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YOUR SKIN UNDERTONE IS

Warm

Golden, peachy or yellow-toned skin that glows in warm earthy colors

What Does Warm Undertone Mean?

Warm undertone means your skin has golden, yellow or peachy tones beneath the surface. This warm base means your skin looks most alive in warm-toned colors and can appear dull or washed out in cool-toned colors. Gold jewelry, earthy clothing colors and peachy makeup shades all work naturally with warm undertones.

Warm undertone is one of the most common undertone categories. Women with warm undertones typically have veins that appear green or olive on the inner wrist, tan easily to a golden brown rather than going red, and find that gold jewelry looks harmonious while silver can look cold or harsh. Warm undertones exist across all skin depths from very fair to very deep. The surface skin tone can be light or dark but the warm yellow-golden quality beneath is what determines which colors look most flattering.

Best Foundation Shades

  • Look for foundations labeled warm, golden, yellow or W in the shade code
  • Avoid foundations with a pink or neutral label as they can look grey on warm skin
  • Yellow-based foundations blend seamlessly
  • Peachy correctors suit warm undertones for under-eye coverage
  • Test foundation on the jawline in natural light to confirm it disappears

Clothing Colors That Work Best

  • Warm tones across all color families: coral, tomato red, warm orange
  • Golden yellow and butterscotch
  • Camel, warm beige and cognac as neutrals
  • Warm olive and forest green
  • Warm teal and peacock blue
  • Rich warm brown, rust and terracotta
  • Cream and ivory over stark white
  • Deep warm burgundy and brick

Hair Colors That Suit You

  • Golden blonde, honey blonde and strawberry blonde
  • Warm brown, chestnut and auburn
  • Copper and red-brown
  • Warm highlights in gold or caramel tones
  • Avoid ash or platinum tones which can make warm skin look sallow

Jewelry and Metals

  • Gold is your natural metal in all forms
  • Yellow gold, rose gold and antique gold all work beautifully
  • Bronze and copper accessories suit warm undertones
  • Silver and white gold can work in small amounts but lack the harmony of gold

Try These Next

Pairs well with

Foundation Shade Finder

Find the exact foundation matches for your specific skin depth and undertone.

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Goes perfectly with

Color Season Quiz

Knowing your undertone and your color season together gives you the complete picture of what works on you and why.

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Explore other undertones

Neutral Olive Cool

Frequently Asked Questions

Warm undertone means there is a golden, yellow or peachy hue beneath the skin surface. It stays constant regardless of tanning or seasonal changes and determines which colors in makeup, clothing and hair look most harmonious with your complexion.
Foundations with warm, golden or yellow descriptors in the shade name tend to work best. Look for shade codes containing W for warm. Avoid pink-based or neutral foundations which can appear grey or ashy on warm skin.
Yes. Undertone exists independently of skin depth. Fair skin can be warm, cool or neutral. A fair warm skin tone might appear ivory or peachy while a fair cool skin tone appears pink or porcelain.
Very cool colors like icy pink, cool lavender, pure silver and bluish tones can make warm skin look dull or sallow. This does not mean avoiding them entirely but warm versions of the same color family will almost always look better.
No. Warm undertone refers to the tone beneath the surface not the surface color. A very pale person can have warm undertones and a deeply tanned person can have cool undertones. The undertone is independent of how much sun exposure you have had.