HOW TO NAVIGATE UNDERTONES
- Evie Brooks
- Jun 27, 2019
- 5 min read
Undertones... Cool... Warm... Neutral... What does it all mean????
Well luckily your gal is here to help you out.
Warm - golden, yellow and olive
'Warm' means someone who has more of a golden, yellow or olive undertone to their skin. Some celebs that have warm undertones are Beyonce, Jennifer Anniston and Kim Kardashian.
It is said that those with warm tones are those that tan easily. Of course there is some truth to this statement but pleeeease take that with a pinch of salt because anyone with very fair skin with a warm undertone can of course still burn! Listen to your big sis Evie - ALWAYS wear your SPF ladies and gents! The YSL and Garnier foundations that you can see on my arm (below) are warm tone foundations, and on my neutral arm they're alright, BUT they're not perfect. You'll have to be careful with some warm toned foundations as they can look VERY yellow on people that don't run as warm as the brand expects you to. No one wants to look like a Simpson - which I can do sometimes when wearing that Garnier foundation, D'OH!
Cool - pink, red and blue
'Cool' basically means someone has a pink, red or blue undertone to their skin. Some people for example that have cool undertones are Amanda Seyfried, Adele and Lupita Nyong'o.
All of these celebs that I have mentioned of course have make up artists who understand these tones so will pick make-up, especially foundation, that will perfectly match their complexion so they don't have to go through the same trials and tribulations as us mere mortals. When I first started wearing foundation I had absolutely no idea what the hell an undertone was and because I was fair I just presumed I MUST be cool toned. After manyyyyy foundation mishaps, I think I'm finally there. But sometimes still I get a teeny weeny bit confused. For example, The La Girl foundation I have on my arm (below) is a cool tone, as you can see it has a pink salmon colour to it. Even though you might look at it and think it's orange, it's actually really pink! If you put a cool shade on the wrong undertone it can turn to that orangey colour and this is how sometimes the dreaded orange line occurs! In the past lots of drugstore brands opted for pink in their foundations but now they recognise that not everyone falls into the same category. A lot of high-end, drugstore and mid-range brands have widened their foundation shades to truly suit and match a lot of consumers. Of course within the 'deep dark' category there is still a longggggg way to go, but presently we can see a little glimmer of progression which really is a big positive for the beauty industry. Yet, by introducing all these new undertones in foundations it's in turn made it a bit more complicated when picking the perfect shade! But this is what I'm here for x
Neutral - a bit of everything
If you're a neutral nellie like me, things get a bit trickier. Not many foundations will run a neutral shade for every subsection of foundation. For example a brand might carry 'warm ivory' and 'cool ivory' but where's just the 'ivory' at huh!? So it takes a lil more finessing if you are prepared to take the time and find the perfect match for you. Try shades that have a 'N' at the end of a series of numbers or have the name like 'Natural' or 'Nude'. Most online beauty sites will tell you what undertone category they are in, so just keep an eye out.
So how do you determine what undertone you have?
Ok, so I'm pale and white, so I understand this means that I have privilege that they even make my shade and I can usually pick the 'fairest' shade and it'll work for me. I understand this totally. But, as I have said, undertones can be tricky. When I bought all of these foundations they were the first shade in the range. Although since then lighter shades have been added, can we just appreciate how different these all look next to each other!? Especially the two 'Porcelain' shades by La Girl and YSL, with the former having a cool undertone and the latter having a warm tone.
There's a couple ways you can see what shade you are. Firstly, it has been said that you can do it by looking at your veins in your wrist. So if you have greenish veins then you are a warm undertone and if they are more blue then you are cool toned. If you have a mix of both then you're most likely neutral. I feel like there might be some truth in this, as it definitely works for me but I just can't help think it's more of an old wives tale!
The absolute best way for you to find out what your best match is and your true undertone is to go to a make-up counter and ask one of the professionals. Talk to someone at a brand you trust and explain that you know what the undertones mean (I'm hoping you do after reading this post anyway hehe) but you just don't know what YOU are. Any make-up counter consultant will be more than happy to advise you and help you pick out something that is going to work out best for you. Be honest with them too, do you tan easily? Do you use fake tan? Are you cool tone but prefer a warmer complexion? They'll be able to work around what works best for you. Also, my best advice is to go and see them with zero make-up on because they'll want to try it on the side of your face instead of your hand, as this is how you'll get the best match. And if you don't want to pay the £££ for a foundation you haven't tried then that's ok! Many brands provide free samples of foundation for you to try at home for a couple of days. Because remember honey those shop lights are waaaaay different to the natural light and something that looks sickening in the store could look completely off outside.
Look, I know it's all a bit complicated, but I hope I have cleared a few things up for you! Finding your right undertone is half the battle in searching for a foundation, so as soon as you've got that down then it makes it at least 50% easier! If you have any questions about this this post or anything else then hit me up on the socials: @evie_brooks on both Twitter and Instagram. Good luck out there in the mysterious sea of foundation! x
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