Understanding your skin undertones: The guide to choosing better clothing colours, jewellery and skin foundations

Have you ever noticed that wearing certain colours elicit more praises than others? I was first informed about skin undertones by a friend of mine who told me that my undertone was suited to autumn colours. Quite frankly, she was right. I did notice that browns, yellows and beige seemed more complimentary and I was therefore more inclined to buying those colours. So how do we know what type we are?

All skin types are generally divided into three undertones:

·        Warm – Yellow-ish or gold

·        Cool-  Blue, pink or even red

·        Neutral- Either a mixture of both warm and cool or the same colour as your actual skin colour

How do we know what is our undertone?

Vein Colours

One great way to help you figure out your undertone is to look at your vein colour. If they appear greenish, you may have a warm undertone. If you have blue or purple looking veins, you may have a cooler undertone. If your veins appear colourless or match your skin tone, you may be neutral.

Reaction to Sun Exposure

Another great way to tell your skin tone is your reaction to sun exposure. Persons with cool undertones tend to burn easily. Persons with warm undertones tan easily. Persons who are neutral tend to burn and then tan.

How does this knowledge benefit us?

Choosing Jewellery

If you have a warm undertone, you tend to look better in gold. If you have a cool undertone, you look better in silver. If you are neutral, you can get away with either.

Choosing Clothing

Some colours look better with certain undertones:

Warm skin undertone- Honey, Olive, Coral and Cream

Cool skin undertone- Blue, Lavender, Rose and Grey

Neutral skin undertone- Sky Blue, Jade, Red and White

Choosing Skin Foundation

Now that you know your skin undertone, pay attention to foundation colours. Observe the pinkish or yellowish tones in the foundations. If you are a warm undertone, look at my video where I review a few of my favourite foundations!

Moisturise! Moisturise! Moisturise!

I must confess that I’ve been that girl who packs her face with makeup and never really takes time to actually care for her skin. I’m certainly paying for that now. I believe that I have enlarged pores and excessively oil-prone areas encouraged by over washing with harsh products.

While I know every person has their own skin type and skin condition also influenced by the environmental conditions in which they operate, I do believe that there are basic routines that can benefit all.

When I was a teenager, there was a lady in my church whose skin was simply flawless. One day I roused the courage to tell and was rewarded by her secret…”Cleanse…Tone…Moisturise…and Moisturise.” While I know many product lines come with products to deal with all three areas, I believe many of us don’t actually follow through on all…especially the need to moisturise!

Why is Moisturising so important?

Skin is our body’s largest organ and demands attention to remain healthy, youthful and blemish-free. Our body naturally functions to moisturise our skin by producing sebum. Sebum is produced by the body’s sebaceous glands, which coats and moisturises the skin and protects it. The face has close to 900 sebaceous glands per square centimetre of skin!

Unfortunately, as a teenager, I was guilty of over-washing my face believing that it would help me with acne. I ended up with my sebaceous glands overcompensating for my dry skin resulting in an overproduction of sebum in the face. Presently, I am faced with challenges resulting from overly oily skin. While I’ve learned that oil-prone skin is beneficial in the long run as it will keep my face supple, it’s a nightmare to keep makeup intact and maintain a fresh, clean look!

The Benefits of Moisturising

·        Protects your body from irritation and dryness
·        Improves cell function and speeded cell turnover
·        Helps protect against environmental damage
·        Slows the signs of aging
·        Soothes sensitive skin
·        Balances skin complexion
·        Can prevent acne breakout

So do your skin a favour and take the time to moisturise. Your skin will reward you later :)