How to Determine Skin Tone
Understand what skin tone means., Look at the color of the veins on the inside of your wrist., Consider how your skin normally reacts to the sun., Hold a white piece of paper up to your face., Use gold and silver foil or jewelry to find your skin...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Understand what skin tone means.
Your skin tone, or undertone, does not refer to the shade of your skin (light, medium, dark)--that is your complexion, or the surface color of your skin.
Your skin tone is determined by the amount of melanin, or pigment, in your skin and does not change from sun exposure or skin conditions like rosacea or acne.So while a person's skin may become pale in the winter and a rich brown in the summer, their skin tone will remain the same.
Your skin tone will be one of the following: cool, warm, or neutral.Keep in mind your skin tone does not necessarily match what you see on the surface.
So you may have pink or ruddy skin, but your skin tone may actually be yellow.Before attempting any of the following steps, make sure your skin is clean and free of any makeup, lotion, or toner.
If you just washed your face, wait about 15 minutes before proceeding, as your skin may appear pink from scrubbing and make it difficult to see your true undertone.
Always use natural lighting when examining your skin.
Different lightbulbs can affect your skin differently--they may give it a yellow or green cast, and interfere with the appearance of your skin tone. -
Step 2: Look at the color of the veins on the inside of your wrist.
This is a quick way to determine your undertones.Make sure you are examining your wrists in natural light, either standing near a window or outdoors, and that your wrist is clean and free of product.
If your veins appear blue or purple, you have a cool skin tone.If your veins appear green, you have a warm skin tone.If you can't tell if your veins are green or blue, you may have a neutral skin tone.
If you have an olive complexion, you likely fall into this category., Do you tan easily? Do you burn or get freckles? The amount of melanin in your skin determines how it reacts to sun exposure and can help you determine your skin tone.If you tan easily and rarely burn, you have more melanin and you likely have a warm or neutral skin tone.If your skin burns and doesn't tan, you have less melanin and therefore a cooler skin tone.Some women with very dark, ebony skin may not burn easily but still have a cool skin tone.
Try a few more tests to figure out your undertone., Looking in a mirror, try to see how your skin looks in contrast to the white paper.
It may appear to have a yellow cast, a blue-red or rosy cast, or it may not appear to be either, but a gray color instead.
If your skin appears yellowish or sallow beside the white paper, you have a warm skin tone.
If your skin appears pink, rosy, or blueish-red, then you have a cool skin tone.
If your skin appears gray, your skin probably has an olive complexion with a neutral undertone.
The green from your complexion and the yellowish undertone combines to create this effect.You can experiment with neutral and warm tones, since you fall somewhere in between.If you can't determine any cast of yellow, olive, or pink, you have a neutral skin tone.
Neutral tones can look good in foundations and colors on both ends of the cool/warm spectrum., Hold a sheet of gold foil in front of your face so that it reflects light back on your skin.
Note whether it makes your face look grayish or washed out, or if it enhances your skin.
Then try with a sheet of silver foil.
If the gold foil looks best, you have a warm skin tone.
If the reflection from the silver foil makes your skin glow, you have a cool skin tone.
If you don't notice a difference (both silver and gold are flattering), then you likely have a neutral skin tone.If you don't have gold or silver foil, try laying gold and silver jewelry on your wrist, and notice which one is more flattering., If you have acne, rosacea, or another condition that might mask your skin tone, you can have a friend look at the the skin directly behind the shell of your ear, as this area is less likely to be affected.
Have them examine the skin right in the little crease behind your ear.
If your skin is yellowish, then your skin tone is warm.
If your skin is pink or rosy, then your skin tone is cool If they have difficulty, they can try holding a white piece of paper near the skin.
That should help them see if it appears yellow or pink. -
Step 3: Consider how your skin normally reacts to the sun.
-
Step 4: Hold a white piece of paper up to your face.
-
Step 5: Use gold and silver foil or jewelry to find your skin tone.
-
Step 6: Ask a friend to look at the skin behind your ear.
Detailed Guide
Your skin tone, or undertone, does not refer to the shade of your skin (light, medium, dark)--that is your complexion, or the surface color of your skin.
Your skin tone is determined by the amount of melanin, or pigment, in your skin and does not change from sun exposure or skin conditions like rosacea or acne.So while a person's skin may become pale in the winter and a rich brown in the summer, their skin tone will remain the same.
Your skin tone will be one of the following: cool, warm, or neutral.Keep in mind your skin tone does not necessarily match what you see on the surface.
So you may have pink or ruddy skin, but your skin tone may actually be yellow.Before attempting any of the following steps, make sure your skin is clean and free of any makeup, lotion, or toner.
If you just washed your face, wait about 15 minutes before proceeding, as your skin may appear pink from scrubbing and make it difficult to see your true undertone.
Always use natural lighting when examining your skin.
Different lightbulbs can affect your skin differently--they may give it a yellow or green cast, and interfere with the appearance of your skin tone.
This is a quick way to determine your undertones.Make sure you are examining your wrists in natural light, either standing near a window or outdoors, and that your wrist is clean and free of product.
If your veins appear blue or purple, you have a cool skin tone.If your veins appear green, you have a warm skin tone.If you can't tell if your veins are green or blue, you may have a neutral skin tone.
If you have an olive complexion, you likely fall into this category., Do you tan easily? Do you burn or get freckles? The amount of melanin in your skin determines how it reacts to sun exposure and can help you determine your skin tone.If you tan easily and rarely burn, you have more melanin and you likely have a warm or neutral skin tone.If your skin burns and doesn't tan, you have less melanin and therefore a cooler skin tone.Some women with very dark, ebony skin may not burn easily but still have a cool skin tone.
Try a few more tests to figure out your undertone., Looking in a mirror, try to see how your skin looks in contrast to the white paper.
It may appear to have a yellow cast, a blue-red or rosy cast, or it may not appear to be either, but a gray color instead.
If your skin appears yellowish or sallow beside the white paper, you have a warm skin tone.
If your skin appears pink, rosy, or blueish-red, then you have a cool skin tone.
If your skin appears gray, your skin probably has an olive complexion with a neutral undertone.
The green from your complexion and the yellowish undertone combines to create this effect.You can experiment with neutral and warm tones, since you fall somewhere in between.If you can't determine any cast of yellow, olive, or pink, you have a neutral skin tone.
Neutral tones can look good in foundations and colors on both ends of the cool/warm spectrum., Hold a sheet of gold foil in front of your face so that it reflects light back on your skin.
Note whether it makes your face look grayish or washed out, or if it enhances your skin.
Then try with a sheet of silver foil.
If the gold foil looks best, you have a warm skin tone.
If the reflection from the silver foil makes your skin glow, you have a cool skin tone.
If you don't notice a difference (both silver and gold are flattering), then you likely have a neutral skin tone.If you don't have gold or silver foil, try laying gold and silver jewelry on your wrist, and notice which one is more flattering., If you have acne, rosacea, or another condition that might mask your skin tone, you can have a friend look at the the skin directly behind the shell of your ear, as this area is less likely to be affected.
Have them examine the skin right in the little crease behind your ear.
If your skin is yellowish, then your skin tone is warm.
If your skin is pink or rosy, then your skin tone is cool If they have difficulty, they can try holding a white piece of paper near the skin.
That should help them see if it appears yellow or pink.
About the Author
Isabella Ward
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in crafts and beyond.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: