Knowing skin colors and their peculiarities helps to make more harmonious aesthetic choices. Know what yours is and how to value it.
Skin colors, each with their own beauty and uniqueness, play a fundamental role in women’s aesthetic choices. Whether deciding on the color of your outfit, hair or makeup, understanding and knowing the characteristics of each shade is a matter of self-knowledge. This is because it is in this process that levels of self-esteem are raised, also providing the unique feeling of feeling good about yourself.
For this reason, identifying your color and the undertone in which it is inserted is relevant in several aspects. It will certainly be useful when choosing the color of makeup products that even out the skin, such as foundation, concealer and compact powder. Just with the right tone, you can have a more natural and beautiful makeup, thus avoiding the appearance of a white mask or too dark skin.
Undertones and skin colors
Firstly, you need to keep in mind that there is a difference between skin colors and undertones. For example, you may be a woman with black skin with a bluish or reddish tone. The same applies to women with white skin, which may have a yellowish or pinkish tone.
Therefore, skin colors are classified as white, light brown, moderate brown, dark brown and black. Therefore, this division is known as the ‘Fitzpatrick Classification’. The expression is named after the dermatologist and director of the Department of Dermatology at the School of Medicine, Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, who categorized skin phototype based on a decisive observation.
Fitzpatrick noted each skin’s ability to tan, as well as its sensitivity and tendency to redden in the sun’s rays. With this, the researcher was able to gather six different undertones according to the skin’s reaction to sun exposure.
Below, you can see the peculiarities of each skin color and the undertones that accompany them.
Branca
With lower levels of melanin – the pigment responsible for skin color – white skin is the most sensitive to the sun. This color is divided into a pinkish tone and a yellowish tone, in which the woman’s descent is decisive.
Pink Tone
This is skin in which the background color tends towards pink. Thus, there are two types of skin that go towards this tone: very light white, or the famous ‘porcelain skin’, and light white skin. Furthermore, people with pink skin tone are often of European origin, such as Germans and French.
Black, brown, dark brown and ash blonde hair are the most common in people with this skin tone. The eyes are usually blue, varying between blue-green or turquoise blue. In some cases, the cheeks are pink and have freckles.
Yellowish Tone
This skin tone is very common in Brazilian women, especially due to miscegenation. Therefore, it is much more unusual to find pink skin tones here.
One of the most striking characteristics of the yellowish tone is that it tends to tan easily. Therefore, when it comes to makeup, it goes well with bronzers and earthy tones. Dark blonde, golden brown, chestnut and red hair are most common in people with this tone. Eye color varies a lot, with green, brown, orange, yellow and honey shades being the most common.
Negra
Just like white skin, black skin tones are classified according to women’s ancestry. Generally speaking, there are two tones: bluish and reddish. However, there are women who have pure black skin and others who have mixed skin.
bluish tone
Normally found in descendants of pure black people, that is, with little mixing, the bluish tone tends more toward cold colors. It is easily identified by the “blue” glow that emanates from the skin when it comes into contact with a light source.
Lipstick and blush colors in wine, eggplant, red and dark pink enhance this skin tone even more. In the shade, dark blue and cobalt are a good option to bold and enhance the look. For the more discreet, gold and brown guarantee elegance.
reddish tone
This tone is found in the majority of black women in Brazil, most of whom have more reddish/yellowish pigmentation. This group of women usually descends from a mixture of blacks and Indians.
Black skin with a reddish tone, also known as ‘chocolate skin’, goes well with pink and brown lipsticks. Blushes and highlighters in peach, pink and coral tones are very welcome. If you are tanned, the health aspect will be more evident.
The ideal foundation, depending on skin color
Firstly, one of the key moments for perfect makeup is skin preparation. Therefore, the main item to make your skin even and hide skin imperfections is foundation. Today, with the market launching new products daily, it is common to feel lost and end up choosing the wrong product.
First, you must choose the tone: light, medium or dark. So, then, just evaluate the undertone of the base, which are usually yellowish, beige or pinkish. Once you’ve eliminated the colors that don’t suit your skin, it’s time to test your foundation. Apply a little to the jaw and compare it to the neck area. If both shades are even, you’ve found your base!
However, if your chest is darker than your face (using the foundation test), the ideal is to increase the foundation by one or two shades. However, when the opposite happens and the face becomes darker than the chest, it is recommended to go down one or two tones. Finally, for a more natural result, finish by contouring with bronze around your face.
So, what did you think of this article? See also Skin care, how to always have healthy and beautiful skin.
Source: Be Beauty, Beleza na Web, Dicas de Mulher, Patrícia Sachs, M de Mulher
Image Sources: Clínica Harmoniza, M de Mulher, Química da Beleza, Química da Beleza, Your Dream Wedding, M de Mulher, Pri Acessórios, Popload
