guest post: how do i find out my skin's undertones?

We've all been there, you put your makeup on in the house, go outside and realise you look a hideous shade of orange. This is a nightmare I'm sure we’d all like to avoid and it can be avoided if you match your foundation to your undertones not your overtones. You obviously try and match your foundation to your skin colour but you also need to take into account whether you are warm, cool or neutral toned.
A person with dark skin can have the same undertones as a person with light skin. Once you figure out your skin tone it will help you find makeup, choose clothes and even decide what hair colour would suit you.

First of all let’s go through the different skin tones there are:
Warm - Having a warm skin tone is the most common skin tone to have. You will have a yellow undertone to your skin meaning that you need a yellow based foundation. You would look amazing with peachy/gold/orange blushes to enhance your golden skin tone.
Cool - Cool skin tones have a red or pink undertone to the skin. This means that your foundation is going to need a slightly pinkish tint to it in order to match your face. Jewel colours like sapphire and emerald also look great on you.
Neutral - You’re a combination of the two. If you find that your skin appears to have some yellowish undertones and some pinkish undertones then you are a neutral tone. This means that most colours will suit you but you might be more drawn to one side more than the other. You may need to use a combination of different foundations, try mixing your own palette to try and find your perfect match.

Now that you know what skin tones there are, try some of these tricks to determine yours: 
A tried and tested trick for finding your skin tone is to look at your forearms. Are your veins green or blue? If they are blue you are more likely to be cool toned whereas greenish veins suggest a warm skin tone. 
Your jewellery can be a big indicator in your skin tone. Which colour do you prefer to wear - silver or gold? Is this because it compliments your skin the best? Take a piece of gold and silver jewellery and place them against you cheek, if you look better next to the gold you have a warm skin tone but if you look better next to the silver then your skin tone is cool.
Did you know that you can even check your skin tone using different coloured fabrics? Take a piece of green cloth and a piece of red cloth and hold them up against your face (the same way as the jewellery). Which one looks better against your skin? If the answer is the green one you are cool toned and if it’s red - warm toned. 

Once you have determined your skin tone here are some tips to help you get your makeup just right:

- Take advantage of free testers.

- Test your foundation on your cheek, your jaw and your neck.

- Try at least 3 different shades you think could be a match.

- Try to match foundation to your skin colour and don’t try and get one darker in the hopes it will make you look tanned - this doesn't work.

- Take another look at the testers outside in natural light to find the best shade.

- Take a step back from the mirror and look at your whole face.

- Remember less is more so don’t opt for full coverage unless you absolutely need it - medium coverage should be enough for most people day to day.

Thanks to Ashleigh at House of Fraser for providing the guest post, I certainly learned something new!

*Guest post. Image source: House of Fraser.