How to determine facial skin tone test

Cosmetics manufacturers and makeup artists distinguish between seven basic skin tones. Almost like the seven colors of the rainbow! This:

— Very pale (Very Fair)
— Pale (Fair)
— Medium
— Olive
— Dark (Dusky)
— Tanned (Tan)
— Dark

It is equally important to know not only your shade, but also your undertone, or subtone. Before we move directly to the tests, we should decide what skin undertone is.

What is skin undertone? No matter what color your skin is, it also has an undertone: warm or cool. There are three types of undertones:

- warm,
- cold,
- neutral (or average).

Warm skin tone - This is skin close to a yellow tint. At the same time, it doesn’t matter whether the skin is light or dark. For example, the skin of Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and Ashley Olsen can be classified as warm tones.

Cold - This is bluish or pink skin. Celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Anne Hathaway, singer Adele, and Liv Tyler have cool skin tones.

Neutral shade – not so common, this is skin that is difficult to classify as warm or cool undertone, that is, yellow, bluish and pink to the same extent.

Most Asian women have warm skin tones, but Western women have cool skin tones. Indians have warm and neutral undertones, South Asians (Japanese, Chinese, Koreans) have yellow skin with warm undertones, Africans can have warm or cool skin. Americans, Germans, Russians, and Norwegians generally have a cool skin tone, but Greeks, Italians and Spaniards have warm skin tones.

The theory is over, let's move on to practice, actually, to tests.

TEST 1. Check the veins

Take a close look at your wrist veins. Determine their color:
- Blue veins mean you have a cool skin tone
– Green veins – warm skin tone
- Both blue and green veins - you have a rare, neutral skin tone.

TEST 2. Sheet of paper

It is often difficult to determine your skin tone, because bright hair is next to your face, jewelry reflects reflections on your skin, and your skin is set off by colored clothes. Therefore, a simple method has been invented - you need to compare your skin with pure white color.

As a standard of whiteness, we take an A4 sheet of good paper, pure white in color and without texture (flat and smooth). We look at ourselves in the mirror, and hold a piece of paper next to our face. Naturally, you must be without makeup during the test. Against the background of white paper, it is quite easy to immediately understand whether the skin is warm or cold. Check it out, it really works!

TEST 3. Jewelry test

For this test you need a lot of jewelry - gold (or gold-like) and silver. Put on as much jewelry as possible at the same time. And see which ones look better on you. Which metal does your face best harmonize with:

- If these are gold jewelry, then you have warm skin. That is why the largest consumers of gold jewelry are Indian and Chinese women, but silver jewelry and items made of white gold and platinum are more popular among European women.

- If your skin looks better with white metal jewelry, then you have a cool skin tone.

— If both gold and silver look equally good on you, you have neutral skin. You are lucky with the choice of jewelry - you can safely buy any.

TEST 4. With fabric

You need bleached fabric and old white fabric (it is not pure white, a little yellowish-grayish). Throw both fabrics over your shoulders: on each shoulder - different fabrics. Look in the mirror. What fabric makes your skin bright? Which color makes your skin stand out the most?
- If it is a snow-white fabric, then you have a cool skin tone
- If you are better set off by a not very white fabric, then you have a warm skin tone. Although white color looks good on any skin, it makes warm skin look somewhat faded and colorless.

This test is difficult to do on your own; you need either a good mirror or an attentive assistant. Because you need to check the color of the skin behind the ears. If the skin behind the ears is warm, close to a yellow tint, then the whole face can be classified as a warm type. If the skin behind the ears is light and pink or bluish, then your type is cold.

Now it will be easier for you to determine your color type, which means choosing lipstick, eye shadow, and hair color.

In order for cosmetics to look perfect and highlight all the advantages of the face, it must be used in accordance with the tone of the skin. This is an important requirement that professional stylists and makeup artists always take into account when creating bright, proper makeup. If you want to learn how to create bright images in which every area of ​​the face will be in harmony, then be sure to consider what an undertone is. It is he who determines which cosmetic colors are suitable for the face.

What is skin tone and undertone

Skin undertone refers to its shades. According to this criterion, many makeup artists can determine which colors may be suitable - cold or warm. The warm range includes shades with yellow, peach, and golden colors, and the cold range includes bluish, pink, and purple.

Neutral are considered tones in which the main criterion of warmth and cold is difficult to discern. For this reason, it is difficult to determine whether the appearance is warm or cold. It may contain tones with yellow, bluish, pink colors.

Warm and cold color type

A color type is a set of natural colors that can appear in the shade of the skin, hair, and eyes. This concept includes the degree of contrast between them. The appearance and color of all people depends on a certain time of year.

Note! Everyone has an individual color palette, which you should rely on when choosing makeup to create an image. If you choose the right colors for cosmetics, they will ideally highlight the advantages of your appearance and will not stand out against the general background.

The color type can be cold or warm. Each one is dominated by certain colors that correspond to the seasons. Cool skin undertones consist of low-temperature shades that form the color palette.

The color type with cool colors has two groups:

1. Cold summer. It exhibits calm tones with medium depth. The cover may be pinkish or beige;
2. Cold winter. It exhibits pure, radiant, but not very saturated colors. Skin can be light or neutral.

A warm color type is an image of a person who is saturated with warm shades. It is divided into two groups:

1. Warm Spring. Cold tones are not visible in appearance, and contrast indicators are minimal. The cover should be golden beige, porcelain;
2. Warm autumn. In appearance, there is an average contrast ratio, saturated colors predominate. The cover can be light in color, it does not tan, and turns very red under the sun's rays.

Skin tones

The shade of the skin is an important criterion for determining the color type. The wide range of shades includes dark and light tones of the cover. For example, people who have warm skin undertones display shades of warm seasons - yellow, chocolate, golden. But with a cold type, the following undertone colors will be observed - olive, beige, porcelain.

Yellowish undertone

The yellow undertone of the skin can have a variety of shades - from light to dark. This must definitely be taken into account when choosing foundation or powder; this cosmetics should create a natural look and not stand out.

Light yellow skin may appear translucent. Sometimes it can have an ivory tint. But dark tones usually turn into olive colors, which can be pale or rich.

Between the contrasts of these tones, various colors can be hidden:

1. Light beige;
2. Sand;
3. Golden;
4. Nutty with rich tints and many others.

Important! Be sure to find out the exact shade of your face, this will help you choose the right cosmetics. Typically, foundations are named after the tones of the skin (walnut, sand, golden, beige, peach).

Olive undertone

Olive undertone refers to yellowish skin tone and is part of this shade group. The color of olive fascinates with its richness and brightness. Important features of the skin of this shade include:

1. Deep and rich color;
2. Natural look;
3. Various defects are rarely visible on its surface - age spots, freckles;
4. The face has a uniform shade without sharp tints.

Pink undertone

Skin undertones with pink undertones are common. It belongs to the group of warm tones, which can be pale or bright. The main advantage is that they emphasize the dignity of the face and make it more expressive.

The pink undertone combines the following shades;

1. Light pink;
2. Peach;
3. Porcelain;
4. Beige;
5. Copper with a rich tint.

Neutral undertone

Neutral skin undertones are rare. For many, it may seem complicated, because it combines several shades at once - pink, yellow, bluish. But how to choose foundations for this type?

Modern cosmetics companies offer a wide range of products that are great for neutral shades. They will allow you to balance tones with warm and cool shades.

How to determine warm and cool colors

Tone is considered a constant factor, depending on which foundation cosmetics are selected. This criterion may be different for each girl and woman; it may have some distinctive features. So how can you determine your skin tone yourself? This is done in several ways:

1. View veins;
2. Comparison with gold and silver accessories;
3. Test with fabric;
4. With a white sheet of paper.

Vein test

The skin tone can be easily determined by the veins; to do this, you need to examine them in the area of ​​the wrist and elbow. As a result, you can get the following results:

1. If there are bluish-green veins, the type will be warm;
2. If a bluish-lilac color is observed, it means that there is a cold type;
3. If, upon examination, veins with a green and lilac color are detected, then the skin belongs to the neutral type.

Gold and silver test

This cover type test can be performed in several ways. Each requires good, bright lighting, two jewelry - silver and gold. Instead, you can use any accessories made of silver and gold metal.

The first check option is done like this:

1. The room should have natural light;
2. It is necessary to completely remove decorative cosmetics from the surface of the face, sit near a mirror so that the main light falls on the surface of the face;
3. A silver ornament must be placed on the face, and then one made of gold;
4. Take a close look at which metal matches perfectly;
5. When checking, special attention should be paid to harmony. If the metal is “not yours,” then it will not fit into the overall picture of the appearance.

The second verification option is simpler. You should wear both silver and gold jewelry on your hand. Look carefully to see which one goes together.

Based on these checks, the following results may be obtained:

1. A gold accessory fits well, but a silver one looks out of place - you have a warm tone;
2. A silver accessory perfectly complements the appearance, while a gold one seems unnecessary - a cold type;
3. If during the test you cannot decide, it seems to you that there are two metals - gold and silver, then this will mean that you have neutral skin. For a neutral type, rose gold is better.

Scarf test

Checking with scarves or fabrics allows you to figure out what type of skin tone you have. When performing it, you need to apply fabrics with different shades to your face. It is advisable to use a simple material that does not have patterns, texture, or shine. But how do you know that the chosen fabric color is suitable?

Material of inappropriate color will create a colored tint on the surface of the face, which will be especially visible if the canvas is brought closer to the chin or cheeks. But a fabric with a suitable color will perfectly match the cover.

This test must be performed correctly:

1. You need to check with a scarf in front of a mirror and in natural light;
2. Dyed curls should be covered with gray fabric;
3. Next, you can place the canvas on your shoulders or bring it to your face;
4. Examine the skin's reaction;
5. If this is your color, then all imperfections will be smoothed out and the tone of the cover will be evened out. And if the shade is not yours, a gray shadow will appear on the surface of the face, all imperfections will become obvious, and an unhealthy blush may appear.

Test with a white sheet of paper

For comparison, you can use a regular white sheet of paper. This method works like this:

1. For checking, it is recommended to use an A4 paper sheet with a clean, flat, smooth surface;
2. Look at yourself in the mirror; a sheet of paper appears next to you;
3. Against the background of a paper sheet, you can immediately see what type of cover is warm or cold.

How to determine the undertone of mixed skin types

Many women and girls often wonder how to determine their skin undertone? To do this, it is worth remembering a few important tips:

1. To get the most accurate result when conducting an inspection, you should call someone for help;
2. The test must be carried out in good lighting;
3. To determine skin undertone, the test should be performed in a room with white walls and a large mirror. All bright objects should be removed away;
4. Makeup should be removed from the surface of the face, all jewelry and bright jewelry should be removed;
5. If your hair is dyed, then it should be hidden under a scarf or gray cloth;
6. When determining the undertone, it is recommended to rely on the characteristics of the skin, eyes, and hair.

Why is it important to determine the tone and how to do it, watch the video:

Tips for choosing foundations

The selection of foundations for the face should be carried out in accordance with your skin type. It is advisable to remember a few recommendations:

1. The foundation should be chosen according to your skin type and color. If the cover is pink, then preference should be given to copper and beige shades; if it is yellowish, then a foundation with a yellow undertone is suitable;
2. An incorrectly selected foundation color can negatively affect your makeup in the future. It will stand out unattractively against the general background, and there will definitely be a clear contrast between the skin tone of the neck, décolleté and face;
3. It is worth purchasing high-quality foundations that have a uniform structure without pilling or overflow;
4. Preference should be given to liquid options; they are applied evenly, do not crumble or crack.

How to determine skin undertone, watch the video:

Determining skin tone and undertone is a difficult task that not every woman or girl can cope with. To do this, you need to learn many nuances and features that must be taken into account. There are a variety of shades, which are divided into two main groups - warm and cold. To accurately determine whether your skin belongs to one of them, you can carry out several types of tests at home that will most likely help determine the type of skin tone.

This article was co-authored by Laura Martin. Laura Martin is a licensed esthetician based in Georgia. She has been working as a hairdresser since 2007 and teaching cosmetology since 2013.

Number of sources used in this article: 47. You will find a list of them at the bottom of the page.

Skin tone (or undertone as it is sometimes called) is an additional characteristic of skin type, which can be light, medium or dark. Your skin tone will remain the same no matter how much time you spend in the sun (even if you look pale in winter and wear a tan in summer). There are three different skin tones: cool, warm and neutral. [1] Knowing your own skin tone can help you in a variety of ways: you can choose the right lipstick color, choose the best hair dye, and figure out what color clothes suit you so that you always look simply stunning .