How to Find Your Undertone, According to a Top Makeup Artist

Cheat sheet: Here’s how to find your undertone

Check the veins on the inside of your wrist

Cool undertone	Blue-purple color
Warm undertone	Green
Neutral undertone	Tough to tell

Assess gold vs. silver jewelry

Cool undertone	Silver looks better
Warm undertone	Gold looks better
Neutral undertone	Both look great

Use an online tool

We'll help you find your undertone from a library of 45,000 skin tones.

Expert advice on undertones

To help you determine your undertone, we tapped professional makeup artist Jaleesa Jaikaran, who has invested her talents in perfecting skin tones of all shades. She’s been featured across beauty publications from Glamour to Essence to Refinery29. Follow Jaikaran’s advice and our guide below to figure out your undertone and discover our top product picks.

Skin Overtone vs. Skin Undertone

Skin Overtone: How light or dark your skin appears, which is determined by how much pigment you have in your skin. That tone might change depending on how much sun you get, for instance.

Skin Undertone: Your skin’s underlying hue or cast, which doesn’t vary.

Knowing your undertone is the key to finding the right concealer and foundation shade match. And it can help you determine what shades of blush, lipstick, and eyeshadow will best complement your complexion.

What Are Skin Undertones?

Your skin’s undertone is its underlying hue or cast. Jaikaran explains that the main skin undertones are warm, cool, and neutral. “Warm undertones include golden, yellow or peachy hues,” she explains. “Cool undertones include pink, red or bluish hues.” With neutral skin, both warm and cool tones are present. 

Olive can be considered a fourth undertone, according to Jaikaran. If your skin has either a warm or neutral cast, as well as a slight green shade, you have an olive undertone.

How to Determine Your Undertone

Step 1: Check your veins

Look at the veins on the inside of your wrist. If they have more of a blue-purple color, you are in the cool-toned category. If your veins appear green, you are warm-toned. “If it seems difficult at times to decipher whether your veins are blue or green, it may be an indication that your undertone may be neutral,” says Jaikaran.

Step 2: The jewelry check

You can also examine your jewelry to determine your skin’s undertones. Personal preference aside, does silver or gold jewelry suit you better? If you’re team silver, you may be cool-toned; if gold is for you, you may be warm-toned; if both look equally great, then you are likely neutral-toned.

Step 3: An online tool

Take a 360º selfie video and this virtual shade finder will help you figure out your undertone. With about 45,000 different skin tones to compare your against, this is a powerful digital resource to get personalized results.

How to Choose the Best Makeup for Your Skin Tone

Foundation shade match: Undertone is key 

For complexion makeup like foundation, you want to match as closely as possible to your natural skin tone and undertone. The way to match skin tone to foundation is by noting which blends in the best on you.

Start with your skin tone and then look at two to three different shade options with different undertones, advises Jaikaran. “Use your jawline to test the best option in natural lighting,” she says. “The shade that melts into the skin would be the winner.”

Blush, lipstick, and eye makeup shades: You’ve got more flexibility 

Jaikaran recommends swatching different colors of blush, lipstick, and eye makeup on the inside of your wrist to see which ones pop and which ones look washed out.

“However, you should not limit yourself to makeup that's only your undertone,” says Jaikaran. “A fiery red, although warmer, looks great on every skin tone. As you start identifying the undertone of colors, you'll most definitely have more confidence in choosing your makeup selections.”

Jaikaran’s ultimate advice is to not worry too much about matching your skin tone when it comes to other kinds of makeup beyond complexion products. “Most important, make sure you're experimenting with different techniques and eyeshadow and lipstick shades,” she says. “Always remember, it’s makeup and it's meant to be fun!”

Our Foundation Pick for All Skin Tones

L'Oréal True Match Super Blendable Foundation With 40+ shades that each contain up to six pigments, L'Oréal True Match Super-Blendable Foundation is sure to have a perfect match for you. It’s got a skin-like finish that adapts to any skin tone and texture, locks in moisture, and blends so well that it’s almost like you’re not wearing foundation.

Clean beauty highlights: Vegan, alcohol-free, oil-free, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic.

Makeup Picks for Fair or Light Skin Tones

Fair skin tones often have cool or neutral undertones and are also more prone to redness and skin conditions such as rosacea. However, it’s not uncommon to have light skin with warm undertones.

Pro tip:

• Keep your beauty cabinet stocked with gentle moisturizers and sunscreens with a high SPF.

TikTok Favorites:

The Color Corrector: NYX Pro Fix Stick Correcting Concealer in Green

A green color corrector helps counteract redness on fair to light skin. The NYX Pro Fix Stick Correcting Concealer in Green has a medium-coverage formula that glides on, resists creases, and helps correct, conceal, and brighten. We love that it works over or under foundation, so everyone can choose their personalized redness-reducing routine. Apply a light layer to any red areas, then use your finger (or a concealer brush) to lightly tap and blend.

Clean beauty highlights: Vegan, cruelty-free.

The Expert-Advised Pick: Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation

If you want some help choosing the perfect foundation for you, book a virtual appointment with a beauty expert at Lancôme. They can help you choose the perfect Teint Idole shade for your light-to-fair complexion, which gives a natural, matte finish that lasts up to 24 hours. Even better, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E help deliver hydration and resist caking, creasing, and cracking. 

Clean beauty highlights: Non-comedogenic, mineral oil-free, fragrance-free. 

The Bronzing Pick: Maybelline City Bronzer® Bronzer & Contour Powder Makeup in Light

Bronzer can quickly take on an orange hue on fair and lighter skin tones, so be sure to choose one with a cool or neutral undertone. We like Maybelline City Bronzer® Bronzer & Contour Powder Makeup in Light, because it gives a natural, sun-kissed look and gently contours, too. Whipped cocoa butter delivers a smooth, matte finish.

Makeup Picks for Medium Skin Tones

Medium complexions most likely have neutral undertones, which makes finding products like foundation and concealer easy. Just stay away from anything too warm or too cool. The exception to this rule is an olive-tinged medium tone. If you have olive skin, you likely have warm undertones and tan easily, and Jaikaran warns against choosing a bronzer or foundation that is too reddish.

The Splurge-Worthy Foundation: Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Natural Glow Foundation

Medium skin tones have several shade options in the iconic Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Natural Glow Foundation, and if you have olive-toned medium skin, shade 6 was made just for you. True to its name, this foundation goes on silky smooth for a blurred, airbrushed complexion. It has medium buildable coverage, so it’s still flexible, breathable, and natural-looking.

The Drugstore Foundation: Maybelline New York Fit Me Matte + Poreless Liquid Foundation

If you prefer a foundation with a matte finish, try the Maybelline New York Fit Me Matte + Poreless Liquid Foundation. It has tons of neutral shades and it’s a more budget-friendly option. Not only does this foundation match to your skin tone, but its matte finish also absorbs oil and controls shine, so it’s a great choice for people with oily skin. 

Clean beauty highlights: Non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, oil-free. 

The Concealer Pick: Urban Decay Quickie 24H Full Coverage Waterproof Concealer

Use this waterproof, vitamin-E infused concealer for all-day coverage and hydration that leaves a luxe, matte finish. Those of us with medium-toned skin have five shades to choose from (and there are plenty of options for other skin tones, too). We reach for this to touch up dark circles, blemishes, hyperpigmentation, discoloration, and redness. The unique dual-ended applicator brush means it’s as easy to cover up at home as it is on-the-go.

Clean beauty highlights: Cruelty-free.

Makeup Picks for Deep and Dark Skin Tones

Deep and dark skin tones range from copper and espresso hues to dark brown or ebony, and the undertones can be cool, warm, or neutral.

Pro tips:

• Look for bronzers two to three shades darker than your skin tone.  

• Hyperpigmentation is common for these skin tones, so look for brightening ingredients and don’t forget the SPF.

Product Picks

The Skincare Makeup Combo: IT Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow Lightweight Foundation + Glow Serum with SPF 40

This is one of our makeup bag staples, because it’s a medium-coverage foundation, brightening glow serum, and SPF 40 clear sunscreen protection all in one. As if that weren't enough, the formula hydrates skin for 24 hours thanks to niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and green tea extract. Choose from several deeper shades with varying undertones to get a lightweight, flawless finish.

The Foundation Pick: YSL Beauty All Hours Foundation

The YSL Beauty All Hours Foundation is a luminous matte foundation that we've found maintains its natural-looking finish for up to 24 hours. On top of being long-lasting, it’s got hyaluronic acid (known to hydrate), jasmine (known for brightening), and SPF 30. The formula is also transfer-proof, waterproof, and heat resistant, which means it can stand up to whatever your day has in store.

Clean beauty highlights: Non-Comedogenic, suitable for acne-prone skin. 

The Blush Pick: Urban Decay Hydromaniac Dewy Liquid Blush

We love Urban Decay Hydromaniac Dewy Liquid Blush for darker skin tones because it’s incredibly pigmented, will pop beautifully, and is super easy to blend. The buildable liquid has kombucha and marula oil to help hydrate and plump cheeks up. Even if you’ve got minimal experience with makeup, this formula is easy to apply with fingers or a makeup brush. Just two dots on each cheek is enough.

Clean beauty highlights: Cruelty-free.