What Is My Undertone? Take the 2-Minute Skin Undertone Quiz

Ever bought a foundation that looked perfect in the store and then turned orange, pink or grey the moment you stepped outside? Blame your undertone. It's the subtle color under your skin, and once you know it, choosing foundation, lipstick, hair color and even the shade of your favorite dress gets so much easier.

Take this free undertone quiz. Eight quick questions, no sign-up, and you'll know if you're warm, cool, neutral or olive, plus the exact colors that make you glow.

Skin tone vs undertone: what's the difference?

Your skin tone is the surface color you see, from fair to deep. Your undertone is the color underneath, and it doesn't change when you tan. Two women can both have medium skin, yet one looks amazing in coral and the other in fuchsia. That difference is undertone.

There are four main undertones:

• Warm: golden, peachy or yellow.
• Cool: pink, red or slightly blue.
• Neutral: a balance of warm and cool.
• Olive: a green or golden-green cast, often seen in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Latin American and many South and Southeast Asian skin tones.

How the undertone quiz works

The quiz combines the classic at-home tests makeup artists use, so you don't have to rely on just one:

• The vein test: green veins lean warm, blue or purple lean cool, and a mix suggests neutral.
• The jewelry test: gold flatters warm and olive skin, silver flatters cool skin.
• The white test: cool skin glows in bright white, warm skin looks better in cream.
• The sun test: skin that tans easily usually has more warmth or olive in it.

Each answer adds points to one or more undertones, and the highest score wins. Do the quiz in natural daylight near a window. Bathroom lights are usually too yellow or too blue to judge.

Why your undertone matters

Foundation

Most brands put the undertone right in the shade name. W or Y means warm or yellow, C or P means cool or pink and N means neutral. Korean and Japanese brands often use numbers like 21 or 23 for depth and add C, N or W for undertone, so a 21N is a light neutral. If you're olive, look for shades called olive or golden-neutral, since pink-based foundations can make olive skin look ashy.

Lipstick

Your undertone is the shortcut to the perfect red. Warm skin loves orange-reds, cool skin shines in blue-reds, neutrals can wear a true red and olive skin looks stunning in brick and berry. Our full guide to finding your perfect red lipstick goes deeper.

Clothes and hair color

The right colors near your face make your skin look smoother and your eyes brighter, without a drop of makeup. Pick your capsule wardrobe colors with your undertone in mind and every piece will flatter you. Start with our guide to building a baddie capsule wardrobe.

Tips for testing foundation shades

• Swatch three shades along your jawline, not your hand.
• Wait 10 minutes. Many formulas oxidize and turn slightly darker or warmer.
• Check in daylight. The shade that disappears into your skin is the one.

Once your base matches, everything else is easy. Try the 5-minute baddie makeup routine for a fast, flawless face, and keep your skin glowing with these 7 glow-up habits.

Undertone FAQ

Can my undertone change?

Not really. Your skin tone can get lighter or darker with sun and seasons, but your undertone stays the same.

How do I know if I'm olive?

Olive skin often looks slightly green or grey in certain light, tans easily and makes many foundations look either too pink or muddy. If that sounds familiar, you're likely olive.

What if my quiz result is a tie?

You're probably neutral leaning warm or cool. Try both kinds of shades and trust what looks best in daylight.