Pink VS Yellow Undertones.

I went most of my life believing I had darker skin and needed something similar to what my mother wore.  I found out a couple of years ago that I use a much lighter foundation with pink undertones.  As a matter of fact, I had a couple people tell me I needed pink and it made no sense to me because I didn't understand that people had skin with pink or yellow undertones.  Turns out, my mother has a skin tone that is more yellow and since I bought mine based on what she did, it's no wonder I looked absolutely horrible in the foundation I bought.

Since then, I've learned that most people either have a pink or yellow undertone to their skin.  The undertone refers to the underlying shade of your skin and has nothing to do with how light or dark your skin is.  There are four divisions of undertones.  First is a warm undertone which is where the skin is yellow or golden and can be found in light to medium skin tones.  Second is skin that has a cool undertone which is pink or red and can be found in light to medium skin tones.  Third is skin that runs the medium to dark with a golden or yellow undertone and a slightly greenish olive cast to the skin.  Finally is neutral which is not noticeably yellow, golden, pink or red.  It is balanced and is found in light to medium skin tones.  

To determine the undertone of your skin, look at your face, chest or chest in broad daylight because undertones have nothing to do with how light or dark your skin tone is.  It also has nothing to do with acne, eczema, or other skin irritation.  

Cool undertones appear to be reddish or pinkish with a possible bluish cast.  Your skin might range from a very light pinkish tone to medium tan.  Your skin might be a darker shade described as coffee or chocolate with cream added and would never be described as honey or golden.  If you have cool undertones, you can wear jewel tones in your clothing rather than colors like ochre, tomato red, orange, or brown.  Your jewelry should be silver rather than gold and in the sun you burn first and possible tan later..  When you choose a foundation you want one with cool undertones and has no golden tints in it.

Warm undertones tend to be yellowish, peachy, or golden.  If you have lighter skin, you'll see tones ranging from peachy to golden honey but if you have darker skin tones like honey or golden, you have warm undertones.  You can wear earthy brown, coral, orange, cream, ivory, mustard and peach clothing, not the jewel tones because they will make you look sallow.  Gold jewelry is better for you and when you are out in the sun, you are more likely to tan rather than burn.  choose a foundation with yellow or golden undertones.

Olive undertones may either be yellowish or greenish undertones.  The skin tone appears to be more of a muted bronze with tints of green.  Your skin tone could range from light to medium but appears bronze. Fortunately, you can wear almost any shade except for neon colors, brown, beige, or mauve and can wear both silver or gold jewelry.  You want to select a foundation that leans towards golden with a slight olive hue. When you are out in the sun, you tan easily.

Neutral undertones means you can wear a variety of shades within a specific range due to the balance of warm and cool undertones.  Skin tones can range from light to quite dark with no outstanding red, pink, yellow or golden.  You are able to wear muted shades and both gold and silver.  If you go into the sun, you might or might not burn before you tan.  Look for a foundation that are balanced but lean towards the golden shades.  

The best way to test the foundation you chose is to use a Q-tip and dab some foundation on your cheekbone, around your nose, and along your jaw on one side before standing next to a window to see how it looks.  If it makes you look shallow, chalky, too yellowish, or just not right, try a different shade.  I finally went to the mall to a store and asked a makeup sales person to help me find the proper shade.  That was when I discovered I needed a light foundation with a bit of a pink hue to look decent rather than ill.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Foundation for the Face!

 I use a bit of foundation myself but I always have trouble choosing the correct shade.  I always think I need something darker but I've learned to use just a touch with my sunscreen to get the proper look.

Foundation is not something new as it has been around for a very long time.  There are references to it being used in Ancient Greece and Rome.  Unfortunately, foundation at this point consisted of white lead which was quite poisonous or they used a white chalk to create the desired pale skin.


This trend of using white lead continued all the way to Queen Elizabeth's court in the 16th century.  It was better known ass Venetian ceruse, a mixture of vinegar and lead use to cover the smallpox scars on the face and make the skin quite pale.  Unfortunately, this mixture was deadly and could kill people.  In addition, it could rot people's teeth, cause hair loss, and permanently discolor users skin.

Around the time of Charles II in the 17th century, women preferred a darker skin tone due to having to stay inside to avoid the plague.  By the 18th century, pale skin once again became the desired skin tone. Fortunately, by the 19th century, people were using mixes of zinc oxide, glycerin, or calamine lotion to cover imperfections or discolorations, These liquids only came in red, pink, and white shades.

In Germany, an actor mixed zinc, ochre, vermillion,  and lard to create the first greasepaint used in theaters. He developed it to cover the line formed between his wig and his forehead.  Others were so impressed with his mixture, they wanted it so he began producing greasepaint commercially.  Pretty soon, greasepaint was the standard in theater for foundation.  Unfortunately, it did not work well in the movie industry during closeups.

Max Factor was unhappy with the appearance of greasepaint on screen so he desired a new type of make up in 1914.  He called it Pan-cake.  It was talc based and applied with a damp sponge so the powder laid beautifully on the skin to create a more natural finish, especially during closeups.   Hollywood fell in love with the way it made them look on screen and actresses begged to get some for their personal use.  Eventually he released it to the public in the 1930's because women wanted to recreate the glamorous look Hollywood starlets wore.

Liquid foundation finally appeared on the scene during the late 1930's and 1940's  as a leg film when women quit wearing stockings.  Women used this foundation on their legs to even the color out and "cover up" their legs. The mixture was resistant to being rubbed off, sweated off, and didn't transfer color to other things.

Women in America were able to obtain certain types of make-up during World War II because the government declared it would help keep the moral of the men up whereas most make-up in Europe and other war torn countries couldn't get it commercially.  After the war, make-up became available again to all.

In 1952,  Coty released a tinted foundation designed to sit lightly on the skin, was free from grease, and came in 6 shades. Since then, other lines have created a variety of foundations in so many different shades, most everyone can find something.

As I said earlier, I use a bit of foundation in my sunscreen to give me a bit of color, smooth out my skin, and keep me from looking so pale in the middle of winter.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear. Have a good day.