this skin undertone you can go with the pastel version of any colour, such as light peach, baby blue, soft pinks, among others. With accessories, you can go with almost anything.

Conclusion

Discovering your skin’s undertone can be incredibly helpful to determine what looks best on you and your skin tone. However, your personal preferences should always be taken into account as well.

In the long run, you should wear what makes you feel happy and confident, never forgetting your skin’s undertone.

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