As opposed to bold red lipstick or shimmery copper eyeshadow that is made to be seen, foundation and powder makeup looks best when it almost disappears completely, harmoniously blending in with the natural colour of your skin.
Rather than blanking out skin like a mask, the best products are ones that are almost imperceptible when applied, simply evening out tone and redness.
To ensure this happens, makeup artists have always known it’s not just about matching a foundation to the most dominant skin colour you see, but also skin’s undertones.
The rise in more inclusive ranges of foundation and other makeup is an incredibly welcome – and long overdue – update to the beauty landscape. It means more people see and can access a makeup product that reflects their skin colour.
The drilling down on more realistic colours with varying undertones and shade options means you’re likely to get closer to your natural complexion, but sometimes selecting that best match can be incredibly overwhelming. Foundation mistakes are tough to avoid, and expensive, if you end up with a nearly full product languishing in your bathroom drawer.
While asking an expert in a well-stocked beauty store to match you is ideal, it’s not always possible.
How to find your skin’s undertone
Skin is naturally translucent with subtle colour variations just beneath the surface.
These are referred to as ‘undertones’. Brands usually divide foundation collections into tone ‘families’, so to find the best match on shade name alone, it’s helpful to determine if your skin tone has warm (sometimes listed as W on the label), neutral (N) or cool (C) undertones.
“I’ve made up thousands of women throughout my career of all different skin tones, skin types, and ages – everyone from models to Hollywood royalty to actual royalty, to girls on the street,” says makeup artist Lisa Eldridge. “The one thing I have learned is that no two faces are the same.”
She says akin to a painter using a number of oil paints including reds, blues, greens purple and black to create a realistic flesh tone, skin is made up of a range of colours.
“Skin isn’t just pink or yellow or red or blue, it’s a mixture of everything,” says the top artist. “It’s really the percentage of the different colours. Some are more dominant, so some people naturally have more yellow in
their skin – a high percentage of warm yellows and green tones. Other people naturally have a higher percentage of cooler tones – reds and purples and blues – in their skin.”
She says it’s important to have a good look at your own skin yourself to assess what those undertones might be. She suggests looking in a mirror in daylight wearing only a white towel, so you can see more of your body skin
as well.
Considering your face and veins will help decipher your undertones, there are some common features to each:
Cool undertones
Cool undertones includes skin that has more red or pink in it. Your skin might burn easily, and the veins in your wrist look blue or purple. You also look best in silver jewellery.
Neutral undertones
Neutral undertones includes skin that has a combination of cool and warm colours. Your skin sometimes burns and sometimes tans, and the veins in your wrist look blue or green, or both. Both silver and gold jewellery looks
good on you.
Warm undertones
If your skin rarely burns and tans easily and has more gold, yellow or peach in it, you may have warm undertones. The veins in your wrist will look green or olive, and you tend to suit gold jewellery.
How to swatch correctly
Once you understand your undertone, you can select the foundation colour that looks closest to yours, and has a similar undertone.
One common trap is testing colours on your hand. If you hold the back of your hand up to your face in a well-lit mirror, you’ll likely see a significant difference in colour. So why are so many of us still dabbing swatches there?
Instead, choose two or three shades from the same brand that you think look closest to your complexion. On clean skin, apply a swatch of each next to each other from your cheekbone down to your jawline.
Eldridge says she likes to use the back of the jaw, down on to the side of the neck as on most people the area shows the undertones and is less likely to have redness or pigmentation from sun damage.
The best match will be the one that blends or ‘disappears’ into your own skin tone. If you can, walk to a place where there is a natural light source to check the colours.
Finally, if you have to choose between two colours, pick the lighter one: you can always deepen it slightly with a touch of bronzer or powder.
Undertones for other makeup products
Undertones can also help with selecting lipstick colours. For example, a blue-based red lipstick like M.A.C’s Ruby Woo or Russian Red will suit those with cool undertones, while a warmer brick colour like NARS Rocket Queen
will suit those with warm undertones.
Lucky enough to have neutral undertones? You’ll likely suit both.
A new theory has been emerging about how to choose the colours of other makeup products.
Traditionally, expert advice for eye makeup has centred around selecting complementary colours based on a traditional colour wheel. You identify the colour that is most like your eye colour. Then, on the wheel, look directly across from that. Based on this approach, brown eyes look great wearing violet, blue eyes suit coppery tones and so on.
Now the high-contrast makeup theory is gaining momentum. Makeup artist Aliénor Dervanian is responsible for popularising the idea that makeup should enhance the natural contrast in a person’s face to create a more
striking, balanced, and harmonious look. It is also often used in colour analysis for clothing (think the ‘autumn, winter, spring or summer’ colouring theory) to determine the most flattering shades and levels of intensity for
different individuals.
“It’s the difference in value between your face, eyes, eyebrows, and hair,” Dervanian explains, “The more difference, the more contrast.” She has developed a filter on TikTok you can use with the front-facing camera on your phone, to better understand your own level.
@alieenor My favourite glow up tip is playing with contrast to get more confidence ✨ #contrastlevel #mediumcontrast #highcontrast #emmawatson ♬ son original – Alieenor 🧡
High-contrast individuals, for example those with fair skin and dark hair (think Anne Hathaway), should emphasise this contrast with bold, dramatic colours that maintain strong contrasts. This includes smoky eyes, dark eyeliner, rich lip colours (deep red, berry, or bold pink) and well-defined brows.
Thosethat are medium-contrast individuals, for example olive skin with medium brown hair (Zendaya, Jennifer Aniston), or warm-toned brunettes, should use balanced tones that enhance natural contrast without overpowering. Medium-depth eyeshadows, blushes in natural rose or peach shades, and lipsticks that complement skin tone without being too bold or too muted work best.
Those with low-contrast features, like fair skin with blonde hair (think Amanda Seyfried) or deep skin with dark eyes and hair are suggested to use softer, blended tones. Soft eyeliner, muted lip colours like nude pinks, peaches, or soft browns and gentle contouring rather than harsh lines are suggestions to work with.
