Setting the Tone
If you know your skin tone and know it well, buying makeup can be a cinch. If you don’t know which tonal range you fall into, however, all those shades, palettes and tubes can intimidate the makeup lover right out of you.
To avoid going sans eye shadow and lipstick for the rest of your days, Patricia Tortolani, Allure senior beauty editor, recommends looking to the stars. "The best way, really, is by looking at different celebrities," she said. "If you’re fair, look at Dita von Teese and Kate Winslet and see who you’re closer to."
Each complexion type can be broken down according to its undertones: cool or warm. Von Teese is cool; Winslet is warm. The former indicates pink or reddish undertones while the latter will have yellow or tan ones peeking through. A quick trick to determine which side of the fence your undertones fall on is to look at your veins. Blue ones mean cool; green indicates warmth.
From here, it gets easy. You’re either fair, medium or dark: self-explanatory. Although each group will have a particular shade that seems made for them (metallic eye shadow for cool, dark ladies and pale pink lips on warm, fair girls), there really is a red lipstick, pink blush and brown eye shadow for everyone. "Right now all (makeup lines) offer such an incredible range of shades — I’m even impressed with the drugstores — so you can find something for you," Tortolani insisted.
Of course, hair and eye color also play a role. When Cameron Diaz went from blonde to brunette, it wasn’t a coincidence that her lipstick went from blush pink to siren red. The key lies in sticking to colors that match your undertones. In the mood for a funky green shadow? MAC offers Eyepopping ($14) for warm skin tones and a couple counters down Bobbi Brown has Ivy ($19), which flatters cool complexions.
No matter what you end up toting to the checkout counter, make sure of one thing: "Everyone can find that perfect blue-based or yellow-based tomato red lipstick," said Tortolani, "but if you’re not comfortable, you just won’t wear it."
Take a look at the eye shadows and lipsticks — two of the trickiest cosmetic colors to pin down — we’ve selected for each skin tone. Or, as Tortolani suggests, study the celebrity whose skin tone matches your own. With a team of makeup artists working on their faces, their looks often work as excellent reference points.
Contact fashion reporter Xazmin Garza at xgarza@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0477.
color clues • Stay away: Fair skin, regardless of its undertones, usually doesn’t play well with white-based colors. Dark skin has the same issue with pastels. Warm, medium skin enjoys the most freedom of selection. "I can’t think of anything they can’t get away with," Tortolani said. • Universal appeal: Slate gray with a hint of silver — a super hot shade this fall — tends to work wonders as a liner for all skin tones. Aubergine doesn’t discriminate either as a neutral base on the eyelid. • Matchmaker: If, even after scoping out your veins and observing its undertones, you still don’t know your skin tone, head to a Prescriptives counter. Their color print system allows custom blends of foundation and concealer. • Helpful hints: Most warm foundations include words such as "golden" and "honey" while cool foundations lean toward "porcelain" and "natural." • Last but not least: Consider the texture. Each item will tell a different story, but mattes tend to flatter cool tones and shimmery products bring out the best on warm tones.
