To choose foundation for warm undertones, look for shades marked W, warm, G, golden, Y or peach in your depth, then swatch three close shades on your jaw in daylight. Pick the one that disappears into your skin. Not sure you are warm. Check first with our free undertone test.
First, confirm you have warm undertones
Warm undertones show golden, peachy or yellow hints. You are probably warm if several of these are true.
- Your wrist veins look green.
- Gold jewelry makes your skin glow, and silver looks a little cold.
- Cream and ivory look softer on you than pure white.
- You tan easily and rarely burn.
- Pink foundations have always looked chalky or gray on you.
Warm comes in two common flavors. Golden or yellow warm skin has more yellow, while peach warm skin has a little more pink in the mix. Both are warm, but they can suit slightly different shades. Our guide to skin undertones covers the full set of tests.
How to read foundation shade codes
| Code or word | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| W, warm | Golden or peach based |
| G, golden | Clearly golden |
| Y, yellow | Clearly yellow |
| P, peach | Warm with a little pink |
| N, neutral | Balanced, a good backup for neutral warm skin |
| C, cool, R, rosy | Pink based, usually not for you |
| O, olive | Green gray based, for olive warm skin |
Depth usually comes first. A shade such as 3W might be medium and warm, and 3G medium and golden. Every brand runs its own scale, so check each one.
The jawline stripe test
- Pick three shades near your depth, for example a warm, a golden and a neutral warm shade.
- Paint a stripe of each along the jaw, from cheek to neck.
- Wait five minutes for them to settle and dry.
- Look in daylight, by a window or outside.
- Choose the stripe that vanishes. Your match blends into your face and your neck at the same time.
Signs your foundation is wrong for warm skin
| What you see | What it usually means | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Pink or chalky look | Too cool | A warm or golden shade |
| Gray or ashy look | Too light or not golden enough | One step deeper, or golden |
| Very yellow look | Too yellow for peach skin | Warm peach or neutral warm |
| Orange look | Too deep or too warm | One step lighter, or neutral warm |
| Line at the jaw | Wrong depth | One step lighter or deeper |
Warm undertones at every depth
- Fair and light warm skin often suits warm ivory, golden beige or peach beige. Very yellow shades can look sallow on peachy skin.
- Medium warm skin often suits golden beige, honey or warm sand shades.
- Tan and deep warm skin often suits golden, caramel and warm bronze shades. Make sure the shade has richness and warmth, because shades that are too light or too gray look ashy.
Matching the rest of your base
- Concealer in the same warm family, one shade lighter for brightness.
- Color correctors in peach or orange cancel blue and purple under the eyes, which shows more on medium and deep warm skin.
- Powder that is translucent, or a soft yellow or banana tone, which keeps warm skin looking golden.
- Bronzer in a warm, golden brown. Warm skin can wear bronzer more easily than cool skin, but keep it soft.
- Blush in peach, apricot, coral or terracotta looks natural on warm skin.
Light, oxidation and your foundation
Many foundations darken slightly and turn a little more orange as they mix with skin oils, which is called oxidation. Warm skin often tolerates this better than cool skin, but it can still push a good match too warm. Swatch, wait, then judge in daylight. If a shade looks right at first and too orange later, go one step lighter or slightly more neutral.
Golden, peach or olive, which warm are you
Warm skin is not one color. Getting the flavor right is often the difference between a shade that is close and one that disappears.
| Type | What you notice | Shades that usually work |
|---|---|---|
| Golden warm | Skin looks yellow or honey next to white | Golden, yellow or honey shades |
| Peach warm | Skin looks warm but slightly pink next to white | Warm peach or warm beige shades |
| Olive warm | Skin looks golden with a green or gray cast | Olive or neutral golden shades |
| Neutral warm | Skin looks only slightly warm | Neutral warm shades |
If yellow shades look too bright on you but pink shades look gray, you are probably peach or neutral warm. If both look slightly off and your skin looks a little green in photos, try an olive shade. Our guide to skin undertones explains how to spot each one.
Buying warm foundation online
- Start from a match you already know, and look up its equivalent in the new brand chart.
- Check the undertone letter or word as well as the depth number.
- Trust customer photos in daylight more than edited product photos.
- Order two close shades or samples, so you can mix if neither is perfect.
Your shade through the year
Warm skin often tans easily, so your foundation depth may change between summer and winter. Many people keep two shades and mix them in spring and autumn. Your undertone stays the same, so stay in the same warm family and only move up or down in depth. A light, buildable formula is also more forgiving when your skin depth shifts.
When warm shades still look wrong
If warm shades look too yellow and cool shades look too pink, you may be neutral, or olive. Neutral skin usually suits N shades, and olive skin often suits shades labeled olive or neutral golden. Our guide to foundation for cool undertones covers the cooler side of a shade range.
Your hair color matters too, because it sits right next to your face. Our guide to hair colors for warm undertones shows which shades keep warm skin glowing, and our free seasonal color analysis builds a full palette around your undertone, eyes and hair.