How can you even find something you never lost? I have asked myself this question a few times. Starting out as a makeup artist was not an easy job. So many new skills and theory I had to learn and for the most of it, things just didn’t make sense. Just like how to find your skin undertone.
Colour perception is something that you can only evolve with time, some people are actually quite good from the get go, but I had to learn to train my eye to see undertones for what they actually are.
One of the most common things I notice, is how often skin undertone gets overlooked. People focus so much on whether their skin is light, medium or deep, but something still feels slightly off in their makeup — and they can’t quite figure out why.
Most of the time, that missing piece is undertone.
What is skin undertone?
First, it’s important to understand what undertone actually is. Your skin undertone is the subtle colour that sits underneath the surface of your skin. It doesn’t change with the seasons, it doesn’t shift when you tan or get lighter. It stays consistent. This is very different from your skin tone, which is the colour you see on the surface and can change throughout the year.
If you still find this a little confusing, I have a full blog post explaining the difference between skin tone and skin undertone.
Your undertone is what influences how colours look on your skin. It’s the reason why the same foundation can look completely different on two people with similar skin tones. And the same applies to clothes — some colours will look incredible on us while others make us look… let’s just say not a good version of ourselves.
In general, undertones fall into four categories. You’ll either sit in warm, cool, neutral, or olive.
More yellow and golden tones. You tend to tan easily and gold jewellery looks radiant on you.
Leans pink, red or slightly bluish. Silver jewellery tends to flatter and you may burn more easily in the sun.
A balance between warm and cool. Both gold and silver jewellery tend to work equally well.
A subtle green or slightly muted quality to the skin. Veins often have a greenish-teal appearance.
Now, when it comes to actually finding your undertone, there isn’t just one method. I always recommend looking at a combination of things rather than relying on a single test.
The skin undertone vein test
One of the most common ways to start is by looking at the veins on your wrist in natural light — this is sometimes called the undertone vein test. If your veins appear more green, you’re likely leaning warm. If they look more blue or purple, you’re likely cool. If it’s hard to tell or it looks like a mix of both, you’re probably neutral. And if your veins have a slightly green-blue, almost teal appearance, you may have an olive undertone.
That said, this method isn’t always perfect. On deeper skin tones or if your veins aren’t very visible, it can be a bit tricky. So I like to use it more as a starting point rather than a final answer.
Always do the vein test in natural daylight, not under indoor lighting. Artificial light can shift the way your veins appear and give you a completely wrong reading.
Another way I like to assess skin undertone is by looking at how the skin reacts to jewellery. Try placing gold and silver jewellery against your skin in natural light, without makeup. If gold makes your skin look more radiant and healthy, you’re likely warm or olive. If silver looks better, you’re likely cool. If both look equally good, you’re probably neutral.
What you’re really observing here is how your skin reflects colour. Some tones will enhance your complexion, while others can make it look dull without you even realising why.
You can also look at how your skin responds to the sun. If you tend to tan easily and rarely burn, you’re usually leaning warm or olive. If you burn quite quickly, that often points towards a cooler undertone. And if you experience a bit of both, you may sit somewhere in the neutral range. Again, this isn’t a rule, but it helps build a clearer picture when combined with other observations.
The white fabric undertone test
Another simple method you can try at home is comparing white and off-white fabrics against your skin. Hold something pure white and something more cream or ivory next to your face. If bright white flatters your skin more, you’re likely cool. If softer, warmer whites look better, you’re likely warm. If both seem to work, you’re probably neutral.
But honestly, one of the most accurate ways to understand how to find your skin undertone is by looking at your past foundation matches. This is something I rely on a lot when working professionally. If your foundation often looks too orange, you may actually be cooler than you think. If it pulls too pink, you might be warmer. If it looks grey or slightly ashy, that can be a sign of an olive undertone or an undertone mismatch. And if nothing ever quite looks right, there’s a strong chance you’re neutral or olive.
Your skin will always give you clues. You just need to learn how to read them.
Your foundation is one of the most reliable undertone guides you already own. Look at photos where your foundation looked “off” — too orange, too pink, or too grey. That mismatch is actually telling you exactly where your undertone sits.
How to train your eye to see skin undertones
As you start to develop your eye, you’ll also begin to notice undertones just by observing the skin. When I look at someone’s complexion, I’m not only looking at how light or deep their skin is. I’m looking underneath that surface. I’m asking myself if I see more yellow, more pink, or if there’s a slight green or muted tone coming through. This is at the core of colour theory for makeup artists — and it takes practice, but once you start seeing it, it becomes very intuitive.
Understanding your skin undertone is not just about getting your foundation undertone match right. It influences everything. It affects how you colour correct the skin, how you choose your blush, your eyeshadow, even your lipstick. Colours will either harmonise with your undertone or compete against it, and that’s what makes makeup look either seamless or slightly off.
And I think it’s important to say this as well — undertones are not always perfectly clear-cut. You might sit between categories, or lean in different directions depending on the area of the face. Skin is complex, and that’s completely normal.
So instead of trying to label yourself too strictly, focus on understanding how colour behaves on your skin.
Skin undertone isn’t always so obvious… and that’s okay.
And I think it’s important to say this too.
Undertones aren’t always perfectly defined. You might fall between two categories or lean in different directions depending on the area of your face. Skin is complex, and that’s completely normal.
So, instead of trying to pigeonhole yourself into a category, focus on understanding how colors behave on your skin.
When you understand your undertone, you eliminate a lot of uncertainty when applying makeup. You start choosing your foundation better, making much more intentional decisions, and you feel like your whole routine becomes much more refined.
And that’s precisely when everything starts to make sense.
REMEBER THIS
Once you understand your undertone, you remove a lot of the guesswork from your makeup. You start making more intentional choices, your foundation matches improve, and your overall work just feels more refined.
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