Warm or Cool skin tone?

[ellastica]

tbh, i think the whole vein thing is hogwash but the visuals are much more helpful, you know the old adage about pictures...

the colors i wear are based on personal preference; i avoid chalky pink lippies cuz i find them tacky & some what repulsive as well as cool-toned lippies or blush which i find deadens me.

rather i go for warm-toned colors on my face such as copper/red/browns on eyes (really makes brown eyes pop), non-orangey blusher that give definition and orange-y burgandys on the lips etc. pretty much whatever brightens the complexion and makes me look more rested. clothes i'm all over the board but i adore color and wear it almost everyday. it's all about experimentation and what one feels good wearing.

 

[The_Ida]

I haven't scrutinized my veins because I already know darn well that my skin is fair and cool. But the sun part is definitely true for me. I burn fairly easily and basically don't tan at all unless I'm taking an antibiotic that increases my photosensitivity. And then it's a tan that can be seen only if I take off my watch so the tan line can be observed I do freckle ...

I'm fair and cool too (I think - I'm very yellow anyway ), and I tan really fast. I turn more yellow than actually tan though And I freckle too! Just on the nose though.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I think yellow would be warm ... that's how MAC does it anyway. My skin undertone is pink ...

There are so many variations in coloring that it would be impossible for either 4 or 8 palettes to work for everyone ... there are certain colors that I know don't work on me, but others I'm really not sure because I hate the color to begin with A lot of greens I find so ugly, including the one three different people wore to work yesterday. They all would have looked better in something else as far as I'm concerned Some of it is objective and some a matter of taste, and who knows exactly where the line is ...

 

[The_Ida]

^MAC are the only ones who think yellow is warm, everyone else considers it cool. I think I'm pretty neutral though, most colours suit me. Except purple, I look like a zombie in purple

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Prescriptives classified it the same way. I was blue-red. Pink is a cool color, yellow is a warm one ...

Your overall coloring is cool, though ... your hair and eyes, if I recall, are cool. My coloring is the opposite--cool skin, warm hair and eyes.

Sarah Ferguson is a good example of someone with similar coloring to mine, but warm instead of cool. Which is why the warm color of her wedding gown was perfect for her ...

 

[YoninahAliza]

I finally figured it out- I'm in the warm category! I suppose I should have known all along but it was a bit confusing trying to make sense of it all. Although it does make sense because silver jewelry looks best on me. I can't do gold at all.

 

[The_Ida]

^ Prescriptives classified it the same way. I was blue-red. Pink is a cool color, yellow is a warm one ...

Your overall coloring is cool, though ... your hair and eyes, if I recall, are cool. My coloring is the opposite--cool skin, warm hair and eyes.

Sarah Ferguson is a good example of someone with similar coloring to mine, but warm instead of cool. Which is why the warm color of her wedding gown was perfect for her ...

Honestly I have no clue what my real hair colour is these days But the eyes are still blue

I don't get why some colours are warm and some are cool. The logical way of describing a colour as warm would be whether they contain red, which makes pink warm and yellow not warm (which is the way most companies classify it) - it's logical for me anyway.

 

[FleurDeLys]

I consider yellow warm because it's a sunny colour .
And I don't find red a warm colour at all .
Maybe it's just me, but I really see pink as a cool colour.

 

[The_Ida]

Pure yellow is a primary colour as is red and blue. Red is warm, blue is cool. If you mix anything with red, does it then become a cool colour? Nope.

That's just the way I see it.

 

[franki]

arent most of the websites and tutorials in this thread saying yellow is warm, pink is cool?? (not that i necessarily agree, but i recall most of them saying that)
i think most people can generally tell if they have pink or yellow undertones or at least know by default (because they know which colours suit them, which is the case for me.. when i look at my skin i think the undertones look different every day/different times of year.. perhaps im neutral??)..

i think most people (or i at least) want to know more so for choosing foundation. its hard when some companies use 'warm/cool' and others say beige/rose etc... some companies all just look orangey on me, no matter which undertone i choose, even if its the correct 'darkness'

i have given up. at least i know which eye/lip colours and clothing to wear!

 

[Melisande]

arent most of the websites and tutorials in this thread saying yellow is warm, pink is cool?? (not that i necessarily agree, but i recall most of them saying that)
i think most people can generally tell if they have pink or yellow undertones or at least know by default (because they know which colours suit them, which is the case for me.. when i look at my skin i think the undertones look different every day/different times of year.. perhaps im neutral??)..

i think most people (or i at least) want to know more so for choosing foundation. its hard when some companies use 'warm/cool' and others say beige/rose etc... some companies all just look orangey on me, no matter which undertone i choose, even if its the correct 'darkness'

i have given up. at least i know which eye/lip colours and clothing to wear!

I know it's annoying; well the way I see it, choosing the right foundation is such a huge task depending on so many factors, that whether it's labelled "cool" or "warm" or neutral or ivory or elephant or whatever is a laughably negligible aspect. Tireless trial and application of a rigorous "scientific method" is the only way

 

[fashionista-ta]

franki, I have read that that orangey effect is due to cheap ingredients, which I can believe ... I remember back in the day Cover Girl being all orange on me.

Color matching was Prescriptives' whole business, and they had four color groups, which seems more accurate than two ...

There are warmer pinks, but I too perceive it as a cool color in general. Yellow seems warm to me, though it can be cooled by the presence of blue.

 

[franki]

oh i definitely agree on the cheap ingredients. everything from maybeline to l'oreal is orange-ish (some are ok though once powdered), which i am not suprised for the price (although mind you, even 'drug store' foundations are disgustingly marked up in aus, let alone high end ones).. but i even find many high end ones orange on me.. not to the same extent in most cases.. but for the price they charge in australia i don't want to hand over the $$ for anything that isn't perfect!

i think it could be because my skin is quite 'grey' (for lack of a better description) in winter. in summer i am so tanned i rarely even wear foundation, but if i do wear it, it is much easier to match.

 

[FleurDeLys]

^MAC are the only ones who think yellow is warm, everyone else considers it cool. I think I'm pretty neutral though, most colours suit me. Except purple, I look like a zombie in purple

Isn't it the other way around? Yellow is cool for them I think... Because once an SA told me I have a yellow tint to my skin and she gave me an NC... Which suits me perfectly. The NW is too pink for me.

 

[DumbBlonde]

oh my God, each time i read stuff about nc/nw i get more and more confused!
ok, my skin is really thin and my vein in my inner wirst looks blue. Looking at my body skin, i don't know, i think abou yellow, but looking at my face, i think of pink, maybe because of the broken veins? I'm Brazilia, my father's family are clearly yelowish and tanned people, and my mother's family are, I don't know, they are Germany, very pale skin/hair, and it's very difficult to tan. Hahahaha it's hard to be a mix!!
So, if I want to buy a Mac foudation, should i go for Nc ou Nw?
Nc being pink and Nw being yellow? am i right?
hahaha i'm so lost!!!

 

[FleurDeLys]

It's hard to tell, I think it's safest to try out an NC and an NW at the store...

 

[moirla]

I'm neutral/olive/slightly warm. A yellow-toned foundation blended out slightly would definitely suit me more than a pink-toned one. I also have light skin and I can't remember the last time I got sunburned. If I forget sunscreen for a day I'll be tanned and super freckly.
The vein thing does confuse me, I can't for the lift of me figure out whether I'm more green than blue (even though my skin is quite translucent). I'm starting to think it's a bit irrelevant.

 

[Mila D]

I finally figured it out- I'm in the warm category! I suppose I should have known all along but it was a bit confusing trying to make sense of it all. Although it does make sense because silver jewelry looks best on me. I can't do gold at all.

are your sure you're in the warm category?I'm almost certain that silver jewelery suits cool toned skin and gold jewelery warm skin tones

 

[MimiV]

Okay, I'm even more confused now..
I guess I'm cool, but I'm going to try to head down to a make up department and see if someone can tell me...

 

[Blodeuwedd]

I found that a good way to find out what skin tone you are is to go to MAC and ask them to fit you with a foundation/powder. Then you flip it around for every other cosmetics line. They're wizards: they look at you and BAM, here you go. They've never once given me a different tone in all my years, even when I go to a new counter.

Post #17 already has Nic from pixiwoo explaining it, but I noticed that MAC vs everyone is reversed. Example: NC = Neutral Cool, NW = Neutral Warm. I am NC30 and I am olive toned - MAC says I am cool, every other makeup brand says I am warm. Confusing? YES!