How often have you thought you found your perfect foundation shade only to realize something about it looks off? We know shopping for foundation makeup is not an easy task, whether you’re looking for liquid, cream, or powder foundation. If you think only knowing how light or dark your skin tone is will help you get the right foundation shade for a flawless makeup base, think again. Your foundation shade does not just depend on your skin’s colour, it relies heavily on your skin’s undertones as well.
If you want to learn more about undertones and how to choose a foundation shade based on your undertone, keep reading.
First you need to understand the difference between your skin’s colour or tone and your skin’s undertone. Your skin’s tone is the colour of your skin, light, medium, wheatish, deep, dark brown etc. It is fairly straightforward to understand your skin tone. Skin tones can change with seasons and sun exposure. You might have noticed most people get a tan during summers and look comparatively fair during the colder winter months. But just matching the colour of your skin to the foundations in the store will not help you find your foundation shade.
Undertones are the colours that are underneath your skin. They impart an overall hue to the skin. You might have the exact same skin colour as your friend, but you could have a completely different undertone. Unlike skin colours, undertones do not change with seasons. Undertones are broadly broken down into three categories - warm, cool, and neutral.
• Warm - Your skin has hints of yellow or golden beneath your skin
• Cool - The underlying colours in your skin are red, blues, or purples
• Neutral - You have a mix of both, warm and cool hues
Now that you know the three types of undertones, here are a few simple ways in which you can determine your undertone. Knowing your undertones and your skin’s colour will help you find your perfect foundation shade.
1. Check Your Veins
One of the quickest and the most common ways to determine your undertone is to check the insides of your wrist. If your veins appear blue or purple, you have a cool undertone. If they look green, you’re warm. If you’re having a hard time narrowing down between blue or green, you most likely have a neutral undertone.
2. Test Some Jewelry
Do you think you look better in gold jewelry? You probably have a warm undertone. If silver jewelry is more flattering on your skin tone, you have a cool undertone.
3. Do You Tan Or Burn?
Another easy way to know your undertone is to know how your skin reacts to the sun. If you usually get a sunburn and your skin turns red, you have a cool undertone. If you tan easily and your skin turns brown, you have a warm undertone.
4. White Paper Test
Hold a white sheet of paper against your face and look at yourself in the mirror. If your skin appears yellow next to the paper, your skin has a warm hue and undertone. If your face has a rosy blush, you’re cool toned. If you can’t determine between the two, you’re in the middle with a neutral undertone.
Now that you have all this information about undertones, look for a foundation shade that matches not just your skin colour but also its hue or undertone. If you’re someone with a warm undertone and you use a cool toned foundation, your face will look ashy as it won’t blend naturally with your hue. Similarly, applying a warm foundation on a cool toned skin will make you look an unnatural shade of yellow or orange, and can even make you look like you are sick.
With 18 unique foundation shades made to fit diverse Indian skin tones, the Maybelline Fit Me Matte+Poreless ensures a perfect match for every undertone. The natural looking matte finish of the Fit Me foundation provides buildable coverage for an array of skin tones. So head over to the Maybelline India website and get yourself your perfect foundation shade!
With the Maybelline Virtual Try On tool, determining undertones and choosing the perfect foundation shade is made simpler by using the mobile live camera or upload photo option to get started with your virtual makeover. Browse the different categories of makeup products and select the products you want to try. Still wondering how to choose foundation shade? you can use the Maybelline Shade Finder tool that will help determine your undertone in just a few clicks, from the comfort of your home. Maybelline Foundation finder helps to determine the best foundation shade considering neutral undertone foundation shades & more. How to check skin tone for foundation is made easy with Maybelline Virtual Beauty Studio.
Want even more tips to find your perfect foundation shade? Read the Maybelline foundation makeup guide to know more.
