What Is Your Undertone?

Wednesday, July 9, 2014


Warm VS Cool

Did you know that each person falls under an undertone category? (I am not talking about skin tone which is entirely unrelated) Have you ever noticed those times when you are praised and complimented more depending on the clothes you wear, the lipstick shade you have on or even the jewelries you are using. You should know what compliments your complexion and this is why it is vital to know your undertone.

Knowing our correct undertone can help us vary our make-up, accessories, and clothes that will flatter our complexion. But it is not easy to detect what undertone one has. There is not one particular way to be surely right, but there are many tricks that you can try to discover your undertone. Try experimenting on your own with my few tips.  

First off, there are two kinds of undertone: warm and cold. Though there are those that claim that they have both and are called neutrals or combinations.

Warm undertones are complimented when wearing neutral or earth shades - like brown, bronze, gold, cream, orange, orange-red, yellow and some shades of green.  It is often found on fair to medium skin tones. Most Asians have warm undertones. 

Cold undertones are being praised when wearing bold colors. Like white, violet, some shades of green, pink, red and blue. Oceanic shades suits cold undertones well. It is often found on very fair and dark skin tone. 

Let us begin then...

1.  Observe what shade/s you are most radiant with. Try to check your wardrobe, what is inside your closet is usually a tell-tale sign. Did you notice a color preference?  Most often than not, we pick clothes with the shade/s you look good in or complimented the most.

2.  Find a room with a lot of natural light.  Standing by the window would greatly help.  Put your wrist on a white paper/platform. Check your veins. Do you have green or blue veins? If you have green veins you have a warm undertone. If you have blue veins, you have a cool undertone. 

What if it seems you have both?  This is the reason why some are considered Neutral, because some people both have the colors of vein in one wrist. 

Which undertone you think I have below on the sample picture?



3.  Check what accessories flatters your complexion. Warm undertones tend to use more gold or bronze colored accessories while cold undertones choose to wear silver or white gold. Rose gold works for them too because of the pink undertone of rose gold.  Knowing what jewelry suits you can even help you and your partner find the perfect rings for your engagement and wedding. 

Which jewelry favors the model more? Is it the gold or silver?



4.  Try wearing a plain white top.  No make-up.  Tie your hair and look at the mirror.  Look at your skin.  Are you more yellowish, bluish or greenish? Yellowish means you are warm, bluish means you are cold and greenish means combination.

Have you managed to answer the sample pictures above? The answers are:

First photo - I have a green vein which means I have warm undertone.

Second and Third photo - Gold compliments my skin tone.


It is great to be aware of these things, remember that some people are afraid to tell you if something doesn't look good on you or not everyone is as honest as you want them to be. At least if you know your undertone, you now have a basis for your next purchases that can greatly help you look your best.  Experiment and enjoy!


I made this color wheel for the different shades under Warm and Cool that I hope will be helpful as a guide:


10 comments

  1. You are really a beauty expert when it comes to this topic. More women readers will surely find your article informative.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, anything related to beauty and fashion is really my passion. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. This really sets apart people on what their undertone based on their specific preferences.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great article! I have warm undertones. I used to really like wearing gold circle earrings because they compliment my skin color well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Im warm undertone!! Ive always loved wearing earth tone colours! I like this article! Bookmarked it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. We have the same undertone. I love earth colors too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your article deserves a share, I am warm undertone, I love being with others and find it very beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Finally, I am convinced that I do have a warm undertone! Haha. Thanks! :)

    ReplyDelete

Latest Instagrams

© All About Beauty 101. Design by Fearne.