10 Ways to Determine Your Skin Tone

Check your veins. You’ve probably heard of this one before. Look at the underside of your wrist. What color are your veins? Bluish-purple means you’re on the cool side. Greenish means warm. If you’re not sure and your veins look bluish-green, you may be neutral.

Do you tan or burn? Those who seem to turn into bronze goddesses in the sun are usually warm-toned, while those that get red instead are usually cool. That doesn’t mean cools can’t tan—it just means they have to be a little more gradual with their exposure. African-Americans are often warm-toned, but not always. African-Americans may tan easily but still have a cool tone, so keep testing.

Do you blush easily? If so, you’re on the cool side.

What colors look good on you? Cool tones look good in deep, vibrant colors, such as blue, purple, and emerald-green. Warm tones glow in earth tones like red, orange, yellow, and olive-green. If you can wear both shades, you have neutral undertones. Another test: picture yourself in a yellow or orange shirt. If it gives you a great glow, you’re warm. If it makes you look a little sickly, you’re cool. If you look good but not great (like warms), you may be neutral.

Try the white test. Get a plain piece of white paper and put it up by your face, sans makeup. Does your complexion look dull, or good? (You can also use a bright white towel.) If you answered “dull,” you’re warm. If you answered “good,” you’re cool. If you can’t tell much difference, you’re neutral. Some more clues: if your skin appears sallow or yellowish, you’re warm. Pink or rosy: cool. Grayish? You may have a neutral undertone.

Do you like gold or silver jewelry? Cools look best in silver, while warms shine in gold. If you like two-toned, can you guess? You can test this by laying a gold and silver chain next to each other on your hand or arm. Which looks best?

What color are your eyes? Usually, those with golden brown, green, hazel with gold flecks, and blue eyes are warm-toned. Those with black or deep brown, steel blue, hazel with grey or blue flecks, and grey are cool toned.

Look behind your ears. Ask a friend to look at the skin just behind your ear. Yellowish means warm, pink or rosy means cool, and if they can’t tell, you may be neutral.

Think basic: Test your skin against basic colors like black and white, and brown and tan. Cool shades will look better in stark black and white, while warms will prefer off-whites. Cools will like deep browns, while warms will prefer softer tans.

Who do you identify with? Think celebrities. Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore, Courtney Cox, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Hudson, and Amanda Seyfried have cool undertones. Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Diane Sawyer, and Kim Kardashian have warm undertones.

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