Knowing if my skin’s undertone was cool, warm, or neutral used to baffle  me.  I did all the color matching “tricks”: looking at veins, what jewelry looks best, etc. and still could not figure out my skin’s undertone. My foundation and concealer always just looked a little *off.*

Below is the easy 5 step method I use to color match myself and my makeup clients quickly and accurately! These are the tips I wish I had known forever, they really make matching foundation and concealer so accurate and easy.

This Post Goes Over:

1 | Cool vs. Warm

2 | Undertones vs Surface Tones

3 | Shades of Undertones

4 | Color Striping

5 | Cheek Swatches

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How To Figure Out Your Undertone

Step 1 | Cool or Warm

Look in the mirror or down at your skin for a second and without overthinking it: does your skin look like you are cold (think skiing in December) or warm (beach day in August)?

The majority of people have warm skin tones.

Step 2 | Undertones vs Surface Tones

This is where I went wrong for so many years.  I would see the reddish tones in my skin and confuse them with having a pink (and therefore cool) undertone.

Surface tones are the colors on the surface of your skin: redness, under eye circles, etc.

As the name indicates, they are only on the surface of your skin and can change with lifestyle (drinking alcohol/sleep), sun exposure, faux tans, and skin care.

Undertones are the underlying colors in your skin, the true pigment of your skin tone.  These are permanent and can’t be changed.

With base products like foundation and concealer, you want to match your true undertones.  The surface tones will be covered up as soon as you start applying makeup.

Step 3 | Shades of Undertones

Think of undertones like a watercolor paint.  It’s not going to be a big, bold color.  You will see subtle hints of whatever shade you are.

Most people have a mix of tones present in their skin, so your undertone will be whichever tone is the most predominant. 

There are several undertones in both the cool and warm categories:

• silver (cool)
• pink/rosy (cool)
• yellow (warm)
• peach (warm)
• olive (warm)
• red (warm)

If you are a pretty balanced mix of pink and yellow undertones, you are neutral.

Related Post | Testing 30 Concealers on Mature Skin

Step 4 | Color Striping

This is my go-to, most accurate way to find the perfect foundation. 

Color stripping is what I do with every single client to make sure we have a perfect color match before starting makeup.

It is exactly what it sounds like. 

I’ll take a few different shades and place a tiny amount on my (or client’s) jawline. 

Once the foundation is on, it usually becomes super clear which one or two is closest. From there, I’ll blend those shades out a bit more and see which one is becoming a second skin.

When you step away from the foundation, it should blend right into your neck seamlessly and your face should look clear and bright.

If you’ve picked the wrong undertone:

• If you are COOL and pick a WARM or NEUTRAL foundation, it will look yellow on you. 
• If you are WARM and pick a COOL foundation, it will make your skin look pale and icy.  If you pick a NEUTRAL foundation, it will look grey.

I recognize that not everyone has a makeup artist’s kit full of foundations ready to swatch on their jaw. You can go through old foundations you already own and color stripe them next to each other and see if they are a good match or look off, too yellow, too grey, etc.

Also, a lot of brands have testers available, reach out to them through customer service or IG with your best guess of shades and request if they can send sample swatches. Sephora will also make you up to 3 foundation samples.

Related Post | My Favorite Foundations at Every Price 

Step 5 | Cheek Swatches

Once you have two foundations that you are choosing between, apply each shade to each cheek.  Once you start to blend it out over your face, it should become really apparent which shade is the correct match.

The right foundation will look like a second skin.  It will give your face a glow and you’ll be able to wear a minimal amount of other products to make it look natural.

For me, the cheek swatches in when I really have been able to lock in the perfect shade.  The video below does a full demo of this method to (hopefully) make it super clear!

Related Post | Step-by-Step: How To Buy The Right Shade of Foundation + Concealer Online

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