The Right Shade Of Blush For You May Not Be What's Trendy

To blush or not to blush has been a hotly contested topic among makeup wearers for decades. While some beauty fans embrace flushed cheeks and bold blush trends, others insist that their face or complexion just isn't made for rouge. People within the latter group often feel like wearing blush makes them look garish, clownish, or overdone. However, this just does not have to be the case and is typically the result of following popular color trends, rather than sticking to what best complements your actual skin tone.

Here is everything you need to know about the different types of skin tones, how you can easily discover your own skin's true tone, and which shades of blush tend to look best on each tone. Don't give up on the magic of blush until you've tried at least one in the ideal color palette for bringing your skin tone to life. 

Much like foundation and concealer, the right shade of blush for you is dependent on your skin tone. Most people have skin that is either warm-toned or cool-toned. The remaining two skin tones — neutral and olive — are less common. If you already know what your skin tone is, you can easily figure out which shades of blush are most likely to look good on you.

Warm-toned skin, with its yellow or gold undertones, looks best in blush colors that are also warm. This includes corals, peaches, and orange-based reds. Cool-toned skin, characterized by pink, blue, or purple undertones, is most flattered by blush shades that utilize these same tones. Look for pinks, mauves, and even lavenders. People who were lucky enough to be born with a neutral skin tone can pull off any color they wish and probably aren't even part of the struggling-with-a-match crowd. Olive-toned beauties possess skin that is warm-toned with a slight green cast to it. They typically look best in warm, gold-based hues. 

There are two main ways to figure out your skin tone. If the first way doesn't give you a definitive answer, move on to the second option. First, simply look at the veins on the underside of your wrist under natural lighting. If they appear bright blue and/or purple, your skin is cool-toned. If they look definitively green, your skin is warm or olive toned. Veins that appear to be a perfectly balanced shade of blue-green are a sign of neutral skin.

If you've checked your veins and still aren't sure, try this backup method. Find a source of natural light and look into a mirror or take a selfie either wearing a bright white shirt or holding a sheet of white paper next to your face. If your skin looks pink, gray, blue, or purple next to the white, it is cool-toned. If it looks yellow, gold, or olive green in comparison to the shirt or paper, you have warm or olive-toned skin. Neutral-skinned babes won't notice any change in their skin when they view it next to white. Once you have this vital information, you'll never have to struggle through a total blush mismatch again.