How do I work out if I'm warm or cold undertones for foundation?

[Howaboutthisone]

I currently wear intensity 1.0 in double wear light which is a bit dark on me. I'm thinking of trying out the cheaper rimmel perfect match. And in the past have used mac but not been totally convinced by the colour match NW15.
I've heard a lot about this warm/cool undertones thing and am not sure how to work it out!

I'm not sure, but I do sympathise.

I visited the clinique counter for a foundation and we found a shade match which she put on me. I said whilst the colour was perfect, it didn't look like 'me'. She said it was probably too pinky and that I had golden undertones, so we tried another shade which was a much better match.

I'm never sure how to work it out either i'm afraid (although I do know I'm not good in yellow toned foundations). However, as regards DW light, they do now have Intensity 0.5 which is a lighter than 1.0. Might be worth getting a sample of that to try if you like DWL.

Look at the veins inside your wrist-are they more blue, more green or bluey-green? Blue tends to mean cool undertones (e.g. pinker skin), green means warm undertones (e.g. yellower skin) and blue-green means neutral undertones. This isn't foolproof though and can be difficult to tell. It also only works if you're Caucasian (which I'm guessing you are given the foundation shades you've mentioned.)

There's a guide on the Lily Lolo website - here

Also, if MAC say you're NW that (weirdly) means they think you have cool skin (so more pink than yellow). NW stands for neutral warm, which is for cool skin, while NC stands for neutral cool, which is for warm skin. Go fi

Go figure! If your skin is more yellow than pink you may find you're better off with an NC shade.

I read somewhere that if you suit gold jewellery more than silver you are likely to be 'warm' and vice versa

Thank you! It's all so confusing! I have got a sample of the double wear light 0.5 now. So I'm getting from the NW/NC thing that NW is for cool skin as its trying to neutralise you by giving you more warmth and vice versa?

Don't know but if you can splurge I wholeheartedly recommend Chantecaille Future Skin (in a pot). If you have a Space NK near to you that carries the brand they will match you up (they have a great range of shades inc alabaster and porcelain).

I think that's the logic-it seems the wrong way round to me! Most (caucasian) people do suit a slightly more yellow tones foundation but not all. In my kit for instance I carry 6 yellow tones and 3 pink tones for mixing.

Hi, I'm a trained colour consultant and this is a question that crops up time and time again. If you imagine a line where warm is at one end and cool is at the other, everyone will sit on this line somewhere. So for example Sarah Ferguson is really warm skinned so will sit way up there whereas Holly Willoughby who is also warm skinned will be nearer to the middle because her undertone isn't as strong.

You can check your own colouring by holding up a baby-pink (cool) piece of fabric in front of you. It's best done in natural daylight. You can use any fabric - a blouse, husbsnd's shirt, a towel...Now do the same with something peach (warm). What's happening to your complexion. If the peach washes you out, you're definitely a cool. If the pink makes you look odd - sometimes it can even make your skin look a little blue, they you have a warm skin tone. If you can't really see a difference chances are you're nearer the middle so a more neutral foundation is better.

Oh golly have I confused you even more? This might help if you're interested iwontwearsludgebrown.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/kapow-colour-is-magic.html

Thank you! I'm still trying to get my head around it but that definitely helps!

No 7 consultants have a gadget that they use to colour match your skin, which told them that I have warm undertones.

So if the peach makes you come alive, you're warm?

Oh I really like that blog and I normally hate them for some reason.

I was coloured-matched to NW20 in MAC foundations but this always made me too orange (even before oxidisation!). Cool toned foundations make me look too pink/odd, while yellow foundations (most of bobbi brown) make me look chalky/jaundice. I have finally worked out that I'm neutral-toned ie I have pink and yellow tones and a lot of beige ... doesn't help you at all, but my veins do look blue-green. I never found a colour-match in estee lauder foundations. My best match is in Giorgio Armani foundation (hopefully this will help the other neutral toners among us!).

If you're NW then you are cool toned, that's with pinkish skin.

Mac is too orange for me though, I'm a NW 20, not tried a 15 though.

I usually google for colour suggestions, there's LOADS on the net. So, I choose a foundation then google 'what shade in Revlon for NW 20 skin' then read reviews and choose a lighter tone according to reviews. I've saved a lot of money doing this.

The vein test doesn't work. I've got olive skin and green veins but cool undertones. Definite suit pink instead of peach and silver jewellery. Same with indian people for example, most people would say they yellow undertones and yet they suit pinks and silver.

That's probably not very clear, I mean people from India, for example.

Absolutely SinglePringle. Your skin will look much fresher than the pink (or vice versa if you're a cool). Ladies with sallow (yellow) skin often get confused thinking they're warm skinned. Actually they're not, they look stunning in bright pinks, sapphire and emerald and lousy in peach.

I struggle with the veins test although we were taught this - sometimes when you have a tan, it's really hard to see the true colour of the vein.

Don't get me started on colour, it's my favourite subject in the whole world lol x

Dame out of interest are you sand beige in revlon? NW20 is a MAC shade, not a generic colour - so if MAC is too orange then you don't mean you are actually NW20?

Sludge - how would you define warm toned then, if not more yellow? I'm confused!

Walnut8, warm toned skin is more golden sometimes (but not always) with freckles. Some ladies have a yellow or sallow undertone which is where it becomes confusing - after all yellow is a warm colour. Let's just say it's an exception to the rule. They can look dreadful in warm colours. Ladies of eastern origin and even some mediterraneans have sallow skin and suit cooler colours. Honestly the transformation when a woman wears a bad colour and then a good colour is incredible.

Have a look at the link that I posted above and particularly some of my earlier blog posts, it might help. Mind you, don't listen to me, I'm a rule breaker (but I know my limits)!

Walnut, I'm just a bit lighter than NW 20 in Mac, I'm natural beige iirc in Revlon colour stay,I can actually wear buff, natural or sand beige depending on the look I want our how tanned I am

I don't think the preferring gold or silver jewelry is reliable. I know warm toned friends who only wear silver, and I think it's because we are in our late thirties and gold jewelry was seen as a bit naff when we were younger!

So it's a marker, but take your individual preferences into account too!

Wow such a complicated matter! Thank you all and sludgebrown I've just manage to read the blog post and its great. Will try to read more when my little monkeys are asleep! Great idea re google and reviews dame thanks!