Finding Your Skin Tone

Before you can begin to choose make-up colors suited to your skin tone, you must first figure out what type of complexion you have. In general, skin tones fall into two categories: cool and warm. Although skin tones are highly varied, all of us can classify our skin as dark, olive or yellow (Asian or Latin people usually have this color), rosy, tanned, or fair. Holding a piece of white paper up to your face and identifying the main color you see will help you decide into which category you fall. Still, it is easy to get confused by these terms, so to simplify the process try this simple test. Try on a white shirt and then a cream or off-white top. If you look better in the white blouse, you most likely have cool skin. If the cream top is more flattering, your skin is probably warm. Another good indicator of skin tone is which jewelry looks best on you. Silver tends to work well for cool skin while gold makes warm skin glow. Either of these methods will help you to easily identify your coloring, at which point you can begin selecting make-up colors that will look excellent on you.

Foundation

Since foundation is the base on which you will build your entire look, it is important that it be perfectly matched to your skin tone. Foundations generally have either a golden or blue-toned base, with variations that flatter a wide group of faces in the warm and cool ranges. Basically, if you have cool skin, choose a foundation that has blue or pink undertones. Use a yellow-base foundation for warm skin. Be sure to test to color on your face (not your wrist or hand!) and have a look at yourself in sunlight to make sure that you have a good match. Once properly blended, your foundation should even out your skin tone but look completely natural. When in doubt, consult a specialist at the make-up counter for help. Remember that if you choose the wrong base, your color will be unattractively distorted.