Your Guide to Understanding Your Skin Tone:
Understanding your skin tone involves recognising its shade, undertones, and the amount of melanin present. These subtle hues beneath the skin not only define it but also guide makeup decisions and influence clothing choices.
Types of Skin Tones
There are different categories of skin tones: fair/light, medium/olive, and tan/dark. By understanding your skin tone, you can get perfectly even skin through tailored colour care.
- Fair/lighter skin tones: Fair skin tones have minimal melanin. Fair skin can often burn easily in the sun and may have visible veins beneath the skin's surface. For fair skin, prioritise sun protection and consider gentle products that maintain evenness without causing redness or irritation. When selecting makeup, a cool-toned foundation pairs well, and berry-toned lipsticks add a touch of warmth. In fashion, consider the charm of pastel and jewel-toned clothing, with deep blues or soft greys offering a refined contrast.
- Medium/olive skin tones: These tones often have golden or tan undertones, with the ability to tan and rare instances of sunburn. Makeup choices should lean toward golden or tan undertoned foundations complemented by deep red or terracotta lip shades. For wardrobe choices, earthy tones like olives, browns, and tans highlight your natural warmth, and gold jewellery can serve as a radiant accent.
- Dark/tan/deep skin tones: With a spectrum ranging from deep browns to ebony, these skin tones contain rich, warm undertones. It's essential to choose products that hydrate and avoid ashy appearances or uneven patches. Matching makeup to your undertones and opting for bold eyeshadows can make a difference. Fashion-wise, rich jewel tones such as emerald or sapphire bring out the best in your complexion, and vibrant patterns paired with metallic accessories create a striking look.
HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR SKIN TONE
You can determine your skin tone using two common methods:
Jawline test:
In natural daylight, look at your skin along your jawline and neck (the area where your face meets your neck). This area often gives a true reflection of your skin tone. Skin undertones can be classified as cool, warm, or neutral:
- Cool undertones: Skin with a hint of pink, red, or blue.
- Warm undertones: Skin with yellow, peach or golden tones.
- Neutral undertones: When neither warm nor cool tones are featured.
Shade Match Test:
This method compares different shades to your skin to find its perfect match.
- Choose different shades that you think might match best to your skin tone.
- Apply them and pick which shade best matches your skin.
Natural photos of yourself can also provide information about your natural skin tone.
The Right
Shade for Your Skin Tone