How to Choose Mineral Makeup for Your Skin Tone

Warm, Cool, Olive, Yellow, "Winter, "Spring"... Okay, Okay! Everybody says you have to know what your skin tone is in order to find the right makeup, but no one tells you simply and clearly how to figure it out! Let's see if I can try to make it easy.

Your skin tone is based on the 'undertone' of your skin and will never change, no matter how much your skin shade may vary (tan during summer, lighter as you age, for example). Here is a very simple way to determine your skin tone - If more than three of these characteristics in each category applies to you, you have that skin tone:

You are a Cool Skin Tone if: You have Blue or Green eyes, your skin has a pinkish cast, you sunburn and/or freckle easily, the veins in your wrist appear green, you have natural blond, red or lighter colored hair, you look good in pink, orange and purple clothing, you can wear fuschia lipstick.

You are a Warm Skin Tone if: You have Brown or Hazel eyes, your skin has a yellowish or golden cast, you tan easily, the veins in your wrist appear blue, you have brown or darker hair color, you look good in brown, beige and navy clothing, you can wear coral lipstick.

You are a Neutral Skin Tone if: No more than 2 characteristics in each of the above categories applies to you! For example: if you have brown hair, you sunburn and freckle easily, and you look great in pink, but can look good in a coral lipstick (not at the same time, please!), then you most likely have a neutral skin tone. In the case of neutral skin, it's important to keep basic color theory in mind.

Know your skin tone - or rather your skin's undertone - now? Great! Let's move on to choosing the right mineral makeup for your skin tone!

Mineral Foundation: You'll want to choose mineral foundation that best matches your skin tone. While it's virtually impossible to find a perfect match, as long as you follow the guidelines for your skin tone and stay within a shade or two, you'll find a foundation that works beautifully for you.

Cool: Choose a foundation with a pink or blue undertone to it. Names like 'blush ivory' and 'rose beige' hint towards a cool shade.

Warm: Choose a foundation with a yellow undertone to it. Names like 'buff ivory' and 'honey beige' point towards a warm shade.

Neutral: Choose a foundation with as neutral an undertone as possible. Names like 'light ivory' and 'medium beige' hint at neutrality.

Mineral Bronzer: It's important, if you use Bronzer, to follow this basic rule of thumb for color choice as well.

Cool: Choose a Bronzer with a slightly orange undertone.

Warm: Choose a Bronzer with a slightly yellow undertone.

Neutral: You should be able to go with either an orange or yellow undertone, but base your choice on which clothing color normally looks best on you. If you normally look better in brown than pink, go with a Bronzer with a yellow undertone.

Mineral Blush: Many women will go without foundation or eye shadow, but few go without Blush! Everyone needs a bit of color on their cheeks to look healthy. Follow these guidelines to pick the shades that will look most natural on you.

Cool: Choose colors in the mauve or berries family to look most natural on your skin. Try pinks, plums and roses for a beautiful look.

Warm: Choose colors in the red, brown or tawny family to look best for your skin tone. Try bronzes, corals, and reds for a beautiful look.

Neutral: Base your choices on the colors that normally look great on you - if you look better in blue clothing than in purple, go with a coral shade!

Mineral Eye Shadow: While many women choose eye shadows that compliment their eye color, it's even more important to choose colors that compliment your skin tone! If you choose colors based on your skin tone, your eyes will just 'pop'! And remember: lighter shades emphasize while darker shades minimize.

Cool: Choose purples and lavenders, pinks, beiges with pink undertones, browns with red undertones and bronze.

Warm: Choose browns, beiges, taupes, blues, greens, peaches and gold.

Neutral: Choose shades that will compliment your skin tone, but as a neutral, you can really focus on complimenting your eye color! In general, cool colors compliment lighter eyes while warm colors compliment darker eyes.

Now, this system works great when you're in the department store and can hold a foundation up to the light or against a white background to check the undertone, but how to you choose Mineral Makeup from online sources? It's definitely harder, and you'll have to read descriptions quite carefully. But the best way is to ask!

Shoot an email over to the seller and ask lots of questions! Be as detailed as possible: describe your coloring, tell them what shades of popular brand makeup look best on you, tell them what color clothes look great on you! Ask for their advice in choosing the best shades for you from their product line. Make sure the seller has a refund or return policy, or at least a procedure for working with you on a better shade if they've recommended or you've chosen one that isn't successful.

I hope this guideline has helped solve the "Skin Tone Mystery" for you! Once you know how to determine your skin tone, you'll be choosing the most flattering and complimentary colors for you and looking your absolute best!

See my other Squidoo lenses for information on Buying Mineral Makeup, Mineral Makeup Ingredients and Mineral Makeup Application Tips!

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