Colour is the most integral part of make-up. Whether it is the base colour matching to a skin or adding a pop of shade to the eyes, cheeks and lips, it is colour that makes the essence of make-up. But at the same time, it is also a misunderstood element of make-up, often throwing users into more confusion. Given that there is such a great array of skin tones in India, we hope this article will help demystify colour so you can understand what suits you best. But also, that there are absolutely no rules and you should eventually go with your own gut and style statement.
Checking your foundation
Remove all makeup you may have on your face. Then, grab your sheet of white paper and stand next to a window or any other source of natural light. Hold the piece of paper up to your face and look in a mirror. If your face appears yellow, orange or brick red against the paper, you have warm undertones. In India, our skin has a fairly strong yellow undertones depending on where you're from. People with warm undertones should use a yellow-toned foundation. Usually people with very fair skin appear bluish or pinkish against the paper. Quick tip: if you are confused about two nearly same foundations, always pick the lighter shade. Also, do not match it to your hand since the skin on your hand is usually darker than the skin on your face.
Eye shadows
The general rule of thumb to follow when choosing an eye makeup color is that you should go for a product that is the opposite of your eye color. Unless your eyes are brown, gray, or hazel, wearing a product that is the same colour as your eyes does not work well. A contrasting color will make your eyes really pop. You can be more experimentative with your eyes.
Lip Colour
The lip colours have such a variety (and in Tinge’s case you can actually create your own colours), that the landscape is much more. The first and foremost thing when choosing colour should be understanding the undertones of your skin. The paper method for foundations can be followed here too. Once you have that ready, launch into deciding the perfect lip colour for you. For warm undertone skin and dark hair (which is a lot of us in India), deep fiery reds, warm peachy pinks and light corals colours look really nice. If you veer towards a neutral undertone, ten pure reds, plummy pinks, and baby pinks are likely to suit your face. For very fair people, plummy purples, jewel-toned reds, and slightly purple toned pinks also look good.
Naturally, there are no rules to colour and eventually you have to take a call on what makes you feel most confident and beautiful.