If you read my ‘Styling the Mister for a Day‘ post published last week, then you would be expecting this post, because I mentioned I was going to write a post explaining skin undertones. I hope you find this post useful…
Have you ever wondered why some colours look amazing on some people and not so amazing on others? Well I know I have. We all have colours that suit us better than others. Different colours suit different women. A colour may look good on a pale skin and look horrible on a brown skin. It all depends on what undertone your skin has; cool, warm or neutral undertone. Now don’t mistake skin undertone for surface tone. Your surface tone is the colour on the surface of your skin, the one visible to all. While the undertone is the colour underneath the surface. You can have the same surface tone with your BFF, but have a different skin undertone, if that makes sense. Our undertone is usually influenced by our diet and general health, while our surface tone is what we are born with.
To discover your skin undertone, hold a white piece of paper under your hand and look closely at the colour of your skin. If the overall hue of your skin is yellow, then you have a warm skin tone. If the overall hue of your skin is blue, then you have a cool skin tone. Make sure you test for undertones in natural light to get accurate results.
My overall hue is yellow, so I have a warm skin tone. Earthy colours flatter my skin best, so the likes of brown, beige, olive, orange, yellow, gold, corals, and peach, flatter me best.
If you have a cool skin undertone, the best colours for you are pale blue, green, purple, rose-pink, and other colours in the pink/purple family.
If you are not warm or cool, then you may fall into the neutral skin undertone spectrum, which is a mixture of cool and warm undertones. With this undertone, almost every colour looks good on you.
Another way to test your undertone is through the good old jewellery trick. Do you look better in silver or gold? Think about this careful, not which metal you prefer, but which metal gives you the glowing, radiant look. If you look better in silver, then you probably have a cool undertone. If gold suits you better, then you probably have a warm undertone. Gold suits me better so that confirms I carried out the undertone test properly because I have a warm undertone.
Knowing and understanding your skin undertone helps you shop for the best colours and makeup shades that will flatter your skin. It takes the guessing game away because you now know what looks good on you and why it does. And you can shop in confidence, knowing what shades you need in your wardrobe and your makeup bag.
Do you know your skin undertone? Sound off in the comment section please.
Thanks for reading and have a fab day!
Interesting post Stella. I have tried your tip. I fall in neutral which makes sense as I can wear the majority of colours. The brighter the better.
Makes sense too, as I can wear gold or silver together. I have a small selection of Christian crosses given to me in both silver and gold. They all have significant meanings.
I wear them all the time altogether on 1 gold chain. For me it works. It wouldn’t for everyone. I guess the neutral tone is why
Thank you..Yea everything looks good on a neutral undertone..
Interesting! I think I might have a warm skin tone, but then again, in a different light I look a bit blue….!
Best to check in natural light Elizabeth.
I have warm skin tones and certain blues, corals and browns look good on me.
Nice..
This is such an interesting post! I haven’t tried this but I’m about to! Thank you! x
Ah great.
Interesting post, especially since I’m not really good at knowing what goes well with my skin-tone when it comes to make-up. I always turn to my younger sister for advice 🙂
Thanks Dean..
I have warm skin tone but still choose silver jewellery haha
Lol..Sometimes we like what we like regardless..
Really interesting – I’ll have to try some jewellery on and see which undertone I have! 🙂
Great..
Interesting post i’ll definitely be checking my skin understone i find that colors such as grey don’t suit me.
Glad you like the post..
Absolutely great article Stella, have shared on both our English Mineral Makeup facebook pages xxxx
Thanks Jane xo
A while back someone mentioned to me at a makeup counter what undertones my skin was and honestly it just passed me by. Cool post
Thanks Anosa.
I’ve never heard of skin undertone! I’ll definitely be checking mine tomorrow morning when the natural daylight comes back.
Ah nice..It is good info to know.
I guess then that I have warm undertones, I definitely cannot get away with pastel blues or greens, or my favourite colour lilac, it looks awful on me.
Yea lilac does not look good on me either.
what and interesting post.. i really need to check out my skin undertone..
Ah yea you should..
I’ve learned something new today. I had no idea about skin undertone before reading this post!
http://lilinhaangel.com/
Glad you have..
I have a warm undertone which like you is why most colours tend to suit me well!
Colours tend to suit the neutral skin tone well, not the warm tone Ana..
Great post Stella. I agree, the skin undertone has a lot of role to play in how what we wear look on our skin.
TFS
Glad you like the post Moji..
I had this done at an event and it was fascinating, I have a cool skin tone
Ah nice Kara.
Very interesting, It definitely makes sense.
Glad it does..
I’ve never thought of this before, great tips Stella, I must try them 🙂
Yea you should Claire x
Very interesting post! I think it might be the same not only with clothes but also with make up.
Anita,
http://www.anitasdiaries.com
Yea it is the same with makeup too.
Good Read. I’m warm tones
Ah nice..
I love your photo. The dress really suits you. For me I think i look great with light colours.
Thank you..
Very good points, and a good excuse to buy expensive foundations that come in warm and cool tones as well as all the standard shades.
Yea Helen.
I am still not sure of my undertone, but yeah this will be helpful.
Try the test Sharon.
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