Finding your perfect shade starts with identifying your shade family, which generally falls into one of five categories: fair, light, medium, tan, and deep.
Undertones can be categorized into three main groups: warm, cool, and neutral.
Fair: This is the lightest shade family, often associated with skin that burns easily and has little to no natural tan. People with fair skin can sometimes be lighter in hair and eye colour, although not always.
Light: Slightly darker than fair, light skin tones still have a relatively pale appearance but may tan more easily. This shade family is generally more beige or yellow than a fair skin.
Medium: Medium skin tones are often described as 'olive' or 'beige' and cover a wide spectrum from light olive to tan. This group generally tans easily and evenly.
Tan: Tan skin has a naturally sun-kissed glow and ranges from light brown to caramel. This shade family typically tans well and often has golden or olive undertones, making it appear warmer.
Deep: The deepest shade family includes rich brown to ebony tones. Deep skin often has a natural radiance and may have undertones ranging from red and blue to olive and golden.
Warm Undertones: If your skin has a golden, yellow, or peachy hue, you have warm undertones. If you look at the veins on your wrist and they appear greenish, you likely have warm undertones.
Cool Undertones: Skin with pink, red, or blueish hues falls into the cool undertone category. If your veins appear bluish or purple, you may have cool undertones.
Neutral Undertones: If you can't distinctly identify with either warm or cool, you may have neutral undertones. Neutral undertones tend to have a mix of green and blue veins.