How To Find Your Skin Tone For Foundation

There Are Three Kinds Of Undertones

According to Gott, there are three undertone categories: warm, cool, and neutral. If your skin veers pink, red, or blueish, you have cool undertones. If your skin has a yellow, peachy, or golden tinge, you have warm undertones. If you have a mix of both, your undertone is neutral. Still unsure? Take a gander at these tips to determine once and for all:

Look at your wrists in natural light. Are your veins more blue or green? People with veins that appear blue or purple have cool skin tones, while those with warm tones have veins that look green, Gott explains.

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What color do you see when you hold a blank piece of white paper next to your face? If your skin appears more yellow, than you’re probably warm. If your skin looks pink, then you’re likely on the cool side. Also, it helps to always test this, as well as actual foundation swatches, in natural light to see the most accurate color reading.

Do you think you look better in gold or silver? This concept is a bit more outdated and subjective than it is telling, and many people’s jewelry collections probably contain a fair mix of both. But if you’re game to try it, the adage goes that gold better complements warm undertones and silver will complement cool undertones, following in the rule that the warm tones in gold jewelry bring out the warmth in like-undertones and the cool reflective properties of silver draw flattering light to cool undertones.

Foundation Matching For Skin Tone

When picking foundation, there are a few factors to consider. Most importantly, knowing your undertone will always help you find the correct shade of foundation since it will always stay the same regardless of the season, Monroy says. The color of your foundation may change throughout the seasons, depending on how tan you get in the summer, but your tone doesnt change.

If Im being honest, I never worried that much about the tone of my foundation. It didnt seem like it was as big of a deal as the color â but, as Monroy points out, its actually even more important. He offered insight on how to find the right color for your skin tone, ahead.

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Quiz: What Is Your Skin’s Undertone

• Knowing your skin’s undertone is useful in finding the most flattering makeup hues for you.
• There are three undertones: warm, cool, and neutral.
• Take this quiz to help determine what your skin’s undertone is.

When it comes to choosing the most flattering makeup hues, it’s important to consider your skin tone: are you a warm, cool, or neutral? Choosing the right colors based on your hair color, eye color, and natural undertones will, after all, accentuate your features and make you glow. It’s basic color theory.

But finding out what your skin’s undertones are isn’t always the easiest task. Unless you’re a professional like a makeup artist, it can be tricky to tell if you’re actually warm-toned or cool-toned. Luckily, there are hacks to make it easier and they don’t include paying a visit to a beauty salon. We created an easy quiz below to help you uncover more about your complexion. By answering just six quick questions, you’ll be matched with the undertone of your skin, putting to rest the question you’ve been asking yourself once and for all.

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What Is My Skin Tone

Skin tone is what you see first when you look in the mirror. You probably already have an idea if your skin is light, medium, or dark, for instance. Skin tone is all about how much pigmentation you have in your skin.

• For fair skin color Youre very fair, and burn easily. You most likely have light or red hair.
• For light skin color You have generally light-colored skin, but you have more yellow or beige undertones than fair skin. You’re most likely to tan in the summer.
• For medium skin color Your skin is a more medium color, with potential olive undertones. Mostly referred to as olive.
• For dark skin color You have dark skin and/or a deep complexion.

The surface color can change depending on a lot of things. For instance, if you tan in the summer, for instance, it will get darker, and then lighten again in the winter. It can also be affected by redness, rosacea, hyperpigmentation, dryness, and dullness. These are things you try to keep constant by taking good care of your skin, and things that you work to hide or smooth out with makeup.

You try to keep constant by taking good care of your skin and things that you work to hide or smooth out with makeup.

Meet Your Match: How To Match Your Foundation And Find Your Formula

Eyeshadow, lipstick, blushthese are makeup products you want to stand out and make an impact. Foundation, however? Not so much. The ultimate goal with foundation is to make your skin look smooth, even, and uniform, and having your foundation be obvious or visible sort of defeats the purpose. Thats why learning how to match foundation is so crucial: With a seamless base, the rest of your makeup will look even better.

The trouble is, it can be tricky to find your perfect foundation color match, especially when you factor things like seasonal skin color changes and undertones into the equation. Luckily for you, were here to help. Ahead, weve compiled our top tips for finding the best foundation shade for your skin, whether you prefer a full-coverage look or favor a more sheer veil. Keep reading to learn how to match your foundation to your skin for a flawless finish.

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Consider Your Skin Type

Matte or dewy? That’s the question to ask before swatching foundation shades. And your skin type is an important factor when it comes to choosing finishes. Martin says that dewy foundations tend to work best on normal to dry skin types. “Too much radiance on this skin type looks even oilier and it’s not a good feeling on the face,”he explains. Matte foundations are usually more suitable for combination to oily skin types.

Avendaño recommends using a satin finish instead of matte on mature skin. “More mature skin can get away with matte but again, just like dewy skin can emphasize flaws and wrinkles, so can matte foundations because the skin has no dimension,” he explains.

Check The Skin Behind Your Ears

Have someone check the skin behind your ears. It is an area of your body that gets very little sun exposure, so it often shows your real skin undertone.

If the skin at the back of your ears is yellowish, then your skin undertone is more likely to be warm. If it appears pink or rosy, you have a cool undertone.

The quick skin checks above should now be able to help you identify the type of skin undertone you have. Youll need this information when selecting the perfect foundation.

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• Contains SPF 15 to prevent future sun damage
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Discover undetectable coverage with the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF15 a water-based formula that guarantees a natural-looking, skin-like finish.The lightweight foundation effortlessly glides over the complexion, offering long-wearing coverage, whilst enveloping the visage in a plumping veil of hydration.

The liquid foundation boasts a buildable formula, which goes from sheer coverage to medium coverage in an instant.Blending seamlessly into skin, the oil-free formula is able to minimise the appearance of enlarged pores, cover imperfections and deliver broad spectrum protection, SPF15.

Expect long-wearing results that appear naturally flawless and fresh all day.Oil-free.

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Gold Or Silver Jewelry Test

A rather effective skin tone test is if you have gold or silver jewelry, you can try it on to see how it looks on your skin.

If your skin looks best with gold jewelry, your skin undertone is likely warm. If your skin looks best with silver jewelry, your skin undertone is likely cool. If you find that both gold and silver compliment your skin, you have a neutral undertone.

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Find The Best Foundation Match For Your Skin Tone

As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think youll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.

• The process of finding the best foundation match for you can be tricky.
• Whether youre looking for minimal coverage or something heavier, foundation is key to flawless makeup.
• Here are some expert tips to help you choose the right foundation color match for you.

There are some beauty products that we use every day and others that we reserve for special occasions. Foundation, no matter what your makeup style is, in our opinion, is one of those crucial makeup items that everyone should own . However, many people have trouble picking the correct shade of liquid foundation.

Without the help of a professional makeup artist, many people have trouble finding the right undertone when foundation matching. Even if your shade is correct, if your undertone is off, the color wont always suit you.

Tone is the most important thing when choosing a foundation,Jorge Monroy, a Los Angeles-based celebrity makeup artist, tells POPSUGAR. Itll help you narrow down your choices and find a color that best matches your undertones.

Which Foundation Shade Am I

To help you figure out which foundation shade to go for, we have here a celeb-inspired go-to guide. Find out whos complexion you resemble the most and test out the foundation shades mentioned alongside to find your foundation match. Note that these are indicative shades and might not be your exact match. Do test the shades to find your true match.

Table: Find Out Foundation Shades Matching Your Skin Tone

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How Can I Tell Which One I Am

Determining your skins undertone can be done in the comfort of your own home. You can make this determination using any one of the tests we outline below.

But if youre still stuck, visit your medical aesthetician or consult with a beauty expert at a beauty counter like Ulta or Clinique. They can help you identify your undertone and may even be able to swatch different product shades until you find your ideal match.

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What Skin Tone Am I For Foundation

The right foundation will smooth over any imperfections, even redness or the most embarrassing blemishes. In the past, finding the perfect colour was challenging, especially when shopping online…well, not anymore.

If asking, What skin tone am I for foundation? – the answer is here.

Wave farewell to trying powders that are too pale or a heinous orange – lets get you the perfect foundation that showcases your natural beauty. It starts with assessing your unique skin colour.

A Great Rule Of Thumb When Shopping For Foundations Is Learning How To Decipher The Color Name

R/P ### generally indicates a foundation with a Red or Pink undertone. Generally speaking , those of you with red undertones fall into the COOL color category.

Y ### indicates a yellow undertone. Again, and generally speaking, if you have yellow undertones you can also assume you have a warmer skin tone.

N ### or foundation names without prefixes generally indicates a Neutral undertone.

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What Does Undertone Mean In Skin

Now, lets dig a little deeper. Your skinsundertone is the permanent, underlying color that your skin tone casts , says makeup artist Tanya Deemer, Temptu global educator. Sometimes youll see additional category names thrown around, like pink undertones or yellow undertones or olive undertones, but if you want to keep it simple, stick with these three umbrella terms:

• Warm undertones: Your skin has yellow, peach, or golden underlying colors.
• Cool undertones: Youve got hints of pink or blue tones under your skin.
• Neutral undertones: You see a mixture of both warm and cool tones.

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Tip Three: Take Your Time

I hate to break it to you, but if youve successfully figured out your undertone and also found a great match from tips one and two, then ask for a sample or apply the foundation to your face and wear it for a day . Not only will this save you future frustration if it doesnt work, it will save you money and time from either having to toss the foundation OR the time in having to return/exchange it and do it all over again. Plus, its more sustainable to make confident purchase. Check out this post here on how to be sustainable its awesome.

How Do I Know What My Foundation Undertone Is

If you have warm undertones, then you know to look for liquid foundations or powder foundations with warm tones, and the same goes for cool and neutral. Lucky for you, lots of foundation shades these days are clearly sorted by their undertones, have helpful descriptions, or are represented with letters like C, W, and N that make it easy to decipher.

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Getting The Perfect Shade Of Foundation

Now that you have a good understanding of how to determine your skin tone and undertone, lets move on to finding you the perfect foundation shade.

Use your own skin tone

If you have a cool undertone, pick a foundation with a blue, pink, or red base. Stick to shades such as sable, porcelain, cocoa, and rose.

If you have a warm undertone, stick to foundations with a yellow or golden base, with shades such as chestnut, beige, caramel, and tan.

For neutral undertones, stick to shades such as ivory, praline, buff, or nude.

Begin with drugstore foundations

We know finding your perfect shade of foundation is not easy. Hence, we recommend you first hit the department store or the pharmacy to find yourself a foundation to try.

Not only are they cheaper, most drugstore makeup these days are available in multiple shades.

When at a store or boutique, ask for help when shade-matching. If there isnt anyone around, try out most of the store testers to find yourself the perfect shade.

If you get it wrong, it isnt too painful on the pocket, and you can try again.

Test the shades

When searching for a foundation, look out for shades matching closely to your skin tone going by eye. Once you have selected a couple of them, test each of them by simply dabbing some swatches preferably on your jawline.

This is because the skin at the jawline is typically truer to our natural undertone. It gives you the best idea of how your foundation looks when swatched closer to the neck.

Choosing foundation

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Test The Foundation If You Can

If youre purchasing in-store and testers are available, trying a foundation on for size is a great option. Foundation, especially liquid formulas, may look to be a certain shade in the bottle, but that doesnt mean itll appear exactly the same once its on your face. It can oxidize as it dries or sets, giving it an orangey tint, or change color based on your skins pH and body chemistry.

Of course, trying foundation IRL isnt always possible. We have a way for online shoppers to test products, too. Before you buy, use our virtual assistant MYAIA, to discover your skin tone and undertone. Then, go to one of our foundation product pages and click Try It On to see how different shades will suit you. You can also use our Click & Consult feature for a live 1-on-1 beauty consultation with an expert .

Even if you make a purchase thats not quite right, dont fret. For foundations purchased on nyxcosmetics.com, we have a 100% shade match guarantee. If you buy a shade that doesnt work for you, you may return your purchase within 45 days of receipt.