What skin tone am I? Depth vs undertone, explained
"Skin tone" mixes two things: depth (fair, light, medium, tan, deep) and undertone (warm, cool, neutral, olive).
Foundation, concealer and bronzer need both to be right; most "wrong shade" stories are one of the two being off.
The grid: depth × undertone
| Depth ↓ / Undertone → | Warm | Cool | Neutral / olive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Peach-ivory | Porcelain-pink | Ivory-beige / pale olive |
| Light | Golden beige | Rosy beige | Sand / light olive |
| Medium | Golden / honey | Rose-beige | Neutral tan / olive |
| Tan | Caramel / bronze | Cool tan | Golden-neutral / deep olive |
| Deep | Mahogany / warm espresso | Cool espresso, blue-based | Neutral deep |
Every column exists at every depth. Depth changes with sun; undertone doesn't.
Place yourself in the grid
Two answers, daylight, bare skin. This is a starting point; the analysis reads the actual photo.
1In daylight, your bare inner forearm is…
2Next to a pure white sheet, your skin looks…
Why foundation looks orange, pink or grey
Right depth, wrong undertone
The most common one. A medium golden shade on a cool medium skin looks orange; a rosy shade on a warm skin looks pink or muddy.
Matching to your hand
Hands are usually darker and warmer than the face. Match on the jaw, in daylight, and check it from a step back.
Choosing by the bottle
Names lie. Swatch three shades on the jaw and let one disappear.
Forgetting oxidation
Some foundations darken over an hour. Test, wait, then decide.
Deep skin, one shade
Deep skin often needs two: a true match and a slightly lighter shade for the centre of the face, never a lighter shade all over.
Find out for sure
Find out for sure: your depth and undertone from one selfie, free
One selfie in daylight and a one-minute quiz. You get your undertone with a confidence level, your colour season, the lipsticks and blushes that suit you, and one look painted on your own photo. No account. Your photo is not stored.
How this connects to your colours
Depth is one of the three axes of a colour season (temperature, depth, clarity). Deep skin usually leans to the deep seasons; fair skin to the light ones: but not always: eyes and hair vote too, which is why a photo beats a rule of thumb.
Questions people ask
- Does my skin tone change in summer?
- Depth does; undertone doesn't. If you tan noticeably, you may need a summer foundation shade in the same undertone.
- What is 'medium-deep' or 'tan'?
- Between medium and deep. Brands slice depth differently; use the swatch, not the word.
- What foundation range does the analysis give?
- A depth and undertone direction (e.g. 'light-medium, golden/warm') and shade-finding guidance per product area, not a single brand shade, because brands' scales differ.
Related guides
How we analyse: your selfie and quiz answers are read together and reported with a confidence level; the map and proportions are measured from face landmarks in your browser. It’s an AI estimate for choosing colours and placement, not a medical, dermatological or professional colour consultation. Sample faces on this site are AI-generated, not customers.