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.
Of course, the best place to match the foundation is directly on bare skin on your face, but if you can't do that, there are other places you can swatch it. Swatch the foundation on your chest because usually, it's a closer match to the color of your face.
The best place to test whether a foundation is a match for your skin is your neck or jawline. The right shade will seamlessly blend into your skin color and won't leave you looking ashy or ghastly. If it's leaving a whitish cast on your skin or if it's making you look darker, then it's the wrong shade.
Blend The Foundation Lighter Than You
When in doubt, always pick a shade that is slightly lighter than your complexion rather than darker. This can prevent your complexion from looking darker than the rest of your body. It is the safest way to go when unsure about two shades that may look too light or too dark.
Swatch a foundation on your jawbone so you have a little on both, your cheek and your neck. This way you can check if the foundation matches both these areas, an important step in finding a shade that looks natural on your skin.
You should match your foundation to your wrist when shopping for a new shade. "The best place to match a foundation is on the area that you are placing it," noted Lujan.
“Always match foundation on your jawline where your complexion is most even. You want to match both the surface tone and under tone of your skin. It's more important to match the color in your chest than your neck which is normally always slightly lighter than your face.
White Cloth Test: Put a white cloth next to your bare face and observe what cast your skin takes on. Skin with warm undertones will appear yellowish, while skin with cool undertones will seem blueish or pinkish.
In a place with bright, natural light, hold up a piece of printer paper and look at how your skin reacts to it. If your skin looks pinkish against the paper, you probably have cooler undertones; if your skin looks yellow against the paper, you're probably a warm tone.
Grab your wrists and check the veins under them. Those with warm undertones have green colored veins, while blue veins are a sign of a cool undertone. If your veins look bluish-green, you may have a neutral undertone.
Pick the right foundation shade and your skin shouldn't look made up at all. Instead, it should just look like great skin—luminous, healthy, and flawless. Counterintuitively, finding an exact match with foundation or tinted moisturizer isn't the goal, explains Kosas founder Sheena Yaitanes.
Yes, many professional makeup artists and beauty gurus swear by applying liquid foundation with their fingers. This tactile approach provides a skin-like, natural makeup result since you're massaging the makeup onto your skin. Using your fingers works on all skin types and with both cream and liquid foundation.
Fingers are best for a quick and natural application; sponges are good for achieving a flawless finish; and brushes are ideal for full coverage.
This usually means your skincare products underneath are clashing. Always leave enough time for your serums and moisturisers to dry between layers. Applying hydrating serums to damp skin can also help. If foundation separation is your issue, try to use products with similar textures.
If you're not sure, checking the color of your veins is a quick way to find out. Take a look at the veins in and around your face and neck. If you see blue veins, you have cool undertones. If your veins appear green on the skin (olive), you're warm.
Many of us think that we should apply base products all over the face, but this isn't actually the case and is a common foundation mistake. “Too much product on the skin doesn't look natural,” says Naoko.
If your makeup is too light, you will look ashy or as if you have a gray cast on your skin. If the formula is too dark, it can make your complexion look muddy. Look for the shade that disappears into your skin most is your right match.
Women Prefer Men With Yellow, Red Faces. A man with a yellow skin tone (above, right, in a composite photo) is more attractive to women than a man without a yellow skin tone (left, in a composite photo), a new study says.
The Three Main Types of Undertones
Undertones may sound complicated, but there's actually only three main types: cool (pink, red, or bluish undertones), warm (yellow or golden undertones), and neutral (a mix of warm and cool undertones).
The general rule of thumb is that skin with cool undertones look best with greys, browns, blues, greens and purples. Skin with warm undertones look best with either bright or light colors. And skin with neutral undertones looks great in bold, bright colors.
If your skin color is olive, brown and copper blushers are good for you. If you have medium skin color, you should use peachy color. For people with fair and blonde skin color, pink or rose colors are suitable. If you are blond and your skin tone is warm, use beige colors.