It's always such a hassle trying to find products that match our undertones. When shopping for makeup products you must've came across the terms 'cool', 'warm', 'neutral' referring to how a shade will look on different skin tones. So do you know your correct undertone? And no, it's not equivalent to knowing your correct shade or skin's complexion. These terms cool, warm and neutral are skin undertones. These are the colours that come through your skin from underneath the surface to affect its overall hue. It is commonly mistaken that fair skin tends to have cool undertones and that darker skin have warm undertones. People of all complexions, from very light to deep, can have warm, cool or neutral colours as their undertones.
So how to identify your skin undertone? Well, its not as intimidating as it seems.
Cool Undertone: If your skin has more blue, pink and red hues then it is considered to be cool undertone.
Warm Undertone: If your skin has more yellow, golden and peachy hues then are to have a warm undertone.
Neutral Undertone: Someone with a neutral undertone doesn't seem to have any other colour showing through except of the colour of their skin. It has a mixture of both warm and cool tones thus it neutralises the undertone.
1. The Wrist Test
There are several ways to determine your undertone. The most widely known is the wrist test. You simply have to look at underside of your wrist for the colours lying underneath. This area of the skin is protected from sun damage making it easier and more noticeable to determine the hues of warm, cool or neutral colours. Although, it is a simple and easy way to identify your undertone it may not work for people having deeper complexions. As they have higher melanin production which masks the colour of the undertone coming through.
2. The Jewellery Test
Does gold jewellery suit you better than silver? If you find yourself more flattering in gold jewellery you're likely to have a warmer undertone and vice versa, if you look good in silver toned jewellery you have a cool undertone. And the god's favourites, people who can pull off both gold and silver jewellery have a neural undertone.
3. The Sun Test
Do you get tanned easily? If so you have a warm undertone. And people who get sunburnt easily have a cool undertone. Either way don't skimp on applying sunscreen irrespective of your undertones.