Makeup Colors & Styles

With the advent of Sephora and other online retailers, you no longer need to go to a makeup counter to have an associate to pick your foundation, eyeshadow, or lip colors. With today’s online shopping, the return policies for cosmetics are much more accepting, though determining your undertone may require a bit more patience.

To determine if your skin tone is cool or warm, use natural light as incandescent lighting has a yellow or blue hue to it, and the paint color in the room could influence what you see. Additionally, you will want to consider the amount of contrast between your hair, eyes, and skin to figure out how pigmented your cosmetics should be.

One way to determine your skin tone is to see how yellow or orange look close to your skin. When you hold it up to your face, do you look drawn and tired? If you hold blue fabric near your face and it makes you look vibrant, then you likely have blue undertones. If you’ve got olive skin tone, you likely have blue undertone but there’s no hard and fast rule other than doing a color test with a stylist or makeup artist.

Just as there are clothing styles, there are also makeup styles. For example, if you dress in the “dramatic” style, you likely wear full face makeup with stronger eyeshadows and lip color. Brands like Chanel and Dior are likely your go to, with many dramatic and deep hues readily available. However, if you’re a “romantic” style, which is typically softer colors and flowing fabrics, you’re matching makeup style is likely to be brands with a more natural look like Origins or Bare Minerals.

In the end, the most important factor in choosing makeup for yourself is a regime that you will maintain and want to use.

Tammy’s truism: Regardless of cost, find a brand and routine that reflects your style and the amount of time you have available.