How do I know what color palette works best for my skin tone?

Have you ever experienced the dilemma at the store when attempting to choose makeup for yourself, but not sure if it's the right color for your skin tone?

Here are some helpful tips:

1.  The first step in choosing a color palette, is to determine your skin tone.  The best way to figure this out is to put on a white tee shirt and look in the mirror.   It is suggested that you gauge this in natural lighting, rather than fluorescent lighting.  If you find your skin to reflect more yellow/red tones, you would be categorized as warm.  If you find your skin to reflect more blue/pink tones, you would be categorized as cool.

2.  Once you have determined your skin tone, decide what your skin color is.  Most people fall into one or more categories, fair, medium, olive or dark. Skin color and skin tone do not automatically correlate. 

3.  When selecting a foundation, choose something that matches your skin color.  Test it along your jaw bone to see if it is a match.  Foundations are typically yellow (warm) based and blue (cool) based.  Alot of the time, the foundation colors will be labeled "cool beige" or "warm honey" so you cab derive what tone the shade is made for.

4. Blush is designed to accent your cheek bones.  Blushes can be subtle or extreme depending what type of look you are going for.  Either way, your blush, along with all your other makeup components, should match your palette. Darker-skinned people should choose blush in shades of plums for cool skin tones, or burnt orange-bronze for warm skin tones.  If you're olive skinned, browns and copper blushes are for you.  People with medium skin tones should use apricot, coral, or peach blush. Fair and cool skin types should try shades of pink or rose. Try beige or tawny if you are fair with a warm skin tone.

5.  The purpose of eye shadows are to enhance your eye color, brighten up your eye and make them stand out.  It is so important to put the right colors around your eyes so that they don't look washed out, tired or smaller than they are.  People with warm skin tones should stick to golden hues such as greens, browns, golds and pinks.  People with cool skin tones should stick to blues, grays, silver, gray and plum.  The same rules apply to eyeliners.  Adding additional eyelashes is always an eye-opener too, no pun-intended!

6.  Lipsticks/glosses are the staple of the makeup application.  Once your lipstick/gloss is on, you're ready to go!  It is suggested to test your lip shade on a piece of white paper to determine the predominant color.  For warm tones- select a robust red, warm brown or champagne.  For cool/dark tones- try purple, rose, sheer and pink.