The Metallic Test That May Help You Determine Your Skin's Undertone

Have you ever fallen in love with a lipstick color or blush shade only to find out that it doesn't really suit you? Why do colors you would expect to look good on you fall flat in the end?

Beyond our obvious natural skin color, our undertone plays a significant role in what color palettes match our complexion. Our undertone is the hue that's actually under the surface of our skin, and it can be cool, warm, or neutral. Confused about the difference between skin and undertone? "A person's undertone will not change in different seasons like the shade of your skin may," professional makeup artist Jaleesa Jaikaran told Good Housekeeping. "For example, during the summer, a person's foundation shade will likely be darker than their shade during the winter due to sun exposure. However, your undertone will always remain the same."

Once you understand the difference between the two, knowing your undertone becomes crucial. It's only once your undertones are fully understood that you can select the right beauty products for yourself — for instance, choosing a bronzer that complements your skin's undertone. So, how can you tell if your undertone is cool, warm, or neutral? Several tricks are out there, but one, in particular, is trending on social media lately: the metallic test.

Makeup enthusiast Rose Siard, who has a staggering 1.4 million TikTok followers, demonstrates the easy metallic test using both jewelry and eyeshadows to determine one's skin's undertone in an October 2023 video. The jewelry test has been around for ages, but her use of eyeshadow is more innovative — and more practical for many people.

For the jewelry test, pick two pieces of jewelry (yellow gold and white gold/silver), and put one of each on either ear for comparison. Now, look at yourself in the mirror. Which piece of jewelry suits you best? If yellow gold blends better with your skin, then you likely have warm undertones. On the other hand, if white gold looks better on you, then you probably have cool undertones. Can't decide between the two, as both seem to suit you equally? In that case, you might have neutral undertones. Easy peasy!

In the second version of the test, you use metallic eyeshadows, with Siard explaining in her video, "Since it's on the eyes, I feel that it's a lot easier to study and find your skin's undertone." Siard paints her right eye gold and her left eye silver, while simultaneously wearing matching metallic hoops on her respective ears (but you don't have to combine both tests; either one could work on its own). You know the deal by now: If silver looks better, then you may have cool undertones, but if you like the gold best, then you may have warm undertones. And if either one makes you look lovely, neutral is, of course, your answer.

So, does the test actually work? Well, reviews are mixed, and there doesn't seem to be a clear consensus on whether it does or not. Some people love the trick, with Rose Siard's video having over 123,000 likes on Instagram and over 62,000 Likes on TikTok. One Instagram user commented, "I thought this was such a fun concept! I think it's easier to see on your eyes than just guessing with Jewelry."

On the other hand, some viewers seemed to be confused or thought the test was a bit complicated. "I'm strawberry blonde ... very fair with some pink in my face. I get complimented when I wear gold eyeshadow...but due to my skin tone, I'm told cool tones would be better. I'm confused," one commenter wrote. Meanwhile, another said, "Making it way more difficult than what it needs to be. Base it off your skin tone warm, neutral, cool, olive. Just look at your foundation and base it off your tone."

However, some commenters also have harsher criticism of the test. "What I knew about undertones before this post: Nothing. What I know about undertones after this post: Nothing," one user said, while another wrote, "No matter how many times I try this, I still don't know my undertone." Nevertheless, it's an easy trick to test at home, especially since you can do it using eyeshadows and jewelry that you likely already have, saving you money. So, like other simple hacks, this one may be worth trying — even if you're skeptical. You may just find a new way to style yourself.