Finding my undertone.

Apr 28, 2011

Jane A.

I tried to search if there was a post similar to this using search, but I couldn't find one. So sorry if this was asked before...

But how do I figure what is my undertone?

I remember watching a Sephora video, and the girl mentioned that if you press your finger down on your inner arm for a few seconds and let it go, you can find your "undertone" that way. With that being said, if I press two fingers down, the place where my fingers were are "yellow", but around it (the outline), it's a little peachy.

And what the heck is warm, cool, and neutral?

Also I hear BB theory is we all have a "yellow" undertone, and her foundations all have a yellow undertone to it. Would you agree?

Apr 28, 2011

Shelly T.

I don't agree with Bobbi Brown. Granted, most of us in the States may have some degree of yellow, given our ancestry/heritage, but there are some out there -- particularly outside the US (and outside North America as a whole) -- who do have more pink in their undertones than others.

"Warm", "cool", and "neutral" are just ways to describe your undertones. This gets confusing because most makeup companies think about this -- mainly "warm" and "cool" -- different from how MAC does.

Most makeup companies:
Warm = more yellow/golden undertones

Cool = more pinkish undertones

Neutral = a mix of both

(I *think* olive skintones/undertones are generally considered more cool. I think.)

MAC:
Warm = more pinkish undertones

Cool = more yellow/golden undertones

Neutral = the only "neutral" shades I know of are in Face and Body, and Studio Fix Powder Plus. But the Face and Body "N" shades are distinctly more pink than the "C" shades. In SFPP, the few "N" shades are neither too pink nor too yellow/golden. So, IMO, their definition of "neutral" is inconsistent.

MAC goes by the colour wheel; pink is a warmer colour than yellow.

I also don't quite agree with the Sephora video. Your body can have a different undertone to your face and neck. I don't think that's a completely reliable test.

There are other tests...
The Vein Test ~ Look at your underarm. If your veins are more blue, you're "cool"; if they're more green, you're "warm"; if they're a bit of both, you're "neutral". This isn't exactly reliable, though, either. (My veins are more on the blue side, but the better foundation matches for my skintone are more neutral-to-warm (yellow).)

The White Paper Test ~ Hold up a white piece of paper to your face and see what colours it brings out. (You can also do a similar test with a white t-shirt.)

The Jewelry Test ~ If you look better in silver jewelry, you're "cool". If you look better in gold jewelry, you're "warm". If either colour looks good on you, you're "neutral".

And here's MAC's foundation finder...
http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/158/13055/Foundation-Finder/index.tmpl

Apr 29, 2011

Jane A.

Thanks. Yes, MAC is what confuses me. Cause in MAC I'm a cool, but by doing some of the other tests, it seems like I'm more Neutral/Warm. 

May 2, 2011

Tamara R.

If you're ever looking for help with undertones, get the person helping you to talk in terms of colour (pink, yellow, olive, golden etc..) rather than warm/cool. The incosistencies between companies can be confusing, but if you can pin down a colour (or two) it makes it easier.

Most people carry a bit more pink in their faces compared to their body because of the extra exposure to sun & wind. That's something to take into consideration so that your skin is uniform across body parts.