November 10th, 2021
Understanding Skin Undertone For Makeup Shade Choices
When I started attending the makeup school, (before I went to another school for my esthetics license) one of the very first things I learned was how to determine skin tones and create a color palette that would compliment my clients. I used two makeup wheels.
The first wheel was a foundation color wheel that Terri Tomlinson designed, it was extremely helpful to me to understand skin tones and undertones.
The second wheel was a basic artist color wheel. It had a front and back and was invaluable to help me understand color theory. I used this quite a bit to understand different makeup looks. It also helped me understand color correction and the basics of color saturation and value in terms of designing makeup looks that would enhance my clients beauty.
But before I get a head of myself in general, lets talk about undertones. Typically, we see undertones put into categories. Cool, Warm, and Neutral. Some will argue that the makeup artist community should add a fourth undertone, Olive.
Cool Undertones
Looking at the underside of your wrists, if your skin has blue, pink or red hues and your veins are mostly blue and purple, you may have a cool undertone.
Yes, those who have cool undertones in skin can have subtle hints of pink, red or even a touch of blue. Skin tones range from being very fair to being very deep. Your skin will not have any “golden” or “honey” glow undertones.
Clothing colors that compliment this undertone are jewel like and include emerald green, sapphire blue, and fuchsia. Colors like dusty mauve, and even pastel colors like lilac and soft pinks also enhance this undertone. Orange and yellow clothing colors will most likely not compliment your skin tones.
Jewelry colors that look great on cool undertones are silver and rose gold.
Warm Undertones
Looking at the underside of your wrists, if your skin has
Those who have warm undertones in skin will have
Clothing colors that compliment this undertone are
Jewelry colors that look great on cool undertones are
Neutral Undertones
To me, this is the hardest undertone to determine. Oddly enough, I fall into this. My veins are bluish-green, I am hazel eyes/fair with a balanced amount of pink and a touch of golden undertone in my skin as well.
Those who have neutral undertones in skin can have blue and green veins.
Clothing colors that compliment this undertone are beige, taupe, light peach, dusty pinks, rose, jade green and hunter green. Colors like bright engine reds, electric yellow and oranges, such as overly bright colors will most likely not compliment this skin tone.
Jewelry colors that look great on cool undertones can be a mixture of gold, silver or rose gold.
Bonus: About Olive Undertones
So what happens with olive undertones is that they do really lean into cool, warm or neutral categories. Olive undertones generally are to me, usually both warm and neutral.
On the Fitzpatrick Scale, those with olive skin tones usually fall into III. This skin type ranges in tone from cream to a darker shade of olive.
Those who have olive undertones in skin will have
Clothing colors that compliment this undertone are
Jewelry colors that look great on cool undertones are
How To Adjust Your Foundation As The Seasons Change
Sometimes it can be a mystery to make your foundation work for your skin throughout the year. During the winter, vitamin D shortages, less sun, and lower humidity levels your skin tone may look lighter than usual. During the summer, prolonged exposure to UVA and UVB rays, as well as a higher humidity will also leave your skin tone darker than usual.
How do make adjustments to my foundation? Foundation adjustors can come in cream form, silicone or water based to match the base of your foundation. Once you find your ratio and the right adjuster, your favorite foundation suddenly is your new bff
RCMA Foundation Adjuster Palette
Face Atelier Ultra Foundation Adjusters
Kett Hydro Color Theory Adjusters
RCMA makes a plant wax based cream foundation adjuster palette that can be used to adjust any silicone, oil or wax based foundation. This color theory palette includes white, yellow, red, blue and black.
Face Atelier makes a silicone based foundation adjustor set to help with silicone based foundations. 0- (Zero Minus) is a white to help brighten and lighten, 0+ (Zero Plus) is a adjuster for yellow/red undertones, 0++ (Zero Plus Plus) is an adjuster for black/brown with blue/black undertones, Heat is an adjuster for warm shades with orange/red undertones, and Blaze is an adjuster for yellow / olive to rich skin tones.
For water based foundations, Kett makes Hydro Color Theory Adjusters. Light-weight and completely blendable, this formula is alcohol, fragrance, and paraben free.