How do you pick the best foundation?

How to tell your undertone?

 1.  Check the colour of your veins
Take a good look at the veins on your wrist under natural light for an easy way to determine your undertone. If your veins look green, it is likely you have warm undertones; if they are blue/purple, you have cool undertones. If they appear blue/green or match your skin colour, you most likely have neutral undertones.

 2.  Do you burn or tan?
First things first, always wear sunscreen. Nevertheless, how your skin reacts to UV can also be a big indicator to your undertone. Think about when you hit the beach in summer. If you easily burn your skin likely has cool undertones; where those who tan without burning often have warm undertones.

 3.  Can you wear silver or gold?
There are no rules when it comes to accessories, but one metal often looks the most flattering. Consider which best suits your skin tone. Those with cool undertones tend to suit silver jewellery, and warm tones often are most flattered by gold. If you suit both, your undertone is neutral.

You have a cool undertone if...

Those with a cool skin tone may come across as red, pink, or bluish, and the veins at your wrist appear blue in natural light. You tend to burn in the sun, but not tan. You look best in silver jewellery.

You have a warm undertone if…

Those with a warm skin tone could be described as yellow, peachy, and golden, and the veins at your wrist appear green in natural light. You look best in gold jewellery.

You have a neutral undertone if…

Those with a neutral skin tone can think of olive tones or a mix of those above. Neutral undertones are a balance of warm and cool tones, so you sometimes burn and sometimes tan, and tend to suit both gold and silver jewellery.

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Determine Your Undertones

Determining whether you have warm, cool, or neutral undertones is key to picking the best foundation color to match your skin, so you don't end up looking unnaturally orange or pink. This can be a difficult task for even the most seasoned beauty vet, but Henao breaks it down in a way that’s easy to digest. “I recommend looking at the exposed areas of the body first,” he says. “If your chest and shoulders tend to be more red and pink, it’s safe to say you have pink undertones, or if you’re golden, peach, and yellow, you have warmer undertones. Your face needs to match your body.”

Keep in mind that undertones have nothing to do with how light or dark your complexion is. “Any skin color can have cool, warm, or neutral undertones,” King tells us. “If none of the colors associated with undertones stand out as obvious, you have neutral undertones.”

In addition to matching your foundation color to your natural undertones, you can use these shades strategically to address your specific concerns. For example, if you have redness, foundations with yellow bases (and even green-tinted color-correcting products) can offset that. If you have prominent dark circles that skew blue or purple, using products with peachy or golden undertones can reduce their appearance.