Our Skin Tone Colors

If you’re tired of wasting money on the wrong foundation or other makeup shades, understand the different terminology related to skin color and your chances of nailing the right shade will improve dramatically. There are two elements to understanding our skin’s hues: skin undertone and skin tone or skin color, and yes, they are completely different. Our skin tone is the shade or color of our skin: light, medium dark, while our skin undertones are the colors beneath our skin color. Our skin color doesn’t determine our skin’s undertones. For example, you could be a light/cool combination while another person could be light/neutral. Wonder what your skin’s undertones are? Here are some helpful definitions to help you figure out your undertone:

     ❄️Cool:  Skin appears pink, rosy or with a hint of blue

     🌞Warm:  Skin appears yellowish, pale, golden or peachy

     🌈Neutral:  Has no obvious cast of yellow, pink or sallow skin

And what about olive skin tone? Where does it belong? There are different shades of olive and this depends on the amount of melanin that our bodies produce. Melanin give us our skin color. Olive women have neutral undertones, and what really sets them apart is the “naturally green” pigment somewhat visible on the surface of the skin. For some olive skin women, their skin can have an ashen or slightly gray appearance. There are different ways to determine your skin undertone. One of them is to check how your skin responds to the sun, especially as you tan (please wear sunscreen!). Women with cool undertones tend to get sunburned more easily, whereas women with warm undertones tend to tan effortlessly. Now, if you discover that you neither burn nor tan, or that your burns quickly turn into a nice tan, then you have a neutral undertone.

When you know what kind of undertone you have, it can help you to choose the right foundation, makeup and even the most flattering colors for your clothes. Choosing the wrong color can give you a dull or tired appearance, versus the correct colors for your skin tone, which can make you look vibrant and radiant. And this goes not only for your wardrobe choice, but your jewelry as well. Have you noticed that gold-toned jewelry goes well and not silver? Well...there’s a reason…if your skin looks better with gold, then you probably have warm undertones, whereas if it looks better with silver, then your skin has cool undertones…and if you look good in both of them? Then you are lucky! You must have neutral undertones, and more than likely your skin has an “olive tint”

Does all of this mean you shouldn’t wear certain colors that you love?  Absolutely not! Wear what makes you happy; we call it our happy place. However, if you wear colors in your makeup, clothes and jewelry that complement your skin tone, you will look more put together and highlight your best features.  Now that you have some information, test it out and discover what skin tone and skin undertone you have.  Better yet, grab your bestie and ask for her or his feedback. You’ll have fun looking for the right colors that flatter your skin tone.  Achieve your glow, naturally, of course!