Foundation can make or break your look. It is a makeup product that you do not want to be visible on your skin yet ensures a flawless, dreamy complexion. But picking up the right foundation can be a tricky task, be it a liquid, cream, powder, or serum foundation. This is more so if you do not know how to match it to your skin undertone. Despite your best efforts, you may end up with a foundation that results in a less-than-perfect look when applied.
If you wish to achieve a seemingly natural perfection, you must match your foundation to your undertone. Let us understand how to go about matching your foundation to your skin undertone. To begin with, let us know the meaning of skin undertone.
What Are Skin Undertones?
Your undertone refers to the subtle color beneath the surface of your skin. It impacts the overall hue of your skin. This makes it important to know your undertone to find the right foundation for your skin. Traditionally, there are three undertones: warm, cool, and neutral.
- Warm undertones include peachy, yellow, and golden hues. If you have a warm undertone, warmer shades such as golds, orangish reds, and corals may look good on you.
- Cool undertones are characterized by a hint of bluish or pinkish hues. To match such an undertone, you would be better off experimenting with pinks, purples, or blue-based reds.
- Neutral undertones are a combination of warm and cool undertones. Such undertones give you the freedom to go for anything ranging from orange-based shades to blue-based shades.
Note that your undertone and your surface tone are not the same things. Even if you have the brightest surface tone, you may have a warm undertone. Or, your undertone may be cool while you have deeper skin. So, if you end up matching your foundation to just your skin color, you may not achieve the best results.
Suppose you select a face foundation based on your skin color, but it does not blend with your undertone. Quite naturally, you may not get the desired effect. It is better to match your foundation to your undertone to avoid such situations.
Another thing to remember is that your surface tone may change due to tanning or using effective brightening products, but your undertone always remains the same.
How to Determine Your Undertone?
Now that you know about the skin undertones, you must be curious to determine your undertone. Here are a few popular ways to find out the same. You can try one or more of these techniques to identify your skin undertone.
The Wrist or Vein Method
The wrist or vein method is an easy way to find your undertone. You are required to look at the veins on the inside of your wrist. If your veins appear purple or blue, you have cool undertones. Having greenish or olive veins is an indication of warm undertones. Some of you may find it difficult to determine the prominent color in your veins by looking at your wrist. If you are falling under this category, you may have neutral undertones.
The Sun Test Method
You can also determine your undertone by observing how your skin reacts to exposure to the sun. If you quickly turn red or get a sunburn when out in the sun, you most probably have cooler undertones. On the other hand, if you get tanned easily but do not sunburn, your undertones are warmer. Suppose you face a combination of these conditions when out in the sun. It can mean only one thing. Yes, it means you have neutral undertones.
Regardless of your undertone, it is essential to protect your skin with sunscreen when stepping out in the sun. You can also use Lotus Herbals White Glow Day and Night Pack to ensure complete care and protection for your skin.
The White Fabric Method
In this method, you need to hold a piece of white fabric to your face. Next, you need to repeat the process by holding a piece of off-white fabric. If you look better in white, it indicates you have a warm undertone, but it means you have a cool undertone if you look better in off-white. If you look good in both, it refers to having a neutral undertone.
You can also carry out this test with a piece of white paper. Start by holding a white paper next to your face. If your skin appears to be pinkish, you may have cool undertones. If your skin seems to be more yellow, your undertone may be warm.
The Jewellery Test Method
Are you wondering how jewelry can determine which shade of liquid, cream, or serum foundation you should use? Well, it is a simple technique and most probably the fastest one of all. More often than not, people tend to wear gold or silver jewelry because of how they look against their skin. Your undertone is most probably warm if you manage to dress up in yellow gold jewelry pieces.
If you find silver jewelry or rose gold pieces flatter you more, you will have cool undertones. Some may feel that you look great in silver and gold jewelry pieces. You probably base your jewelry choice on your outfits rather than your skin color. In such a case, you may have neutral undertones.
To Wrap
Determining your undertone is essential for matching your foundation to your skin tone. It is the first step to take whether you want to use a face foundation, a liquid foundation, or something else. Once you know about your undertone, you can easily pick the right foundation based on that.
The plus point is that you can uplift your look by perfecting your base with the right foundation. We hope the above-mentioned tips and techniques will guide you in the right direction while determining your undertone. So, go ahead and find that perfect foundation match for your skin!