Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Finding your Undertone

Figuring out what is your undertone is important in picking out the right foundation, lipstick and even hairdye. No one has the same coloring and coupled with the undertones of your skin what works for someone else might not work for you.

Your undertone are the colors that lie underneath your skin, while your skin color can change your undertone is always the same. Your undertone can either be cool,warm or neutral. Knowledge of the color wheel and where the colors are on the spectrum helps a bit.


There are several ways that people suggest for you to figure out your right color, some being more effective than others. I am only going to talk about what helped me figure it all out.

1. Figure out what colors look best on you. This perplexed me at first because It wasn't something that I really thought of and then when I did think of it I only came up with colors I liked not ones that necessarily flattered me. Think about the colors that you get complimented on from clothes to makeup.

2. Do you have any redness in your skin? Do you have blue or green veins visible? Is your skin tone sallow,yellow or pink? Taking these kind of things into account are also important as they help indicate towards your coloring.  Blueish colored veins tend to fall under the cool category, while green veins fall under the warm and if you can't really see vein color you are neutral. Pale, pink, ebony and dark red coloring end up falling into the cool category while warm yellows, pale peachy and golden colors tend to fall under warm. If you fall neither wholly into one category then you are neutral. Corals and reds like apricot,orange, tawny and brown red are flattering to neutral and warm but fall more so on the neutral side.

To see vein color look at the underside of your wrist in natural daylight to see veins. If you want to find it by looking at your face make sure you are in natural daylight with no makeup on. Also pulling hair back and draping a white towel around shoulders is a good way to see what your undertone is. You will be able to see your undertone with a neutral background.

3. What shade of red lipstick makes your teeth appear whiter? One shade of red isn't universally flattering, you have to pick the right shade for your coloring and it so happens that this can help you figure it out. Cool Red lipsticks with a blue undertone flatter Cool skin tones the best and make teeth appear whiter. Where as warm red lipsticks with orange, yellow or golden hues will make Warm skin tones teeth appear brighter. Wearing a lipstick shade that isn't flattering to your undertone will wash you out and accentuate any discoloration in the teeth.


Hair


If you want to find your undertone a good way is to figure out what your hair undertone is. I struggled with figuring out what my undertone was for quite awhile. I now know what it is and so what colors work best for me and you can also.

Once you know what your undertone is, picking a hair color to flatter you will not be a problem again. Luckily on most hair dye boxes you can find the words cool, warm or neutral which helps make it easier. If you are looking to go blond for instance and have a cool undertone your best bet would be to try champagne or Ash blondes colors. While if you have a warm undertone your best bet is to try golden or honey blonde colors. If neutral you are lucky enough to try either or and still have it flatter you.

Want to try a red color? Brighter reds have a blue undertone which suits cool undertones best. A darker warmer red is best for the warm undertones. Neutrals can experiment with either one.

Having the wrong shade of hair dye is a sure way to wash you out, so picking the right one is very important in looking your best.

Hopefully this gave you a little insight into figuring out your undertone and that you understand how important it is to find yours.



0 comments: