How To Know Your Skin Tone and Skin Undertone? (2024)

A top makeup brand’s foundation ended up looking grey on your skin? That’s because the product was not meant for your skin undertone. The key to flawless makeup is understanding your skin tone and undertone.

If you like to do your own makeup, it is time you get your basics right. Read on to understand what we mean.

Highlights:

Difference Between Skin Tone And Skin Undertone?
How To Determine Your Skin Tone?
Best Ways To Determine Your Skin Undertone
Why Knowing Your Undertone Matters?
Does Skin Tone Change With Age?

1. Difference Between Skin Tone And Skin Undertone?

Skin tone is the surface skin color, whereas skin undertone is the subtle hue underneath the surface. Skin tone is determined by the amount of melanin (skin pigment) present in the uppermost layer of your skin.

2. How To Determine Your Skin Tone?

While each skin tone can have different complexions and can be broken down into ‘very light’, ‘very deep’, etc, you can determine the broader type of your skin tone through the following ways:

A. Examine Your Jawline

This area is usually less affected by skin color changes than the rest of your face. Check your freshly-washed skin in this area under natural sunlight. Try to determine if it is light, medium or deep.

B. Listen To What Your Friends Say

If your friends say you’re very “fair,” your skin tone is mostly light. If they’re always pointing out how tan you look, you may be medium. If you look pale in the winter, but tan in the summer, you may be deep.

3. Best Ways To Determine Your Skin Undertone

You can try the following tests to know your skin undertone:

Test 1 - Vein Test

Examine the color of your veins on the underside of your wrists.

If your veins are blue or purple in color, you most probably have a cool undertone.
If you have greenish veins, you have a warm undertone.
If you are not sure which color is most evident in your veins, you are likely to have a neutral undertone.

Test 2 - Jewelry Test

If silver jewelry looks flattering on your skin, you have a cool undertone.
If gold jewelry looks flattering on your skin, you have a warm undertone.
If both look flattering on you, you have a neutral undertone.

Test 3 - White Paper Test

Hold a blank piece of white paper next to your face under the skin. If your skin appears more yellow, then you're probably warm. If your skin looks pinkish, then you're probably cool.

Test 4 - Sun Test

Does your skin tan easily without any burning sensation when you are out in the sun? If yes, you have a warm or neutral undertone. Otherwise, you fall in the cool undertone category.

Test 5 - Color Test

Check the color of your clothes against your skin and see which ones complement you.

You have cool undertones if cool colors like blue suit you.
You have warm undertones if warm shades like the yellow suit you.
You have a neutral undertone if any and every shade suits you.

4. Why Knowing Your Undertone Matters?

There are many combinations of undertones and skin tones. Knowing your undertone can help you pick the right:

A. Clothes

After you know your skin undertone, you can pick the right colored-clothes to look your best. Warm tones can wear warm colors and cool tones can wear cool colors.

B. Makeup

Now that you’ve figured out your undertone, it is time to pick the right foundation, eyeshadow colors and lipsticks. Choose warm shades if you have warm undertones, and cool colors if you have cool undertones. This makes your makeup compliment your natural complexion.

C. Hair Color

Warm skin tones should pick cool hair colors, while cool skin tones need to go for warm hair colors.

5. Does Skin Tone Change With Age?

You may experience darkening of some areas of your skin as you age. The patchy appearance of skin color in the face and hands of older people is due to the uneven distribution of pigment cells or melanocytes.

Skin tones can change with the season and sun exposure too, but undertones remain the same.

Now that you know how to pick your perfect makeup, tell us how you found out your skin tone.

Begin By Knowing Your Skin

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FAQs

How To Know Your Skin Tone and Skin Undertone? ›

White Cloth Test: Put a white cloth next to your bare face and observe what cast your skin takes on. Skin with warm undertones will appear yellowish, while skin with cool undertones will seem blueish or pinkish.

Learn More Now ›

How to determine skin tone and undertone? ›

Know More ›

How do I know my real skin tone? ›

If your skin burns easily and doesn't tan, you have a fair skin tone. If your skin burns as well as tans a little, you have a light tone. If your skin tans easily but rarely burns, you have a medium tone. Finally, if your skin never burns but tans during prolonged exposure, you have a dark skin tone.

Explore More ›

How do I know my skin tone code? ›

Take a piece of pure white paper and hold it up to your face and consider how your face looks in contrast. If you notice subtle gold, yellow, green or light brown tones beneath the surface, you have a 'warm' undertone. Conversely, if you find pigments that veer more towards blue, rose or pink, your undertone is cool.

Keep Reading ›

Which skin tone is most attractive? ›

Average skin colors are seen as most attractive. Typically, tan is the average skin color, making it very attractive to most people. However, the most attractive skin color varies on preference, culture, and sex. A healthy skin complexion and rosy “glow” is always considered attractive.

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How do I know my skin tone and type? ›

If your skin appears shiny throughout, you likely have oily skin. If it feels tight and is flaky or scaly, you likely have dry skin. If the shine is only in your T-zone, you probably have combination skin. If your skin feels hydrated and comfortable, but not oily, you likely have normal skin.

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How to check skin tone for foundation? ›

Take a good look at the veins on your wrist under natural light for an easy way to determine your undertone. If your veins look green, it is likely you have warm undertones; if they are blue/purple, you have cool undertones. If they appear blue/green or match your skin colour, you most likely have neutral undertones.

Read On ›

Am I cool or warm toned? ›

Finding your undertone: The colour of your veins

Take a look at the veins on the inside of your wrist. Do they appear more blue or green? If your veins appear more blue, you're cool-toned but if you see more green, you're warm-toned. If you see a fair amount of both both green and blue, you have a neutral undertone.

Keep Reading ›

Is there an app to determine skin tone? ›

Neutone is an app designed specifically for makeup artists and anyone looking to find the perfect foundation match for their skin undertone. This app uses a machine learning model to accurately detect the skin undertone. With Neutone, users can take a simple photo and receive as a result their skin undertone.

How to check skin tone online? ›

OUR MOST ACCURATE SHADE FINDER

Our E-Shade Finder technology will help you discover the equivalent of your previous shade. Simply scan yourself with our advanced A.I. -powered 360 selfie video technology and find the shade you've been searching for.

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Which part of my body shows my real color? ›

Check the skin along your jawbone. This area generally has a more consistent color than other parts of your face. This is likely your true skin color. Avoid looking at your wrist or the back of your hands; this skin isn't anywhere near the same color as the skin on your face.

How do I figure out my undertone? ›

Check out your veins

For example, if your veins look greenish, then you may have warm undertones. People with blue or purplish-looking veins usually have cooler undertones. If you have neutral undertones, then your veins may appear colorless or match the color of your skin.

Find Out More ›

How do I know if my skin tone is light or medium? ›

Light: your skin is quite fair but has a 'warmer' look and tends to tan, rather than burn, in the sun. Medium: you always look fairly tanned and have a warm, golden or olive appearance. Dark: this is the deepest skin tone, which is very rich in melanin.

Learn More Now ›

Is there an app to determine skin undertones? ›

This app uses a machine learning model to accurately detect the skin undertone. With Neutone, users can take a simple photo and receive as a result their skin undertone.

Discover More Details ›

How do you calculate undertones? ›

To determine whether you are warm-toned, cool toned or have a neutral undertone, hold the white t-shirt or paper against your face in natural light. If you think your face appears yellowish in colour and would look better against a cream or off-white shade, you have a warm undertone.