How to Know Your Skin Undertone

Knowing your skin undertone can make it easier to choose foundation, concealer, blush and lipstick shades that complement your complexion. Explore KIKO Milano’s face makeup collection and use this guide to identify whether your undertone is warm, cool or neutral.

What Is a Skin Undertone?

Your skin tone describes the visible colour of your complexion, such as fair, light, medium, olive or deep. Your undertone is the subtle colour beneath the skin’s surface and generally falls into one of three groups: warm, cool or neutral.

A warm undertone may have golden, yellow or peach tones, while a cool undertone may appear pink, red or bluish. A neutral undertone contains a balance of warm and cool tones. Your skin tone can change slightly with sun exposure, but your undertone usually remains the same.


Undertone  Common characteristics 

Warm  Golden, yellow or peach tones 

Cool  Pink, red or bluish tones 

Neutral  A balanced mix of warm and cool tones 

Different skin undertones

How to Identify Your Skin Undertone

Check your undertone in natural daylight and use more than one method, as a single test may not provide a clear answer. Begin with clean skin and avoid assessing your complexion under strongly yellow or white artificial lighting.

  • Look at your veins: Green-looking veins may suggest a warm undertone, while blue or purple-looking veins may indicate a cool undertone. A mixture can suggest a neutral undertone.
  • Compare jewellery: Gold may complement warm undertones, while silver may suit cool undertones. If both look equally flattering, your undertone may be neutral.
  • Try white and cream fabrics: Bright white may enhance cool undertones, while ivory or cream may complement warm undertones.
  • Consider your foundation: Shades labelled warm, golden or beige may suit warm undertones. Rose or cool shades may suit cool undertones, while neutral shades balance both.

These tests are helpful guides rather than strict rules. Surface redness, lighting and your natural skin depth can affect what you see, so compare several clues before deciding.

Identifying your undertone

Choosing Foundation for Your Undertone

Once you understand your undertone, use it to narrow down your options within KIKO Milano’s foundation collection. Shade names or codes may indicate warm, cool, rose, golden or neutral undertones, but testing the formula on your skin remains important.

Apply a small amount of foundation along the jawline rather than on your hand. Compare two or three close shades and allow them to settle before checking the result in natural light. The best match should blend smoothly with your face, neck and chest without appearing noticeably pink, yellow, orange or grey.

Follow these simple steps:

  1. Choose shades close to the visible depth of your complexion.
  2. Select the undertone family that best matches your skin.
  3. Swatch the shades along the jawline.
  4. Wait a few minutes and check them in natural daylight.
  5. Choose the shade that appears to disappear into your skin.
Testing foundation shades

Using Your Undertone to Choose Makeup Colors

Your undertone can also help you select complementary blush and lipstick colours. Warm undertones often pair well with peach, coral, terracotta, bronze and warm brown. Cool undertones may suit rose, mauve, berry, plum and blue-based red. Neutral undertones can experiment with shades from both groups.

For lip colour, browse KIKO Milano’s lipstick collection. Warm complexions may enjoy caramel nude, coral and brick red, while cool complexions may prefer rosy nude, mauve, berry or cherry red. These are suggestions rather than limits—the most suitable shade is the one that works with your complete look and makes you feel confident.

Understanding your undertone provides a useful starting point when choosing makeup, but personal preference still matters. Experiment with different shades, compare them in natural light and create combinations that reflect your individual style.

Choosing the right makeup shades