How do I know if my undertone is warm or cool? Let’s dive in!
Have you ever stood in front of your closet, wondering why some colors make you look vibrant while others seem to wash you out? Understanding warm and cool undertones is one of the 3 colour dimensions that can be key to unlocking your best look yet. So, let’s dive into the colorful world of warm and cool undertones and how it’s determined!
What are Warm and Cool Undertones?
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of seasonal color analysis, let’s break down what warm and cool undertones actually mean. Your undertone is the subtle hue underneath your skin’s surface that affects how colors appear against your complexion. Warm undertones have hints of yellow, peach, or gold, while cool undertones lean towards pink, blue, or red. This is a part of your genetics – your skin’s unique balance of carotene and hemoglobin.
Different Approaches
When I first began my colour analysis journey, it began as a keen interest. Like many who begin to dive into the world of colour analysis, I was convinced that I could self analyze using just what was available on the internet as a tool. In many colour analysis systems the first step in to determine if your skin tone is warm or cool. The issue that I ran into was the there are many colour analysis systems and they all have different ways of determining undertone.
Vein and Tan/Burn Test
One method that I saw referenced continually online was that a quick way to gauge your undertone is by examining the veins on your wrist. If your veins appear more greenish, you likely have warm undertones, while blue or purple veins indicate cool undertones. I also saw methods that suggested that those who tan easily are warm toned and those who burn with sun exposure are cool toned. The issue with this method is that it is divorced from what you can observe to make your skin glow, hair shine and eyes sparkle. Using these methods I would have incorrectly self analyzed as having a cool undertone as my veins are blue and I tend to burn in the sun.
Jewellery Test
Another method is to determine your undertone by which metals looks best on you. Gold metals looking best would indicate a warm skin undertone and silver metals looking best would indicate a cool undertone. This is a more effective test as it actually looks at your skin and what is working or not working with it. The downside is that sometimes jewellery alone cannot give us a clear idea of whether warm or cool is ideal for your skin tone because there can be colour interference (from the clothes you are wearing, the makeup you have on, hair colouring etc) and it may be too small of an accessory to have the impact you may need to see the difference that the right undertone makes. There is also a high chance of user error in this method as we often have many biases when it comes to what tone of jewellery we prefer and when performing this test on oneself without any colour analysis training, you may not be aware of what the colour analysis checks are.
So what is the best method to determine your undertone?
The best way is to have a professional determine your undertone by viewing your skin (without makeup on and reducing colour interference) in full spectrum light against warm and cool colours. Colours that make your skin appear radiant and even are in harmony with your skin undertone.
Conclusion
Understanding your seasonal undertone isn’t just about following fashion trends – it’s about embracing your natural beauty and enhancing it with colors that truly complement you. The best way to determine your seasonal undertones is to have a professional assessment.
