Oh, you want that new foundation? Great! What’s your skin tone?
Um, I don’t know. Maybe medium?
We come up against this question all the time—more often these days than ever before.
Determining your skin tone will significantly help you avoid having cakey makeup. The moment you apply the wrong foundation, concealer, blush, or bronzer, you’re sure to end up either looking like a porcelain doll or an orange clown. Such a mistake can interfere with the look you’re trying to achieve.
Here we will give you a detailed guide on how to master your skin tone and avoid dreadful foundation and general makeup results.
Determining the difference between skin tone and skin undertone can make or break your makeup look. The two might sound similar but recognizing that they aren’t the same will make finding your perfect shade so much easier.
The skin tone is the skin’s surface, which sometimes changes when exposed to too much sun or suffers hyperpigmentation. On the other hand, skin undertone is a subtle hue found under the skin.
The undertone doesn’t change no matter how pale you turn in the winter or how tan you become in the summer. Skin tones range from intense to very pale shades, focussing on general color. A skin undertone is a shade within skin tone. The three traditional undertones are warm, cool, and neutral.
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Skin tone is what you see first when you look in the mirror. You probably already have an idea if your skin is light, medium, or dark, for instance. Skin tone is all about how much pigmentation you have in your skin.
The surface color can change depending on a lot of things. For instance, if you tan in the summer, for instance, it will get darker, and then lighten again in the winter. It can also be affected by redness, rosacea, hyperpigmentation, dryness, and dullness. These are things you try to keep constant by taking good care of your skin, and things that you work to hide or smooth out with makeup.
You try to keep constant by taking good care of your skin and things that you work to hide or smooth out with makeup.
The more the skin is affected by Ultraviolet rays, it adapts by producing more melanin to protect against the sun’s rays. That is why skin tones vary depending on your genetic makeup based on where your ancestors lived. The varying skin hues are due to the climates and sunny regions the skin had to adapt towards. The darkest skin tones are from Africa, India, and the Middle East, where the sun is harshest.
As we age, the outer layer of the skin starts to thin. This layer is called the epidermis, and even as it matures, the number of cell layers stays the same. Pigment-containing cells called melanocytes, on the other hand, slowly decrease over time, prompting a change in shade. As melanocytes diminish, the remaining cells grow larger. This process causes the skin to appear thinner, paler, and clearer.
You may have had trouble with this because your skin changes often. Try these tests:
This area is usually less affected by skin color changes than the rest of your face. When you examine the skin here, try to determine if it is fair, light, medium, or dark.
If they say you’re very “fair,” that’s probably your skin tone. If they’re always commenting on how tan you look, you may be medium. If you look pale in the winter, but tan in the summer, you may be light.
If both methods don’t seem satisfactory enough for you, you could visit a local beauty shop that offers skin tone or foundation matching tests to know yours. This test will take at most 10 minutes.
“Undertone” is the term used for that subtle, more muted color that lies underneath the skin. You can think of it as a “shadow” that is always there. While the surface color may change, the undertone stays the same, regardless.
In general, we have three undertone categories:
There are several ways you can figure this out. Your best approach is to try each one and average your answers. Usually, the tone that pops up most often is your tone, but you can always confirm by trying some colors in that tone to see if they look “right.”
Yes, undertones matter and probably more than you think. Understanding your undertone will help you customize the perfect makeup shades for your unique skin. Keeping all of your products in the same undertone will help you look fresh and skin-like.
No more worrying about foundation lines or an unblended neck. When the seasons change and your skin tone changes with them, being aware of your undertones will make finding a new foundation that much easier.
You’ve probably heard of this one before. Look at the underside of your wrist. What color are your veins?
The way your skin reacts to the sun can be a massive indicator of your skin undertones. Do you burn easily or turn into a bronze goddess after an hour on the beach?
If so, you’re on the cool side.
Cool tones look good in deep, vibrant colors, such as blue, purple, and emerald green. Warm tones glow in earth tones like red, orange, yellow, and olive green. If you can wear both shades, you have neutral undertones.
Another test: Picture yourself in a yellow or orange shirt.
Get a plain piece of white paper and put it up by your face, sans makeup. Does your complexion look dull or good? (You can also use a bright white towel.)
Some more clues:
Cools look best in silver, while warms shine in gold. If you like two-toned, can you guess? You can test this by laying a gold and silver chain next to each other on your hand or arm. Which looks best?
Usually, those with golden brown, green, hazel with gold flecks, and blue eyes are warm-toned.
Those with black or deep brown, steel blue, hazel with grey or blue flecks, and grey are cool toned.
Ask a friend to look at the skin just behind your ear. Ensure the area isn’t covered in conditions like rosacea or acne that could mask your natural tone.
Test your skin against basic colors like black and white and brown and tan. Cool shades will look better in stark black and white, while warm will prefer off-whites. Cools will like deep browns, while warms will prefer softer tans.
Think celebrities. Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore, Courtney Cox, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Hudson, and Amanda Seyfried have cool undertones. Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Diane Sawyer, and Kim Kardashian have warm undertones.
If you’re still not entirely sure that you’ve got your skin colors down pat, consider these general categories:
Often have freckles and may suffer some redness. They burn easily, have sensitive skin, and have cool or warm undertones.
May burn in the sun, but that burn often turns to a tan. They may suffer some spotty redness, such as on the cheeks only, and their skin may be somewhat sensitive. Both cool and warm undertones are possible.
You don’t usually have to worry about burning much and often have warm undertones. Those who look like they have a tan year-round even without sun exposure may have “olive” skin with a warm or neutral undertone.
Rarely burn and usually have warm undertones. Often describes African Americans and women of Indian descent.
It may be described as “ebony” or “deep” and have warm or cool undertones.
Don’t worry if you don’t get your shade just right the first time. Our Multi-Purpose Foundation Kit will let you try all 8 shades. Try as much as you like until you find your match. Also check out our sample skin care kits, we are sure you will find one that works on your skin.
Au Naturale’s Semi-Matte Powder Foundation is a pure powder that delivers creaseless coverage and a flawless finish—without the weight—in 15 diverse shades. Formulated without animal byproducts, synthetic preservatives, nano-particles, gluten, parabens, fillers or toxins, the Semi-Matte Powder Foundation is 100% natural, cruelty-free, vegan and made in the USA.
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Looking for the best foundation for dark skin? I tried over 38 different foundations for darker skin tones and I've included the ones I'd recommend and the ones I definitely wouldn't use again.
If you wear make-up then you'll know that finding the perfect foundation is probably one of the hardest things EVER. You need to try and find the right finish, the correct coverage and the best shade you can possibly get your hands on.
I first started wearing foundation back in university (a good few years ago) and I've struggled like hell trying to find the right shade. It's actually difficult to find the perfect foundation; my ideal finish would be hydrating, dewy and a foundation that actually suits my skin tone.
Over the years I've hunted everywhere for a foundation for darker skin tones. I've had a look at the high street brands and the high end ones and the results have all been pretty tragic - they're either too light, too dark or have the wrong undertones. While there's lots of brands that do cater to darker skin tones it definitely feels like there's loads more that don't.
In the past I've actually gone into some makeup stores and the employee has actually said "We don't have your shade". Lovely, that's exactly what you want to hear - in a make-up shop.
So I decided to take matters into my own hands and finally find the right foundation for me. After trying over 38 different foundations (the swatches are above) here are my results...
Gallery
1 of 4
The photo on the right speaks for itself really; this shade is far too dark for my skin tone. Nevertheless I am a fan of how this foundation hydrates your skin and of course, it's full coverage.
2 of 4
Too be fair this foundation isn't the worst shade, I could probably get away with it in summer when I have a tan. Luckily, Maybelline have 29 different shades and this particular formula leaves a fresh radiant finish.
3 of 4
I think it's safe to say that this foundation is 50 shades too dark. However, I love that it's full coverage and can last up to 24 hours.
4 of 4
Once again, this shade is too dark and I'm not a fan of powder foundations. However, a positive of this foundation is that it's organic, vegan, cruelty free and paraben free.
Gallery
1 of 5
This foundation left my face looking nice and dewy actually and the coverage was pretty good. However, after trying on this shade it's safe to say that it left my face looking... err, grey? Yellow? Basically any colour that's not my skin tone.
2 of 5
Not going to lie, I'm a big fan of the coverage on this foundation, especially under my eyes and around my mouth where I'm fairly darker. However, this shade in particular is too light for my skin tone; it actually matches my neck. I tried the next shade up and there's a big jump between this shade 9.0 and 9.75.
3 of 5
Once again the coverage on this foundation is amazing and I LOVE the fresh looking finish it gives. Unfortunately the undertones are caramel (I have golden undertones) which leaves me looking slightly grey.
4 of 5
This foundation had a medium coverage however I couldn't ignore the fact that the shade is actually yellow.
5 of 5
So I tried Mac's Studio Sculpt foundation in the shade NC42 and as you can see in the photo on the far left it was VERY ashy.However, I then mixed it with Body Shop's darkening Shade Adjusting Drops and the result was okay? I still look grey but there's definitely a huge difference.
Gallery
1 of 5
Despite using the exact same foundation but in a lighter shade, I found that I loved this colour and it definitely suits my skin more.
2 of 5
I tried three different formulas from Too Faced - Peach Perfect, Born This Way and Cocoa Powder - I have to admit this one is by far my favourite. It matches my skin perfectly and leaves a dewy finish.
3 of 5
After trying three different shades from Sleek I discovered LP14 was a great match to my skin tone. It's also sweat proof so ideal for the summer.
4 of 5
Since Rihanna launched her makeup brand Fenty Beauty I was desperate to try out her foundation because with 40 different shades I knew I'd find one that would actually fit, and I was right!(Side note: If you want to go in a store and purchase Fenty Beauty you'll have to head down to a Harvey Nichols or order online.)
5 of 5
Okay so, in the photo on the left I tried Bobbi Brown's foundation in the shade almond and as you can see, it was a hot mess. However, I tried it with Body Shop's lightening Shade Adjusting Drops and it made a HUGE difference, so much so, it actually suits my skin tone.
If you've already bought a foundation and it's the wrong shade, I'd definitely recommend mixing it with a slightly darker foundation.
However if you haven't bought your foundation yet and you think it's too dark, try out a tester from a make-up shop before you buy it. It's great when the make-up artist puts the foundation on you in the shops (usually very odd) lighting, however try the tester out for yourself in your house before you make the purchase.
If you've bought the wrong shade and it's too dark, I'd definitely recommend buying shade adjusting drops. As you can see in the photo above I used Body Shop's shade adjusting drops and it made the Bobbi Brown foundation, that was too dark for my skin, the perfect shade.
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Rihanna - aka the make-up queen of inclusivity - is someone we trust with picking out the right foundation shade and her make-up artist Hector Espinal has revealed how to find your correct shade.
"I always match to the chest. Because your face sometimes is lighter or darker than [the rest of] your body," he told Bustle.
"The neck is too light because no sun hits it but your chest is usually your true colour. And here you can see your undertone if you really look in the mirror.
"And then your concealer is always the back of your [wrist] because it’s the lightest part and the sun never hits it."
So if you're struggling to find your own foundation grab a bunch of testers and get matching to your chest.