Do You Know Your Skin’s Undertone?

ByCordelia

Do You Know Your Skin's Undertone?
Cover FX Disclosure

Do you know your skin’s undertone? Cover FX has a very easy-to-use shade system that works off of your skin’s undertone. They break it down into Pink undertone, Neutral undertone and Golden undertone. They even have a great shade finder quiz to help you get started. Visit the Virtual Makeover here to find your skin’s undertone and to get matched. I’m an N10, meaning I’m a neutral undertone. My friend Genia is G40 (golden) and my friend Nidia is P Light-Medium (pink).

Do You Know Your Skin’s Undertone?

One of the biggest draws to me for Cover FX products, in addition to being cruelty free and vegan, is that they are free of the inflammatory 5, which can cause people with sensitive skin to have issues. The inflammatory 5 are parabens, mineral oil, talc, fragrance, and gluten. Fragrance is the one inflammatory ingredient that gets me more often than anything else.

Since being diagnosed with rosacea and going on rosacea meds, my skin has gone from combo / oily to combo / dry and I often feel like it’s confused. It had been difficult to make adjustments to get products to stick around until I found the Cover FX CC Cream. That’s why it became a holy grail product for me. It works well with my finicky skin.

I personally think everyone should try a sample of the Cover FX CC Cream from normal to combo to sensitive to dry skin.

Cover FX makes the following recommendations by skintype

  • Oily Skin (acne and blemish prone) – Use the BB Gel or Pressed Mineral Foundation. There’s even a new Blemish Primer coming soon! You could also try the Mattifying Primer.
  • Combo Skin – Pressed Mineral Foundation, Total Cover Cream, Natural Finish, or CC Cream.
  • Sensitive Skin – Total Cover Cream or CC Cream.
  • Dry Skin – Natural Finish or CC Cream.
  • Normal Skin – Natural Finish or CC Cream.

I also cannot stress enough how helpful primer can be, no matter your skintype, especially during the hot humid summer months. Using primer any time of year will help to extend the life of your makeup and foundation, so I highly recommend using a primer.

If you’re looking for primer pairings with Cover FX products here are what I would call Perfect Pairs

  • Anti-Aging Primer with the CC Cream or Total Cover Cream. I use the Anti-Aging Primer the most.
  • Mattifying Primer with the BB Gel or Pressed Mineral Foundation (though I like this for my nose and chin)
  • SPF 30 Primer with the Natural Finish Liquid Foundation
  • Anti-Aging Eyeshadow Primer – great for anyone

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I cannot wear eyeshadow and expect it to last without an eyeshadow primer. If I put on eyeshadow without primer, most shadows are gone within 20 minutes because I have a hooded eye shape and oily lids. So I need an eyeshadow primer to keep my shadow around.

Face primer, to me, is great because it gives you a smooth canvas to apply your foundation. You know that lately I’ve been obsessed with applying primer, then tinted setting powder, then my foundation, because it makes it last all day. If you want to see step by step how I do this, check out my Current Complexion Routine Video. I do use the Anti-Aging primer more than any other Cover FX primer.

Since the CC Cream is my favorite complexion perfection product, I wanted to share with you how the shades break down.

Cover FX CC Cream Shades Available

  • N Light – for fair to light skin with neutral undertones (N10, N20)
  • N Medium – for medium skin with neutral undertones (N30, N40)
  • N Medium Deep – for medium-deep skin with neutral undertones (N50, N60)
  • N Deep – for deep medium skin with neutral undertones (N70, N80)
  • N X-Deep – for deep skin with neutral undertones (N90, N100, N110)
  • P Light Medium – for fair to medium skin with pink undertones (P10, P20, P30)
  • P Medium Deep – for medium to tan skin with pink undertones (P40, P50, P60)
  • G Light Medium – for fair to medium skin with golden undertones (G10, G20, G30, G40)
  • G Medium Deep – for medium-deep skin with golden undertones (G50, G60, G70, G80)
  • G Deep – for deep skin with golden undertones (G70, G80)

One of the best things about Cover FX, as I mentioned in my Best Vegan Foundations post, is that Cover FX has an amazing shade range.  The CC Creams and BB Gel are both very forgiving and have 10 shade offerings. The Cream Foundation, Powder Foundation and Liquid Foundation all offer 28 different shades, covering from the palest to the deepest of skintones.

Wearing Cover FX CC Cream in N Light
Wearing Cover FX Anti-Aging Primer, Matte Setting Powder in Light and CC Cream in N Light. See here.
Finished Complexion Look
Wearing Cover FX Anti-Aging Primer, Matte Setting powder in Light and CC Cream. See the look.

Clearly, I love my CC Cream, Anti-Aging Primer and Matte Setting Powder!

Don’t forget, I’ll be hosting a twitter party with Cover FX today Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 4pm EST / 3pm CST / 1pm PST. Follow @CoverFX and @Phyrra and use the hashtag #CoverFXPhyrra to join in and ask questions. We’ll be giving away 5 primers, too!

Looking for more? Check out

What’s your Shade Match? What’s your favorite foundation / primer combo with Cover FX? Let me know below!

 

Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

48 Comments

    1. It’s usually the number one irritant for my skin – whether it’s a foundation, cleanser, moisturizer, etc. And the worst is lavender.

      1. Lavender doesn’t bother hands, but I’ve never put it anywhere else. I seem to tolerate citrus ingredients and honey (which I use in a DIY masque), but that’s about it.

    1. People always assume I have pink undertones because of my prominent pink overtone from rosacea. When my skin is not flushed you can see I’m neutral. I think the reason so many cool toned pale foundations exist is that most people expect you to be cool if you’re pale.

  6. This is a great post! I’m so mad at myself for missing your twitter party! I’m adjusting to new meds and my internal sleep clock is effed up =( In short, I was napping lol

  7. Understanding color and how this works in our skin is so important! Whenever I show a client the power of primer, it is always a defining moment 🙂
    Great post! Cover Fx is on my list to try.

    1. So happy that you advocate primer! I have had people tell me that primer doesn’t matter, and I just think ‘you’re not using the right primer!’

  12. I’m sorry I couldn’t make the twitter party, I was at work. I absolutely look this fdtn on you–it’s so natural looking. Can you recommend something for me? According to the finder, I’m a N20

  16. I have neutral undertones and can rock both warm and cool colors, but I personally prefer cool shades on myself 🙂

  18. I have the hardest time figuring out my undertone! Sometimes it looks yellow and sometimes it looks pink?

  22. I also have a bit of rosacea so this sounds like something that I should check out.

  23. I really like that they have three choices. I am neutral and most companies either don’t address undertone or they make you choose between yellow or pink. I have a ton of products to finish but when I do this is a brand I will definitely be checking out. If you can find a shade that is light enough I should be able to. I am slightly darker than you and there are still a lot of lines that the lightest shade is too dark. Thanks for the recommendations.

  25. Thanks for this- I never considered that my skin’s undertone may be the reason I have such a difficult time finding a good match with my foundation. I’ve yet to find a primer that doesn’t just absorb right into my skin (my skin sucks in EVERYTHING) but I’ll give theirs a try.

    1. I didn’t learn about undertones until I started blogging, so I can understand that! I would get a sample from Sephora. They also offer mini sizes of the mattifying primer there.

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