How To Tell If You're Warm Or Cool

Terms like ‘warm tone’ or ‘cool tone’ get thrown around a lot in the beauty world, especially when it comes to foundation shopping. Which can be confusing if you don’t know what they mean or how it applies to you.

Knowing if you’re a warm or a cool skin-tone is important to finding make-up shades that suit you, and we figured we’d help you and show you exactly how to tell which you are.

Watch on as beautyheaven’s resident make-up artist Bree takes you through the three questions you need to ask yourself to find out.

Can’t wait the video right now? No problem, just take a look at the steps below (but I highly recommend coming back later to watch the full run-down).

THERE ARE THREE SKIN TONES YOU COULD HAVE – WARM, COOL AND NEUTRAL

Take a long, hard look in the mirror

If your skin looks a bit on the yellow side, your skin tone is warm. If it looks a bit more red or pink, then you have a cool skin tone. If you’re still not sure, ask yourself the following questions.

What colour are the veins on your wrist?

If your veins look blue under your skin, then your skin tone is cool, but if it looks greener, then your skin tone is warm. If you can see both, then your skin tone is neutral.

What happens to your skin in the sun?

Think about the last time you spent a few hours in the sun. If you came home burnt, then you have a cool skin tone, but if you found your skin had a golden glow, then your skin tone is warm. Again, if it’s somewhere in between, you’re neutral.

Whar colours look good on you?

If you find that clothes in pinks and red complement your skin, then you’re warm, and if blues and greens look better, then you’re cool. If you’re lucky enough to look good in everything, then you’re neutral.

CHOOSING A FOUNDATION

Once you’ve figure out if you’re warm, cool or neutral, L’Oréal Paris True Match has made it pretty easy for you to find your foundation. Each shade is labeled with a letter and a number. The letter – a W, C or N – is for your skin tone (so if you’re warm, you’d go straight the range of Ws), and the number is for the depth of colour (so if you’re fair you’d go for a one or two). Pretty clever, right?

Are you warm, cool or neutral? Have you tried any of these tricks to help you figure it out?

93 Member Comments

Yohanna 12 May 2017 10:11 PM

I thought I have very warm skin tone, but now I am confused =D

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jessjess1324 26 Dec 2016 7:47 PM

This is really helpful, I have found it so hard to tell the undertone of my skin for many years.

beckytindal 1 Dec 2016 1:33 PM

I have red hair and pale skin, but I like to fake tan often... I have purchased cool toned foundation before but I hate the pinky tone it creates on my skin :(:(:( Help!!

Miss19 9 Nov 2016 2:36 PM

I definitely have warm tones in my skin

Becstar 9 Jul 2016 7:55 PM

I agree knowing if you’re a warm or a cool skin tone is important to finding make up shades that suit you. I am light -medium.

jaydelouise 30 Apr 2016 12:55 PM

Great article. I am cool toned, I burn in the sun :(

CourtneyWhite 18 Apr 2016 11:48 AM

I am a neutral skin tone which i guess it means finding makeup will be 100% easier than being one or the other! definitely need to update my foundation and concealers for winter :)

Seezora 4 Apr 2016 11:05 PM

Awesome - great way of explaining it simply, Bree. Thanks for that. I'm a cool mostly.

duality 3 Apr 2016 8:42 PM

I never knew and found that Loreal guide a while ago and turns out I am neutral. I can wear yellow toned foundations but if I try pink toned I look silly!

talk-a-lot 1 Apr 2016 9:53 PM

I am a warm tone with my skin, knowing the vein trick helps.

lcampi10 13 Mar 2016 12:57 PM

I think I'm neutral but still not entirely sure! I'm very pale but I have a olive skin from my Mediterranean background. So I don't know which way to go.

danical90 22 May 2015 1:19 PM

Im a warm skinned tone. This is a great article

reni267 25 Mar 2015 11:25 AM

I think im warm according to the tanning theory as i don't burn.

fluffnut 17 Feb 2015 3:26 PM

Great article!

Petal 3 Feb 2015 9:51 PM

I had my colours analysed when the Colour Me Beautiful system was popular 30 years ago. I was told that I am a Summer, but I wear Summer and Winter shades i.e. cool tones, silver jewellery. Using the Colour Me Beautiful philosophy, you can wear any colour, but it is the UNDERTONE that determines what looks best. I look great with cool-based blues, pinks, purples, greens and red. Warm-toned blues, pinks etc look horrible on me. I can wear a specific shade of pastel lemon and every other yellow has too much warmth in it. The only brown that looks good on me is a specific taupe.

However, being told that cool-toned clothes are best has not translated into foundation. I seem to have warmth to my skin (especially my décolletage), so I prefer foundations that have some subtle warmth without being too yellow. I'm not sure about the undertone on my face as I have broken capillaries which makes it confusing, but I know that a pink-based foundation doesn't quite look right. Even better is when I can find a foundation that is neutral, but they're harder to find.

Pink_Sugar 18 Jan 2015 10:34 AM

Warm toned for sure. I'm dark naturally so it's pretty easy to tell!

Joanne182 18 Jan 2015 10:03 AM

Gosh I have no idea! I think I'm warm... but at times, I think I'm neutral! Must just be warm haha

Shop A Everyday 17 Jan 2015 2:05 AM

I like both as i think all colours are lovely

Britty1 14 Jan 2015 12:58 AM

I'm a COOL cat ;)

Lisa M Cotter 12 Jan 2015 8:45 AM

Nice , came in handy I am a cool skin tone :)

clearcrystalwater 12 Jan 2015 12:46 AM

I'm a very warm colour and quite dark even though I'm a natural blonde. I tend to often have to pick strong yellow-based colours - especially for summer when I get even 'darker'.

Marry677 12 Jan 2015 12:45 AM

its so cool .. i like this..

Imi11 12 Jan 2015 12:45 AM

I believe i am neutral! Blue/green veins, blue looks great on me! And I burn and tan in the sun! Probably more towards Cool than warm though.

Chickybabe1 12 Jan 2015 12:45 AM

Thanks for the tips Bree, I think I must be a cool or neutral skin tone.

Trish_D 12 Jan 2015 12:45 AM

Excellent and easy to follow. I've been assessed twice by two different "specialists" - one declared definitely cool, the other warm!!!! On a personal basis I feel I'm cool.

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Are you warm or cool?

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