Comments on: Skin Undertones

By: Christine Scaman

Christine Scaman — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 13:39:55 +0000

Funny you say this. I’ve noticed over the years that animals have blood of different colours too (I’m a veterinarian). It’s far too subtle for me to measure, and you have to account for venous, arterial, low oxygenation, jaundiced serum, and all that, but I still have a sense that there would be differences. Just too many variables in measuring it.

By: Lindsay E.

Lindsay E. — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:29:50 +0000

Kathy mentions Meow – the selection process is arduous because of the huge range of colours but if you take time to do it properly, the result is rewarding. I’m Soft Autumn, pale with freckles and I’m Level 1 Mau. If you get it right you look as if you are wearing nothing at all on your skin. Plus for troubled/sensitive skin, the minerals are actually healing to the skin rather than occlusive to pores/comedogenic.

Those who abandoned mineral makeup because Bare Escentuals was masklike, too shiny, too itchy and didn’t have the right selection of colours – give Meow a try, they sell samples for $1.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:08:10 +0000

Just read your comment Rachel and have wanted to offer this little snippet of info, whether it be purely coincidental or not . . . when having routine blood tests during one of my pregnancies (and being about to pass out was taken onto a bed to lie down), the nurse made the comment (don’t know whether it was to divert my focus or not) that “you have the most incredibly beautiful colour blood”. I replied in a cold sweat ” isn’t everyone’s blood the same colour?” and she insisted that it certainly was not and kept raving about the intense and beautiful brightness of my blood. I must admit that I just had to curl my eyes to catch a little glimpse as the container left the room and it did look very red! At the time I was wearing all the wrong colours with a “cap” of bleached foiled hair and I remember thinking “well at least my blood looks good”. I have since been analysed as a BRIGHT winter!!

By: Rachel Ramey

Rachel Ramey — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:07:18 +0000

I think I can’t agree with the idea that the rate of blood flow or oxygenation of the blood are factors in undertone. To my mind, those would make the undertone change based on things like how healthy you are and how active you are.

I think I read somewhere (‘though I can’t remember where, now) that the particular combination of skin pigments like melanin create the undertone. This makes more sense to me than its being based on the quality of my blood which, theoretically, at least, fluctuates!

As for Zyla, I find it helpful to identify the colors he mentions, from the closest match within the seasonal palette.

By: Nynd

Nynd — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:28:13 +0000

What is fascinating about this is that different seasons may yet find themselves in the same foundation (as sometimes comes up in Darin Wright’s case notes on the eb FB feed) and yet – and yet – they still need to wear different colours to make it all light up. Are we deferring to hair or eyes, here? No, I don’t think so – something is still penetrating, like light through finely cut stone, and is still insisting on our attention: is this our undertone?

By: Christine Scaman

Christine Scaman — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:46:53 +0000

I’ll post that one day, Denise. I figure that True Summer is blue-based. So, the U-tone of Soft and Light should be that way, either denim or cerulean respectively. Spring’s basic colour is yellow, where the Light and Bright Spring are variations on that yellow mixed with the red everyone has if they contain blood, making light peach pink or vibrant warm rose respectively. I’m thinking a lot about how each of the 12 palettes were made so this is in my head just now. The other Season’s U-tones haven’t changed too much, I don’t think.

By: Denise

Denise — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:47:56 +0000

Just curious . .. How do you see the undertone colors for the light seasons now?

By: Christine Scaman

Christine Scaman — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:47:40 +0000

Amy,
Though I’ve changed my ideas about the specific undertones, especially for the Lights, I agree with your statement. The undertone isn’t a colour anybody sees in your skin but it does determine what colours work best. Those pink and red colours are overtones that people see and may affect the result, but there will sure be other factors.

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:13:58 +0000

I hate to comment an old article, but this is the most relevant post for my question/pet peeve: Why, why, why, in most color systems, are pink or red tones in the skin automatically considered cool? Especially when they can both be very warm? Before I heard of Sci/Art, I read other sites that told me that since my skin is pink, I must be a cool season. Well, great, except for that whole most-cool-colors-not-being-very-flattering-on-me thing. Why do other systems try to tell us ladies with salmon or coral pink skin that we’re cool when we’re not? Google results for pink complexion also repeat that pink skin = cool skin. It just bugs me, especially because I tried making those cool (summer, if anyone’s wondering) colors work, and felt like there was something wrong with *me* and not the systems. This is why I like Sci/Art; it doesn’t have those set-in-stone, A always equals A guidelines.

By: Why Does Makeup Change Color On Your Face? : 12 Blueprints

Why Does Makeup Change Color On Your Face? : 12 Blueprints — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:09:37 +0000

[...] discussion in the Comments to Skin Undertones is what led me to finally understand why this happens. For those who helped work through this, we [...]