Shopping for makeup that matches your skin can be a bit of a minefield if you’re unsure what colour to get. So, we’ve cleared up the differences between skin tone and undertone to help turn you from clueless to clued-up.
Skin tones
Your skin tone is determined by the depth of colour in your complexion. The skin tone range typically includes extra light, light, medium, medium dark, dark and extra dark.
Shop our different skin tone ranges
Undertones
Regardless of the skin's tone, there'll be either a rosy, golden or neutral undertone that runs through it.
What's your skin's undertone?
- Make sure not to confuse your undertone with any discolouration or pigmentation you may have.
- For example, although the lady in the image has redness, her skin's undertone beyond the discolouration is very golden.
- Not sure which you are? No problem, read on...
Warm undertone
Look at your bare face in natural light. If you see mostly pinky/red tones, you have a rosy undertone.
Cool undertone
Look at your bare face in natural light. If you see mostly golden/yellow tones, you have a golden undertone.
Neutral undertone
Look at your bare face in natural light. If you see both pinky and golden tones, or can't make out a dominant tone, you have a balance of both and therefore a neutral undertone.