Posts Tagged ‘choosing makeup shades’
How to Choose Makeup Shades
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
With hundreds of makeup shades to choose from, deciding what to wear can be confusing. Here are a few makeup tips to get you started.
Examine your own features, what color are your eyes, skin, and hair? The answer to these will determine the right palette for you.
Most makeup companies divide their shades into warm, cool, or neutral (colors that look good on everyone). This actually makes your job easier when deciding on a makeup shade.
Warm:
If you’re warm, your hair will be a golden or dark blonde, red, brown, or black. Skin is usually medium to dark, or light with yellow undertones. Eyes are brown or have brown undertones in them, such as hazel or warm gray.
Shades: For eye-shadow, think earth tones. Olive green, nut brown, apricot, or turquoise are all good choices. Also, a skin dust in gold or bronze will really make you glow. Lipstick choices can include beige, brick red, coral, and hot pink.
Cool:
Cool tones are known for their high contrast features. Their skin is usually pale or with a rosy undertone, and hair can be light blonde, dark-brown, and even black. Eyes will be brighter shades of green, blue, or gray.
Shades: For eye-shadow, think jewel tones. Emerald greens, amethyst purples, and icy sapphire blues all qualify, as well as shades of pearl and silver. Lipsticks can include ruby, ice pink, mauve, and plum.
When in doubt, search the swatches that fall under your category or consult a makeup representative. Most makeup counters have professional makeup artists on hand who can help you out – whether it’s a shade match, a consultation or quick makeup tutorials. You can usually schedule a complimentary make over or cosmetics consultation during which you can be matched to an exact shade of foundation suitable for your skin tone and texture. Overall, it’s definitely best to have a makeup artist help you in person when choosing foundation and powder shades. With other products like eyeshadows and lip colors, you can usually determine which shades will look best on you without having to consult a makeup artist.
