How Do I Know What the Right Color of Makeup Is for Me?

Choosing makeup should be about matching your skin tone, not your outfit.

Choosing the correct color of foundation, concealer, eye and lip makeup for your skin tone might seem like a daunting task--after all, there are thousands of choices out there. But if you're armed with the right information and a little patience, you can look picture perfect. It will help to go to a store that will let you experiment with shades; that way, you can tell if the color is right for you without buying the product.

Instructions

Foundation

1. Look at your skin tone and ask whether it's cool, warm or neutral. A rosy pink undertone generally means cool. Golden yellow generally means warm, and women with olive-toned skin tend to be identified with neutral undertones. From there, look for a foundation that matches your undertone.

2. Apply three potentially matching shades on your cheek. The matching color should disappear into the skin. Eliminate the other two possibilities.

3. Apply a stripe of the final shade on your forehead. Again, the color should sink into your skin if you have a match.

4. Continually test your foundation, especially as the seasons change. Adjust accordingly if your skin tone in summer is darker than in the winter, for example.

Concealer

1. Look at your foundation and find a matching shade for a concealer.

2. Test three shades on your cheek and apply the final choice to your forehead as you did for the foundation. Don't choose a color that is too pale; it can make you look washed out.

3. For concealing dark eye circles, use a pink undertoned makeup like a soft pink lip-liner to cancel out the gray. Use a concealer that matches your skin tone on top of the pink corrector.

Eyes

1. Use your hair color as a guide in finding the proper brow liner and eyeliner. For black hair, use gray, black or dark brown as eyeliner and brow liner. For brown hair, use a brown brow pencil and a black or brown eyeliner. For blond hair and red hair, use blond or ash tones.

2. Use your eye color as a guide in finding the correct eyeshadows for your skin tone. For blue eyes, blues and whites are attractive choices; for brown eyes, bronzes and greens can make your eyes pop; for green eyes, purple can intensify your natural color.

3. Use your hair color as a guide in choosing mascaras. For brown or black hair, use brown or black mascara. For blond and red hair, use a blond, bronze or clear coat of mascara to lengthen lashes; dark mascaras can sometimes be too noticeably different on blonds and redheads.

Lips

1. Find a neutral lip color--generally it's one to two shades darker than your natural lip color. Don't get a shade too close to your skin tone--it can make you look pale.

2. Don't be afraid to wear red lipstick. Just find one that matches your skin undertone. For women with warm undertones, look for reds with a coral, brown or cinnamon undertone. For women with cool undertones, look for reds with a purple shade.

3. Use a matching lip liner and a lip gloss, or make the liner a shade darker than the lipstick. Find a lip gloss that matches the shade or goes on clear. Lip gloss of a different color changes the lipstick color.

References

• Mele Moa, makeup artist, San Diego