What are undertones?

There is a difference between skin tones and undertones. Skin tones are the color of your skin: light, medium, tan, dark, very dark; your skin tone changes with time or exposure to the sun. Your undertone is what’s under the surface, though, and it never changes. It’s important to know your undertones for dressing in the right color, applying the right shade of foundation and various other make-up essentials. Know your undertone, nail your look.

How to test yourself:

This is the tricky bit, but it works on most people. 

1. Study your wrists; you’ll see the main veins that run all the way down your forearm. 

2. Hit your wrists a few times for the color to become more noticeable. 

3. If your veins show green, you have warm undertones. If your veins show blue, you have cool undertones. If your veins appear purple, you have neutral undertones. 

Warm Undertones  Golden, yellow and peach     In the sun: You’ll tend to tan golden or brown without getting burnt.  Jewelry: Gold jewelry  Clothing: Think thanksgiving or autumn shades, and ivory instead of white; they’ll tend to make you look livelier and healthier.  Makeup: When buying makeup, you want to choose hues that are similar to your undertones; stick to earth tones like red, orange, yellow, green and brown.  Avoid: Stay away from cool colors to stay vibrant and radiant.

Cool Undertones Pink, red and blue   In the sun: You’ll have a tendency to burn red and quickly, too.  Jewelry: White, metal or silver jewelry. Clothing: Blues, reds, pinks, magentas, icy colors and pastels to make you look and feel prettier. White will radiate your skin, as well as black.  Makeup: Ask for shades of pink, blue, purple and jewel.  Avoid: If you are prone to experiencing discoloration then avoid warm colors.

Neutral Undertones Aren’t you lucky. Experiment with both tones to see which suits you best.

Essentials

M.A.C. Try 1/F Siam Center, Rama 1 Rd., 02-690-1000. BTS Siam.

Nars. Try G/F The Emporium, 662 Sukhumvit Rd., BTS Phrom Phong.