How to Find Your Skin Tone and Undertone

Finding the perfect foundation shade or the most flattering colors for your hair, clothes, or makeup all starts with knowing your skin tone. Whether you’re shopping for beauty products or just want to look your best in photos, understanding your skin tone and undertone makes a big difference.

Not sure where to start? In this guide, we’ll break down how to know your skin tone, how to find your undertone, and why it all matters when it comes to your look.

Key Takeaways

Understanding your skin tone is essential for choosing flattering makeup, hair colors, and clothing that complement your natural features. Here are the key takeaways:

• Determining Factors: Skin tone is determined by the amount of melanin, which varies based on genetics and sun exposure.
• Identifying Undertones: Undertones (warm, cool, neutral) help determine which colors suit you best.
• Foundation Matching: Finding the right foundation shade involves matching both your skin tone and undertone.
• Flattering Colors: Knowing your undertone guides you in selecting colors that enhance your complexion.

What Is Skin Tone?

Your skin tone is the surface color of your skin, influenced mostly by genetics and melanin levels. It ranges from fair to deep, and it can shift slightly depending on things like sun exposure or skincare habits. While your skin tone might change over time, especially with tanning, your undertone stays the same.

Understanding your skin tone is key when choosing the right makeup, hair color, and clothing shades that enhance your natural beauty. With the help of a skin color changer, you can easily analyze your complexion and discover the best colors that complement you. Just like personal color analysis, knowing your skin tone helps you make confident, flattering style choices.

The 6 Common Skin Tones

Skin tones generally fall into six categories:

• Fair – Very light, often with porcelain or ivory tones.
• Light – Slightly warmer, sometimes with peach or pink undertones.
• Medium – Neutral or golden in hue, often seen as olive-toned.
• Olive – Slightly green or yellow base, common in Mediterranean skin.
• Tan – Warm, sun-kissed skin that tans easily.
• Dark – Rich brown to deep ebony tones with warm or cool undertones.
  

What Is an Undertone?

If skin tone is the outer color, undertones are the subtle shades beneath the surface. They're what determine whether cool or warm makeup shades look best on you.

Here’s a simple breakdown:

• Cool undertones: Hints of pink, red, or blue
• Warm undertones: Peachy, yellow, or golden hues
• Neutral undertones: A mix of both warm and cool

Understanding how to know your undertone can be a game-changer when it comes to choosing foundation, lipstick, and even clothing colors.

What Affects Skin Tone?

While your skin tone is mostly genetic, other things can play a role too:

• Sun exposure – UV rays can darken your skin or cause uneven pigmentation.
• Lifestyle – Diet, hydration, sleep, and smoking all impact skin health.
• Skincare – Exfoliation, brightening products, or self-tanners can shift the appearance of your tone temporarily.

How to Know Your Skin Tone and Undertone

Here are a few easy ways to figure out your tone and undertone:

1. Check your veins

Look at the veins on your wrist. If they look greenish, you probably have warm undertones. If they look blue or purple, your undertones are likely cool.

2. Try the jewelry test

Gold jewelry tends to look better on warm skin tones, while silver usually flatters cool undertones. If both look good, you’re likely neutral.

3. See how your skin reacts to the sun

If you tan easily, you’re probably warm-toned. If you burn, you likely have cool undertones.

Why It’s Helpful to Know Your Skin Tone and Undertone

Understanding your skin tone makes life easier when it comes to:

• Buying makeup – You’ll pick the right foundation and blush every time.
• Choosing hair color – Some shades pop more depending on your undertone.
• Styling outfits – Certain colors complement your tone better than others.
• Skincare routines – You’ll better understand what your skin needs.
  

Try a Skin Color Changer App to Find Your Tone

If you’re still wondering, “How do I know my skin tone?” or “How can I test my undertone at home?”, the YouCam Makeup app is a great place to start.

With its AI Skin Tone Finder, you can instantly detect your tone and try on foundation shades that actually match. No guesswork and no wrong shades.

Try AI Skin Tone Feature

Plus, the app also offers tools to try on lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, hair color, and even clothes based on your exact tone.

Try AI Skin Tone Feature

Whether you're trying to find the perfect foundation shade or simply understand your skin better, this app uses advanced technology to detect your skin and apply different foundation shades, making it easier to choose cosmetics that match seamlessly.

How to Know Your Undertone and Skin Tone FAQs