Cool, warm or neutral: How to determine your skin tone

You know how your BFF can wear that fire engine red shade of lipstick but when you put it on, it just doesn’t pop? Or when you try on that shade of pink you saw a vlogger rocking but it makes you look distinctively clown-ish? Ever wondered why that happens?

Well, it all comes down to skin tone, and as it happens, there are three main types: cool, warm and neutral. These skin tones are determined by their undertones, the muted colours that lie beneath the skin’s surface. You can’t see those colours at first glance, but they’re there and everyone has them.

●    Cool skin tones have undertones of red and pink with bluish hints. 
●    Warm skin tones have yellow or orangey hues.
●    Neutral skin tones often appear as olive and have a shade that’s somewhere in between cool and warm.

Knowing your skin tone can literally make or break your makeup look, so we chatted to professional makeup and special effects artist, Jodi Ann Hartough to get her tips on how you can determine yours. 

Do the tan test

“Think about what happens when you try to tan. If you spend a day in the sun and come out looking blotchy and red, you most likely have a cool undertone. On the other hand, if you come out looking golden brown, that’s a warm skin tone. And if you go an olive shade, you’re probably neutral,” Jodi says.

Do the silver/gold test

As Jodi recommends: “There’s a simple way to determine your skin tone. Put silver jewellery on your one arm and gold jewellery on the other. Then observe which colour makes your skin look more vibrant. If it’s silver, you’re likely to have a cool skin tone and vice versa. And if both colours look great on you, then you’re lucky because you most probably have a neutral skin tone.”

Do the vein test

“Here’s a quick one: look at the underside of your wrist – what colour are your veins? If they’re a purple-blue colour then it’s most likely that you have a cool undertone. If they’re a greenish hue, then you have a warm skin tone. And if it’s hard to tell then it might be safe to say that you have a neutral skin tone. Simple right?” said Jodi.

Knowing your skin tone is the first step to learning how to choose makeup correctly. If you’re unsure about which shades suit you best, our Clicks beauty assistants are always ready and willing to help you find your best match. 

IMAGE CREDIT: 123rf.com