Determining your skin tone and undertone is a lot simpler than it may sound. Promise. There are only four major skin tone groups and YOU, my sweet beauty, falls in to one of these categories: Pink, Yellow, Olive or Brown. Once you identify your correct skin tone and undertone, choosing makeup such as foundations, eye shadows, blushes and gloss are a breeze! Let’s get started:
PART ONE: Identifying Skin Tone
The PINK Family (Light)
You are very fair skinned and usually burn easily when exposed to the sun. You may tan slightly afterward, but you usually burn first. Your skin has pink, bluish-red, rosy or porcelain undertones. (example: Nicole Kidman, Liv Tyler, and Marcia Cross)
The YELLOW Family (Light-Medium)
It is most common to find the majority of Caucasian, Asian, and Light Mixed Race people fall in to the yellow skin tone category. You will most likely tan after exposure to the sun. However, too much sun may result in a burn. (example: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu)
The OLIVE Family (Medium)
Those who are Latino, Mediterranean, Fair-skinned African American or Dark Mixed Race will have olive undertones. When exposed to the sun, your natural golden color will become richer in pigment. Usually no burning occurs unless extreme exposure took place. (example: Eva Mendes, Halle Berry, Thandie Newton)
The BROWN Family (Dark)
Anyone African American, deeper complexioned Indian, or other dark skin color, will fall in to the brown skin tone category. You will not burn in the sun and your rich brown color will deepen. (example: Viola Davis, Alek Wek, Regina King)
PART TWO: Identifying Skin Undertone (Am I Cool or Warm?)
It is very important to know that your skin UNDERTONE are the colors that lie deep beneath the skin, (your distinct color) which will never change. No matter how light or dark you are, we all have an undertone. This color acts like a shadow underneath the skins surface. The tone of your skin (the Epidermis, top layer) can change and usually does with sun exposure. When you know your skins undertone, you are able to make better choices suited for your unique coloring. These choices will compliment your eye color, hair color, clothing, cosmetics, and even your teeth! That’s right, picking the wrong foundation or lip stick colors can actually give teeth a more yellow or gray hue. Ick!
Try this quick tip to discovering your Undertone:
- Look at the inside of your forearm. If your veins appear blue or purple you are cool (usually fair to light skin tone). If your veins appear green you are warm (usually olive or deeper skin tone).
The chart below will help guide you when choosing your cosmetics and clothing. **Notice the cool colors have more blue hues and the warm colors have more yellow and red hues.
I believe in having fun with makeup and fashion and that there really are no set rules. Always experiment with the many products available in stores and online. The above information helps you understand your skin’s foundation and from there, you are better able to build upon it. My hope is that once you know your skin tone and undertone, you’ll feel better about what colors to look for when shopping.
B3 YOU. B3 TRUE. B3 BEAUTIFUL.
-NB xo
