Congratulations to the Indian beauty community, as the makeup world finally recognizes the diversity of brown skin tones. With the introduction of more inclusive shades in foundation and concealer lines, expect to sift through quite a few options before finding the perfect match. A little bit of birdie tells us that while some of you are still browsing the web to find the best foundations, some of you are completely lost in the complexity of skin tones and undertones. Honestly, we understand your dilemma. Mastering the different shades of 101s skin has taken us a while as well.
Luckily, we’ve provided the right tips and tricks that can help you decode your undertones with ease. Below, we will delve into how to check your undertones with some quick tests. So, without further delay, let’s get started about everything you should know about undertones and how to identify them on Indian skins.
The difference between skin tone and undertones
For the layman, your skin tone and your undertone are not the same thing. Simply put, our skin tone refers to the color of the top or surface of the skin. Divided into four categories, skin tone is generally categorized as fair on the other hand, and undertone indicates the subtle tones that lie beneath the surface of the skin. While melanin deposits on our epidermis determine the color of our skin, unlike skin tone, undertones are permanent and do not change. There are usually three umbrella terms – warm undertones, cool undertones and neutral undertones, although some other categories do exist.
While it is commonly believed that Indian skin tones usually have warm undertones, it must be noted that this is a misconception. Skin tones and undertones are independent of each other. For fairer skin tones, the reverse is also true.
Types Of Undertone
Before we dive into how to check your undertones, it’s important to know your basics. As mentioned earlier, there are three groups of undertones, namely warm undertones, cool undertones and neutral undertones. While warm undertones are skin tones with slight yellow and gold tones, having cool undertones means that you have pink and blue tones under the surface of your skin. However, neutral tones indicate a mix of warm and cool tones under the skin.
How to check your undertone
Now that you have officially understood the concept of undertone, let’s learn how to determine the undertone of Indian skin.
1. Check Your Veins
Considering the color of your veins is probably the easiest way to understand your base color. All you need to do is grab your wrist and check whether your veins are green, blue or a mixture of both colors. If you belong to warm undertones for those who have blue or purple veins, identify yourself as having cool undertones. However, if you have a mixture of green and blue veins, then you definitely belong to the neutral base color category. For absolute accuracy, check the veins around the color neck and face to better identify your undertones.
2. Throw On Some Jewellery
If you favor gold over silver jewelry, then it’s likely to make you look super sexy! And, guys, this is a pretty obvious sign that you most likely have warm undertones. On the other hand, silver jewelry looks very flattering on people who prefer cooler tones. Can’t decide whether silver or gold looks better? Lucky gurlll, you probably have neutral tones, and of course, more reasons to splurge on lots of jewelry!
3. Try A White T-shirtg
One of the easiest ways to find out your base color is to test it with a white T-shirt. If you don’t have one now, simply take a piece of white paper instead. Determine if you have warm, cool or neutral undertones by placing a white T-shirt or white paper against your face in natural light. If you think your face is yellowish and would look better in a cream or beige shade, then you can choose warm tones on the other hand, cool undertones appear pink on white paper or white cloth. If your base color is neutral, you will notice that you tend to favor pure white and beige base colors.
4. Assess Your Skin’s Reaction To The Sung
An easy way to easily understand your undertones is to assess how your skin reacts to sun exposure. We have noticed that they usually burn polite UV rays first and then cause a tan.
5. Consider Your Eye And Hair Colour
Are your eyes and hair light or dark? You’d be surprised what these unique features about you can indicate about your undertones. While it’s not a foolproof method, people with dark hair and eye color can have warm undertones. On the other hand, lighter eye and hair colors may indicate that your skin tone may be cool.
Remember, knowing your base color plays a key role in creating an eye-catching look. From foundations to concealers and even lipstick, we urge you to choose each piece of makeup you buy wisely based on your undertone!