Your complexion is the shade of your skin, which is light, medium, and dark.Even if you are pale in the winter and tan during the summer, your undertone will not change.Cool, warm, and neutral are the undertones.Knowing your skin tone can help you choose the right lipstick color, figure out which hair color is most flattering, and know which colors you should wear to look like a knock out.Laura Martin is a licensed cosmetologist.There are two types, a reddish-yellow and a brown-black.Each person's hair and skin color is determined by the precise amount of each.
Step 1: Wait 15 minutes after you wash your face.
Your skin should be clean and free of makeup.Your skin may appear pink from scrubbing and make it difficult to see your true undertone, so you need to rest for 15 minutes.
Step 2: There is a natural light source.
A yellow or green cast on your skin can be caused by different lightbulbs.If you want to look for your undertones, choose a sunny spot.Try to sit next to a window.Go outside if you have an outdoor seating area.
Step 3: Take a look at the veins on your wrist.
If your veins are visible, this is a quick way to determine your undertones.Hold up your arm and look at the light.If you can't tell if your veins are green or blue, you may have a neutral skin tone.If you have an olive complexion, you will fall into this category.You have a warm skin tone if your veins are green.You have a cool skin tone if your veins are blue or purple.
Step 4: Consider how your skin reacts to the sun.
Do you tan quickly?Do you burn or get freckles?The amount of melanin in your skin determines how it reacts to the sun.You have a warm or neutral skin tone if you tan easily and rarely burn.You have a cooler skin tone if your skin burns and doesn't tan.Women with very dark skin may not burn easily, but they have a cool skin tone.Try a few more tests.
Step 5: Take a piece of paper and put it on your face.
Try to see how your skin looks in comparison to the white paper.It may appear to have a yellow cast, a blue-red or rosy cast or neither, but a gray color.You have a warm skin tone if your skin appears yellow next to the white paper.You have a cool skin tone if your skin appears pink, rosy, or blueish-red.If your skin appears gray, you probably have an olive complexion.This effect is created by the green from your complexion and the yellow undertone.You can experiment with neutral and warm tones.You have a neutral skin tone if you can't determine any of the colors.On both ends of the cool/warm spectrum, neutral tones look good.
Step 6: You can find your skin tone using gold and silver foil.
If you want to reflect light back on your skin, hold a sheet of gold foil in front of your face.If it enhances your skin or makes your face look grayish, note that.Try with a sheet of foil.You have a warm skin tone if the gold foil looks good.You have a cool skin tone if the reflection from the silver foil makes your skin glow.If you don't notice a difference, you probably have a neutral skin tone.If you don't have gold or silver foil, lay gold and silver jewelry on your wrist to see which is more flattering.
Step 7: Ask a friend to look at your ear.
If you have a condition that may mask your skin tone, you can have someone look at the skin behind your ear, as this area is less likely to be affected.You should have them look at the skin behind your ear.Your skin tone is warm if it is yellow.They can try to hold a white piece of paper near the skin if they have difficulty.They should be able to see if it is yellow or pink.
Step 8: Look at your eyes.
Your eye color can tell you a lot.Lighter eyes like blue and pale brown are usually cooler than gold flecks.Ice blue eyes mean you have cool skin, while honey brown eyes are for warm skin.
Step 9: If you have a cool shade of lipstick, try it.
Choose between bluish-red, magenta pink, or purplish-brown.You should avoid oranges and colors that are too pale.If you have fair or light skin, look for nudes.If you have olive or tan skin, look for wine-colored shades.If you have a dark or deep complexion, look for metallic shades in red or wine.
Step 10: If you have warm undertones, choose reds and orangey colors.
Corals, peaches, and bright reds are great options.If you have fair or light skin, try red with blue undertones, coral, pale pink or peachy nudes.If you have tan or medium skin, go for cherry red, rose, mauve, corals, or berry.Try copper, orange-red, or bronze.If you have a dark or deep complexion, look for wine-colored lipsticks.
Step 11: If you have neutral tones, you should play with color.
Most colors look good on you if you have neutral undertones.If you want to play up your complexion, wear contrasting colors if you have pale skin, corals, or olive or tan skin.
Step 12: If you have a cool shade of pink, choose it.
Your skin will come to life with the pink, red, and bluish hints.Light pinks are good for fair or pale skin.Medium skin can benefit from a bright pink shade.Try a berry shade if you have deep or dark skin.You can look great in pink-tinted shades of tangerine.
Step 13: If you have warm undertones, choose orange-based colors.
It's best to use warm colors around fall for glowing skin.Light peaches are good for fair or pale skin.You can try bronze shades as well.If you have medium or tan skin, try apricot, mauve, orange-peach, bronze, or berry shades.If your skin is dark, try brick red.It looks great against your skin.
Step 14: If you have neutral undertones, play with color.
Any shade of blush can look great on your skin if you have neutral undertones.You can try several shades to find the one you like best.Pink shades are good for pale skin.If you have medium skin, start with peach colors.If you have dark skin, go for rich colors.
Step 15: If you have cool vibes, look for colors that add warmth.
You can look washed out if you go too cold.Warm up your features without creating too much contrast.Pale skin can be treated with sheer shades of taupe, pinks, and greens.If you have medium skin, try a pink or peach.If you have dark or deep skin, look for bright shades like jewel tones.
Step 16: Warm with rich shades.
Bring warm colors to life with deeper colors that enrich your tones.If you have pale skin, go for bronze colors.If you have medium skin, try bronze, deep pinks, and peaches.If you have dark or deep skin, look for rich purples, bright blues, emerald greens, and burgundy.
Step 17: If you have neutral colors, try out the whole palette.
Any color could look great on your skin if you have neutral undertones.If you have pale skin, use jewel tones, earth tones and metallic shades.If you have a medium skin tone, use bronze, earth tones, pinks, and peaches.Play with dark, jewel-tone shades if you have deep or dark skin.
Step 18: If you have warm tones, choose earth tones and deep colors.
People with warm undertones should try neutrals, like beige, cream, orangey-coral, mustard, off-white, yellow, brown, warm red, and yellow-greens.When choosing jewelry, use gold and bronze.
Step 19: If you have a cool vibe, go for blues and paler colors.
Blue-red, blue, purple, pink, green, plumb, navy, magenta, and blue-green are some of the colors that people with cool undertones should try.Pick silver jewelry and look for silver shades in your clothing.
Step 20: If you have neutral tones, try any color.
You can draw from both groups if you have neutral undertones.The shades will flatter your skin.When choosing jewelry, you can wear any metallic color.
Step 21: You can choose a shade of blond that matches your skin tone.
Pick a hair color that contrasts, rather than matches, your skin tone to ensure you don't look washed out.Platinum or champagne are cool shades of blond if you have warm skin.If you have a cool shade, choose honey or butterscotch.Any shade can work with neutral undertones.
Step 22: There are shades of brown.
It is easy to get the right shade of brown hair.Warm tones look best with ashy browns.A chestnut brown is a good choice.Cool colors look great with rich colors.Look for dark chocolate.If you have a deep skin tone, look for a shade of brown that is either darker or lighter than your skin color.It will look great with deep blacks or espresso colors, while cooler tones will come alive with colors like toffee or maple brown.Any shade of brown can be rocked by neutral undertones.
Step 23: There is a shade of red.
Any complexion can wear red if you pick the right shade.Light skin glows with a red shade.Light red strawberry blond can be worn by people with pale skin.Pale skin can look great with dark reds.If your complexion is light, medium, or deep, cool undertones look great with dark auburn shades.Reds can make your skin look greenish if you have olive undertones.