how to REALLY tell if you have A warm or cool undertone
If you’ve struggled to figure out your skin’s undertone, you are in good company! Undertones are one of the most often confused, and confusing, aspects of personal color typing. Knowing whether you are warm or cool is essential, and usually the first step to finding your most flattering colors. Warm colors like camel, mustard and orange are more in harmony on someone with warmth in their skin, while cool colors like silver-grey, cobalt blue and lavender will flatter someone with cool undertones. Bear in mind that undertones exist on a spectrum. Some individuals may be very cool or warm, while others are closer to neutral. Nevertheless, everyone leans one way of the other. So you could be a cool-neutral or a warm-neutral. This level of refinement come with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of your color type. But to begin, how do you first determine if your undertone is warm or cool?
THE VEIN TEST
Let’s start by eliminating a few pieces of common advice that are confusing and not terribly helpful to determining your undertone. For example, you may have heard of the “Vein Test”. According to this oft-cited rule , you need only take a look at your veins - if they are green or greenish-blue, you have warm underones, and if they are blue or purple you have cool undertones. The problem with this advice is that veins can be difficult to see on some people, and for those we can see there is often a mix different colors. Plus, how green? How blue? What are you supposed to compare your veins with to even tell what color they are? Personally, as someone with a cool undertone I have veins that appear more green, some that are turquoise or teal, as well as some that appear deep purple. This test gets me nowhere!
THE METALS TEST
The second-most common rule of thumb is to evaluate which looks better against your skin, gold or silver. While this advice could work in theory with a big enough piece of metal (and by big enough, I mean something at least the size of your face), in reality most jewelry is not substantial enough in size to really be able to tell. Most earrings, rings, necklaces and bracelets are just too dainty compared to our faces, and for that reason most people can wear ANY color of metallic jewelry just fine. Which is good news for those of us cool-toned people who love gold, and those warm-toned people who love silver!
Let’s say you’ve tried the vein test and metals test, and like me, you were left with more questions than answers. Here’s what to do:
THE DRAPE TEST
The best way to tell if you have warm or cool undertones is to drape yourself in the following colors, take photos, and compare the results. By “drape” I mean, you can either literally drape fabric around your shoulders as we would do in my color studio, or you can put on a shirt, blouse or sweater. If you are using a garment for your drape, make sure it is a solid color, without a printed design. Do your draping test in natural daylight, wearing minimal to no makeup, and take photos of yourself.
GREY VS. TAN
Start by comparing yourself in a cool grey versus a warm tan. You don’t need an exact match to the colors shown in the image here; just be sure the grey you choose is cool/neutral and the tan is warm/golden. Any medium-value colors work best, neither extremely light (close to white) nor very dark (close to black). If you are cool or cool-neutral, the grey will bring out a healthy warmth in your skin, making you look clearer, brighter, and more even toned. By comparison, tan may make you appear sickly, grey, or tired. If you are warm or warm-neutral, the tan will make your skin brighter and more glowy, while the grey will bring out shadows and unevenness, and may even make you appear jaundiced.
WHITE VS. CREAM/IVORY
Next, try draping yourself in a clear bright white, and warm ivory/cream. Take photos and compare the images side-by-side. While you may look OK in both colors, you should find that one suits you better than the other. If you have a cool or cool-neutral undertone, the pure white will make your features “pop”, while the creamier color will have a dulling effect on you. If you have a warm or warm-neutral undertone, the cream/ivory will give your skin have a subtle glow, while the pure white will bring out shadows and unevenness. If you’re still not sure which is best, ask a friend! Sometimes it’s hardest to be objective about our own selves.
There you have it! I hope you found this illuminating and helpful to figuring out your skin undertone. Knowing your undertone is just the first step in your color journey. If you would like to learn more, or have a personal color typing done virtually or at my studio, visit my Services page at ColorByTamara.com.