How Can You Tell Your Skin Undertone in 2024?

The knowledge of your skin undertone is crucial for choosing makeup shades, clothing colors, and even hair dyes that complement your natural complexion. While many people focus solely on their skin’s surface tone, the undertone plays a significant role in determining which hues will suit you personally and enhance your beauty.

Let’s see some of the various methods you can use to identify your skin’s undertone with ease and confidence.

Table of Contents

The Nitty-gritty of Skin Undertones

Let’s start by learning what exactly skin undertones are. Your skin’s undertone is the subtle hue beneath the surface of your skin, which remains consistent regardless of changes in your skin’s surface color due to factors like sun exposure or blemishes. In dermatology, Undertones are known to be categorized into three main types: warm, cool, and neutral.

1. Warm Undertones:

Individuals with warm undertones have a golden, peachy, or yellowish hue beneath their skin’s surface. Warm undertones are complemented by earthy tones such as gold, bronze, and warm reds. People with warm undertones tend to tan easily and may have greenish veins on their wrists.

2. Cool Undertones:

Cool undertones show pink, red, or bluish hues beneath the skin’s surface. Those with cool undertones often look best in jewel tones like sapphire, emerald, and magenta. If you have cool undertones, your veins may appear more blue than green, and you may burn easily in the sun.

3. Neutral Undertones:

Lastly, Neutral undertones have a balanced mixture of both warm and cool tones, making them more flexible and able to wear a wide range of colors. People with neutral undertones may have difficulty knowing whether to opt for warm or cool shades. Their veins may appear a mix of green and blue, or they may have difficulty identifying the predominant color.

How to Determine Your Undertone in 5 Minutes

At this point, some people may be oblivious to their respective skin undertones. We’d guide you on some effective methods for identifying your skin’s undertone, even at home:

1. The Vein Test:

Look at the veins on your wrist under natural light.
If your veins appear greenish, you likely have warm undertones.
If your veins appear bluish or purplish, you probably have cool undertones.
If your veins appear to be a mix of green and blue, you may have neutral undertones.

2. The Jewelry Test:

Consider whether gold or silver jewelry looks better on you.
If gold jewelry complements your skin more, you likely have warm undertones.
If silver jewelry enhances your complexion, you probably have cool undertones.
If both gold and silver jewelry look good on you, you may have neutral undertones.

3. White Fabric Test:

Hold a piece of white fabric or clothing next to your face in natural light.
If your skin appears more radiant and healthier against stark white, you likely have cool undertones.
If your skin looks brighter and healthier against cream or off-white fabric, you probably have warm undertones.
If you can’t discern a significant difference, you may have neutral undertones.

4. Sunburn Test:

Reflect on how your skin reacts to sun exposure.
If you tend to burn easily and have difficulty tanning, you likely have cool undertones.
If you tan easily and rarely burn, you probably have warm undertones.
If your skin’s reaction to the sun is mixed or moderate, you may have neutral undertones.

Extra Tips for Determining Your Undertone

In addition to the primary methods outlined above, there are a few additional tips you can use to further confirm your skin undertone. This is a secret hack, and you have to read carefully through it. Ready?

1. Consider Your Natural Hair Color:

Your natural hair color can provide clues about your undertone.
If your hair is naturally golden, coppery, or red, you likely have warm undertones.
If your hair has ash tones or appears cool, you probably have cool undertones.
If your hair color is a mix of warm and cool tones, you may have neutral undertones.

2. Reflect on Your Preferred Lipstick Shades:

Pay attention to which lipstick shades flatter your complexion the most.
Warm undertones typically look best in peachy, coral, and warm red shades.
Cool undertones tend to favor berry, mauve, and blue-based red lipsticks.
If you can wear both warm and cool lipstick shades with ease, you may have neutral undertones.

3. Check Your Reaction to Certain Colors:

Certain colors may make your complexion appear brighter and more vibrant, while others may make you appear dull or washed out.
Warm undertones often look radiant in earthy tones like olive green, mustard yellow, and burnt orange.
Cool undertones tend to glow in shades like icy blue, lavender, and silver.
If you look equally vibrant in both warm and cool colors, you may have neutral undertones.

4. Assess Your Skin’s Response to Foundation Shades:

Try out different foundation shades to see which ones blend well into your skin.
If foundations with yellow or golden undertones match your skin perfectly, you likely have warm undertones.
If foundations with pink or rosy undertones blend better with your skin, you probably have cool undertones.
If you find that both warm and cool-toned foundations work well for you, you may have neutral undertones.

5. Book an appointment with a certified Dermatologist:

If you’re still unsure about your undertone after trying these methods, consider seeking assistance from a professional makeup artist or beauty consultant.
Makeup artists are trained to identify undertones and can help you find the perfect shades to enhance your natural beauty.
Many beauty stores offer complimentary color-matching services to help you find makeup products that complement your undertone.

Note: By using these additional tips with the primary methods mentioned before, you can gain a deeper knowledge of your skin undertone and make more confident choices when it comes to makeup, clothing, and accessories just for you.

Common Undertone Myths You Should Know

We hear things every day, some of which could be true or false. Undertone myths are not an exception. You may encounter some common myths and misconceptions on a day-to-day basis. Let’s review a few of these myths to ensure you have accurate information:

Myth 1: Skin Undertone is the same as skin tone.

Truth: While your skin’s undertone influences your overall complexion, it’s important to distinguish between surface tone and undertone. Surface tone refers to the color of your skin’s surface, Undertone, on the other hand, refers to the subtle hue beneath the surface of your skin, which remains consistent regardless of changes in surface tone.

Myth 2: Everyone falls into one of three categories: warm, cool, or neutral.

Truth: Warm, cool, and neutral are the primary categories used to describe undertones, some individuals may have undertones that don’t fit neatly into these classifications. For example, some people may have olive undertones, which combine elements of both warm and cool tones.

Myth 3: Undertones only affect makeup choices.

Truth: While undertones do influence our selecting makeup shades, their influence goes beyond cosmetics. Undertones also are associated with clothing colors, hair dyes, and accessories that complement your natural complexion.

Conclusion

After deciding to incorporate these additional tips into your bank of knowledge on the subject matter – skin undertone, you can now upgrade your beauty and style routine to follow suit.

By trying out several factors such as natural hair color, preferred lipstick shades, and skin response to certain colors, you can further refine your understanding of your undertone and make more informed choices and decisions when it comes to glowing and taking your skin game to A+.