How to find your undertone (and why it changes everything)
The single most common reason makeup looks off has nothing to do with skill, products, or application — it's about undertone.
What is undertone?
Your skin has two layers of colour: the surface tone (fair, medium, deep) and the underlying tone beneath that never changes. This is your undertone, and it's either warm (golden, peachy), cool (pink, red, blue), or neutral (a balance of both).
The silver and gold test
Hold a piece of silver jewellery and a piece of gold against your face in natural light. Most people will immediately see one that makes their skin look luminous and one that looks flat or grey. Gold tends to flatter warm undertones; silver tends to flatter cool. One of the most reliable quick tests.
Why it matters for foundation
Foundation that mismatches your undertone is the number one cause of the 'mask' effect — where someone is wearing foundation that's technically the right depth but looks entirely wrong. Once you know your undertone, you'll know exactly what to look for in a formula.
Come for a consultation
Understanding undertone is one of the core things I cover in consultations and lessons in Strensall, York. If you've ever struggled to find your perfect foundation match, let's work it out together.