Step 1: determine your skin tone

The easiest way to figure out what your skin tone is is to pinch the skin under your arm. You pinch here because it doesn't get too much sun, and so you can see what your natural skin color really is. Once you've pinched, look at the colors. Is the tone pinkish-blue, peachy, yellowish, reddish-orange, or reddish-blue? Look carefully. Once you've decided what the skin tone is, you can start choosing makeup colors.

Step 2: choose your foundation, your powder, and your blush

When you are choosing your foundation, powder, and blush, you want to match your skin tone as much as you possibly can. This is so that you don't look fake and like you've painted on your face!

If you want an easy way to choose your foundation, try out L'Oreal's True Match system. This makeup is engineered to match your skin tone, and you can choose from cool, neutral, and warm. Then they tell you which blush and even which eye makeup colors will work best for you! This is the way to go if you don't want to spend tons of money on really expensive department store makeup.

No matter which brand of foundation, powder, and blush you choose, remember this: the more natural, the better. You don't want to look like a doll or a clown!

Step 3: have fun with your colors!

There are four color families when it comes to makeup.
Coral: orange colors, with a little bit of red.
Rosy: red pinks to cherry pinks.
Violet: any purples that have blue in them.
Earthy: yellows, browns, bronzes, and amber colors
If you want a natural look, then you should choose colors that have the same colors as your skin. So if you have cool skin tones, then you will want more violet colors than the other possible color groups.

Cool skin tones and the best makeup shades

If you have skin that has cool skin tones, then your skin probably has tones that are rosy-beige, dark olive, dark brown, ebony, or rosy-pink. Most likely, your eyes are black, they are green, or they are blue. Cool undertones, as stated above, are a combination of blues and reds, often leading to a more violet look. If you are looking for hair colors that will look good with your cool skin tones, then you should look at dark browns, blacks, or platinum blondes.

So what shades of makeup will look best on your cooler skin tone? The best shades of makeup for your skin tones are ones that have a red undertone, a blue undertone, or both. This means that rosy colors will look good on you. Also, blues and purples will look good on you, particularly on your eyes. The blushes that you choose should also have pinkish undertones to them, rather than the warmer, earthier orange undertones in some blushes.

When it comes to lipstick, you should choose pinker lipsticks or lipsticks that have a bluish or a violet undertone. Many makeup companies organize their makeup shades depending on the undertones. Going to a makeup counter in a department store and talking to a professional makeup artist can help you determine what colors will work best for you. Once again, if you have cool skin tones, then it would be best for you to stay away from golds and warm browns. Instead, go for shimmery silvers and blues. Jewel toned greens will also look beautiful with your cool skin!