The Importance of Knowing Your Skin Undertones

Why is this important? With the correct colors your skin tone will appear radiant and glowing, your eyes will appear brighter and clearer, your hair will reflect highlights and you will hear compliments - such as "You look great"!
With the wrong colors your skin tone will appear tired and drained, your eyes may appear shadowed, dark circles and even your teeth can appear with a slight yellow hue.

What are skin undertones?
Skin undertones are the colors that lie beneath the skin. Undertones are the colors that are cast like a shadow beneath your skin color. The shadow has a distinct color which never changes. While the tone of your skin color can change very easily your undertone never changes.

We all fall into a group and the group consists of cool, neutral, warm and olive. Let me explain what each group means

COOL
If you have a cool undertone you will have a pink, red or you may even have a bluish undertone to your skin.
Examples: Scarlett Johansson, Michelle Trachtenberg and Keira Knightley.

WARM
If you have a warm undertone you will have a yellow or golden undertone to your skin.
Examples: Nicole Kidman, Chelsea Clinton and Gillian Anderson.

NEUTRAL
This is where it gets a bit complicated! If you are a neutral this means you either have a mix of cool and warm undertones or no distinguishable undertones at all.
Examples: Dita Von Teese, Alyssa Milano, Kelly Clarkson and Victoria Beckham.

OLIVE
People who fall in this category will have green/brown undertones. Typically olive skin is a darker complexion that is naturally tanned, however can be lighter in color as well. Fair olive-skinned people have light skin that in cold weather may seem "fair" or "pale", but a slight but usually noticeable olive hue remains.
Examples: Salma Hayek, Eva Mendes and Jessica Alba.

So how do you figure out which category you fall into? Below I will list some tips and tricks I have picked up along the way to help you figure it out.

Vein Test – In a natural light look at the inside of your wrist if the veins appear blue you have a cool undertone, if they appear more green you have a warm undertone. If you can’t really tell or you think you see a mixture of both then you may be neutral

Ponytail Test – pull all your hair back away from your face in a ponytail or headband and thoroughly cleanse your face. Place a white towel or cloth around your shoulders. If your face looks more yellow this would indicate a warm undertone, whereas a bluish reflection would mean a cool undertone.

Silver/Gold Test – if you think you think gold is more flattering against your skin this may indicate a warm undertone. People with a cool undertone usually look better in silver. If, however you think bronze looks more flattering against your skin then you may be neutral.

Genetic natural color of eyes and hair - As a rule, normally people with blue, green or grey eyes with blonde, black or brown hair have a cool skin tone. Additionally, cool skin tones will have a pink or rosy undertone. Those people with brown, black, or hazel eyes and have black, brown, blond, red, or strawberry blond hair are usually have a warm skin tone and have a golden or apricot undertone. However, there are always exceptions to the rule when trying to determine your skin tone by the color of your hair and eyes.