Just as knowing which clothes flatter your figure the best and selecting the right haircut and style for your face shape can improve your overall appearance, taking the same approach with makeup can also work wonders. With makeup, however, it comes down to one very important factor: skin tone. Knowing your skin tone and the colors which will flatter it best will help you look your best at all times.
So first things first…what’s your skin tone?
There are a few approaches to determining your skin tone:
1. Wash your face of all makeup with a gentle cleanser and lukewarm water. Pat dry (never rub) and wait 10-15 minutes. Next, wearing a white shirt or wrapping a white towel around your shoulders, look in the mirror under natural light (never florescent!). If the undertones reflected are yellow or golden, then you have a warm skin tone. On the contrary, pink or blue-ish undertones indicate a cool skin tone.
2. Look at the underside of your wrists. What color are your veins? If you have yellow or golden undertones (warm skin tone) in your skin, your veins will appear green. Pink or blue undertones (cool skin tone) will cause veins to appear blue.
3. Which metal looks best on you? If silver shines beautifully on your skin then you have a cool skin tone. Similarly, if gold radiates on your skin the best, then you have a warm skin tone.
Finding Your Best Colors
The key to finding the best makeup for your skin tone is to choose colors with the same undertones as your skin.
Cool Skin Tone
Pink and blue undertones are what determine a cool skin tone and, similarly, should determine the makeup colors you wear. Your foundation, concealer and powder should all have a pink or blue base. Ivory and beige will be the most skin-enhancing for you. The best blushes and lipsticks for you will also come from cool color palettes; pinks, plums and mauves are the most flattering for your cool skin tone. Lastly, bring out your eyes with eyeshadow in blue, silver, gray and emerald green color palettes.
Warm Skin Tone
Since your warm skin tone radiates yellow, golden or orange undertones, your foundation, concealer and powder should start with a similar base. Your best foundation colors will typically be in the honey, tawny and almond color palettes. Next, the most skin-enhancing blushes for you will be in the copper, gold and bronze palettes, as well as fruity colors such as apricot, peach and mango. For lips, pucker up with mocha, caramel, orange-red and coral shades. Lastly, bring out your eyes with earthy tones such as forest and mossy greens, rich oranges like terracotta and rust, and browns like chocolate, mocha and russet.
So what’s you’re skin tone? If you don’t know, find out with any (or all) of the top three approaches and be on your way to mastering a perfect cosmetic look!
About Belinda
