Cool Undertone vs Warm Undertone Makeup Tips For Redheads

Understanding your skin’s undertone can do wonders for your redhead makeup routine. The shades you choose can greatly impact how your skin looks. Some people think that all redheads are warm-toned because our hair is a warm color, and others believe all redheads are cool-toned because many of us burn easily. The truth is, redheads can have warm undertones, cool undertones, or neutral undertones. You can figure out your skin’s undertone by doing a few tests: 

How to determine your undertone 

Vein Test

Take a peek at the veins in your wrist. Blue veins mean you’re more cool, while green veins mean you’re more warm. Can’t tell? You might be neutral. 

Paper Test

Compare your face (without makeup) to a sheet of stark white paper in natural light. If your skin looks pink or rosy, you’re more cool, if your skin looks more yellow, you’re more warm. If you cannot tell, you may be neutral. 

Jewelry Test

This one is a bit more subjective, but if silver jewelry looks better on you, you’re probably cool-toned, if gold jewelry looks better, you’re probably warm-toned. If they look the same, you might be neutral. 

Photo Credit: Lauryn Cakes

Makeup tips for cool undertone redheads

Cool undertone redheads often have very fair skin that almost appears to have a pink or blueish tint to it. 

• Make your eyes pop with blue or cool-toned purple eye makeup like mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow.
• Blue-toned red lipstick will be most flattering on you.
• Purple or cool-toned blush can help bring out the natural pink flush of your cheeks. 
• Stay away from makeup that’s in shades like coral and burnt orange, instead opt for true pinks, blue-toned reds, and other cool-toned colors. 
• When choosing a brown eyeshadow, opt for more cool-toned taupes instead of warm browns.
• Silver metallic eyeliner looks amazing on cool-toned redheads. 
• Just because you’re cool-toned doesn’t mean you have to wear black mascara, opt for a more cool-toned brown, or a redhead shade that matches your hair. 
• Your foundation should have a pink undertone, stay away from yellow undertones. 

Makeup tips for warm undertone redheads

Warm undertone redheads often have more yellow or olive skin that is less of a contrast with their hair. 

• Warm colors like coral, burnt orange, and a warm-toned red will all flatter your skin.
• Opt for an orange or pink-toned red lipstick, stay away from blue reds.
• Try using bronzer instead of contour. Contour is often cool-toned to mimic shadows but may look ruddy on your skin.
• Brown mascara is really flattering for redheads, especially those with a warmer undertone. Black can look too harsh. 
• Pink is a flattering color on all undertones, but be sure you opt for warmer-toned pink, rather than blue-toned. 
• Create a faux glow with a highlighter. Opt for a light warm yellow or copper shade. 
• Gold is a great color for you, try using gold shimmer eyeshadow or metallic eyeliner to make your eyes pop.
• Your foundation should have more of a yellow undertone, stay away from pink undertones. 

Makeup tips for neutral undertone redheads

If you’re a neutral undertone redhead, you can pick and choose from warm or cool-toned things. You can also find makeup, like foundation that’s intended for neutral undertones, often marked with an “N” before the number.

Rock it like a Redhead! 

RELATED POSTS

READ: Silver or Gold: What Jewelry Color Looks Best with Red Hair?

READ: How Redheads Can Find Their Personal Contrast Level

Main Image: via Canva.com