What's My Undertone? Cool, Warm, or Neutral

Why undertone matters more than skin color

Two people can have the same skin tone (light, medium, deep) but completely different undertones. Undertone is the underneath hue beneath your skin's surface color.

Knowing your undertone changes:

• Which foundation shade matches you (pink-based vs yellow-based)
• Which lipstick reads as your-lips-but-better vs costume-y
• Which gold or silver jewelry brightens you
• Which color season you fall into

Test 1: the wrist vein test

Look at the inside of your wrist in natural daylight. The veins should be visible.

• Blue or purple → cool undertone
• Green → warm undertone
• Mix of both / hard to tell → neutral, keep testing

This test is the easiest, but it's only about 70% accurate. Indoor lighting throws it off. Pale skin reads more blue, deeper skin reads more green by default. Take a picture in daylight if you're unsure.

Test 2: silver vs gold

Hold a silver piece (real silver, white gold, or platinum) against your collarbone. Then hold a yellow gold piece. Look in a daylight mirror.

• Silver makes your skin glow → cool undertone
• Yellow gold makes your skin glow → warm undertone
• Both look fine → neutral
• Both look slightly off, but rose gold looks great → likely olive

Test 3: white vs cream

Hold a pure white piece of paper or fabric under your chin. Then a cream or warm off-white. Compare in daylight.

• White brightens you, cream looks dingy → cool
• Cream warms you up, white looks harsh → warm
• Both work → neutral

The third undertone most guides skip: olive

Olive undertone is the secret fourth option. It's most common in Mediterranean, South Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and East Asian skin. Olive sits between warm and cool, with a slight green-yellow cast.

You're likely olive if:

• Wrist vein test gives you a mix of green and blue
• Silver and yellow gold both look slightly off, but rose gold or copper looks great
• Most "warm" foundations look orange on you, most "cool" foundations look pink, and you can't find your match
• People say you have a "Mediterranean" or "ethnic" tone

If you're olive, look for foundation lines with explicit olive shades (NARS, Rare Beauty, Mac NC range, Fenty 'Olive' shades).

What your undertone decides

Once you know your undertone, you can quickly answer:

• Color season: warm undertone → Spring or Autumn. Cool → Summer or Winter. Then depth and brightness narrow it down.
• Foundation: warm = yellow-based shade, cool = pink-based, neutral = balanced, olive = olive-specific.
• Lipstick: warm undertones glow in coral, peach, terracotta, brick. Cool in rose, berry, mauve, true red.
• Best metals: warm = yellow gold and copper, cool = silver and platinum, olive = rose gold and copper.

What knowing your undertone unlocks

Undertone is small, but it quietly decides a lot of your daily choices.

Foundation and jewelry

Warm skin matches yellow-based foundation and glows in gold; cool skin wants pink-based foundation and silver. Get this right and your base stops looking grey or orange and your jewelry finally looks intentional.

Your whole color palette

Undertone is the first fork on the road to your color season. Warm leads to Spring or Autumn, cool to Summer or Winter. Once you know it, your flattering colors and best lipsticks fall into place fast.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to what people ask most. Want a definitive read on your own coloring? The free face scan gives you your season, palette, and the colors to skip in 30 seconds.