Knowing if you have a cool or warm undertone can do wonders for you. Not just in terms of choosing makeup, but also for picking clothing and accessories as well.
Margo asks… “What is the difference between a warm skin tone and a cool skin tone? And how can I tell which one I am?”
If you are warm, then you will have yellow, golden or peach undertones. Lipsticks that have orangey or peach color to them, such as a nude, tend to look great on your skin. You will also find that gold jewelery looks good on your skin as well.
If you are cool then you will have pink, red or blue undertones. Lipsticks that have purple or blue color to them, such as a fuchsia, look good on your skin. Silver jewellery looks great on people with a cool skin tone.
If you are neutral then you have a mix between cool and warm undertones. For foundations, you may find if you pick just yellow-based or pink-based foundations that they may look too orange or grey. Try mixing a warm and cool foundation to find your perfect shade.
Once of the most common ways to distinguish if you have a warm or cool undertone is to look at the veins on your inner wrist. If the veins are bluish or purple, then you have a cool undertone. If the veins are more green then you have a warm undertone. If it looks like a little bit of both, you may be neutral.
As a rule, most people who have blue, green or grey eyes with blonde, brown or black hair – you most likely have a cool undertone. If you have brown, black or hazel eyes with any hair color – you will most likely have a warm undertone.
As you can see in this photo, Reese Witherspoon (with blue eyes and blonde hair) has a cool skin tone. This is why bright red lips and bright pink blush looks good on her skin. Whereas Nicole Richie (hazel eyes and blonde hair) has a warm skin tone. This is why she has an orangey apricot blush and peachy lips.
If you have a cool undertone, select a foundation that has a pink undertone to it. If you have a warm undertone, select a foundation that has a yellow undertone to it. These will be the most flattering on your skin. Many cosmetic companies are beginning to divide and label their foundation shades into Cool, Warm and Neutral sections so that the customers can choose a shade from the proper shade that will suit their skin.
We hope that you enjoyed our Reader Request Series this week. We really enjoyed answering your questions and sharing our expertise. If you missed them, check out Monday’s post on BB Creams, Tuesday’s post on Organic and Vegan Cosmetic Lines, Wednesday’s post on How to Properly Fill Your Brows and Thursday’s post on Laugh Lines.
Don’t forget, if you ever have a question or would like us to blog about something specific – let us know. We would love to hear from you!
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