Amazing Makeup Tips for Fair Skin

In order to make the most of your fair-skinned features, you’re going to need to first understand how to set them off without overpowering them.

First, find your undertone.

Not all skin tones are created the same. Likewise, “fair skin” is not a “one size fits all” color. Are you fair with warm undertones? Or are you fair with cool undertones? Then again, might you be fair with neutral undertones?

It can be complicated, but getting it wrong could mean looking like a clown, or a washed-out ghoul straight off the set of the Walking Dead.

So, yes, undertone is very important, and there are a few ways to go about finding it.

1. Look at the underside of your wrists. Do your veins look blue or green? If they look blue or purple, you’re cool-toned. If they look green, you’re warm-toned. If you have trouble telling, your skin is probably neutral-toned.
2. What colors do you look better in…jewel tones or earth tones? If you look best in jewel-tones like purples, plums, blues, merlots, and deep greens, you’re cool-toned. If you prefer rocking earth-tones such as oranges, rust, reds, oranges, yellows, and olive greens, you’re warm toned. And if you can pull off all the above shades, you’re probably a neutral.
3. Take a look at your favorite jewelry. Do you look better in golds or silvers? If it’s gold, you’re warm-toned. If it’s silver, you’re cool-toned. And yep, you guessed it…if you look good in both, you’re neutral.
4. Do you burn or tan in the sun? If you burn easily, you’re cool-toned. If you tan, you’re warm-toned.

Now that you have your undertone, let’s move on to the fun stuff, shall we?

Freckles

If you’re fair skinned, chances are you might have freckles. You might even have enough to map out an entire galaxy. Maybe these freckles were something to hide back years ago, but today, freckles are not only considered rare, they are beautiful!

Of course, only you can truly be comfortable in your own skin. There is no quick-fix for that, no amount of compliments, no magic “confidence” pill you can take. But, in our book, showing off your freckles is a definite DO!

Eye shadow

You may have thought that your fair skin relegated you to a life of light, neutral colors only. But that’s not true! You might be surprised just what you can wear. In this day and age, you have an almost endless selection of shades, tones, colors, finishes, and textures to choose from… and that means you’ve got options, baby!

So, to find your best colors, it’s time to take a look at the color wheel.

1. First find your eye color on the color wheel.
2. The colors directly across from it are your complimentary colors. These are the colors you should be reaching for, the ones that will really make your own eye color pop. Can you wear colors close to your own eye color? Yes, but mind that the shade doesn’t too closely match your eyes, or their impact will be lessened. If you’re very fair skinned with light eyes and hair color, can you pull off a smokey eye? Absolutely! But avoid overpowering black (except at night). Instead, try smokey looks based in brown or grey tones. And, did we mention plum? Plum, plum, plum! Whether for liner, shadow, or a smoked-out look, plum is a DO!

Face

Here too, pale skin can run into challenges. Some people say never wear pink blush, others say many shades can look wonderful on your coloring.

The same argument persists for shades of coral and peach. Just take it slow, and refer back to your undertone. Your foundation and concealer will depend on the undertones of your skin. Peach is usually a safe bet for all, as it adds a warm glow to cheeks.

If your skin is more blue-based, you can wear many shades of pink. However, no blush should be applied with a heavy hand on your fair skin! So too, heavy foundation often looks odd on the fair skinned among us, so opt for a lighter liquid or mineral foundation which will act to even out your skin only, not mask it.

Lips

Guess what? You’re going to go back to your handy-dandy undertone for this, since it applies to lipstick as well. If you’re a cool tone, choose a blue-toned or blue-based color – purples, fuschias, light pinks, or nude shades.

If you’re warm toned, opt for lipsticks with a warm base – corals, oranges, reds, warm browns, and peachy nudes. Can a cool tone fair skin wear a red lip? Absolutely! There is a red out there for every skin tone and color. Try out red-blue and orange-red tones to see which works best on your skin (and remember to be subtle with the rest of your makeup if you do add any kind of a red lip).

Eyebrows

As a fair-skinned beauty, eyebrows are one of the most important features of your face, and they must be present and accounted for.

If you have light hair, this might be tricky, as your eyebrows are likely light as well, which gives them the appearance of being absent from your face (which is not a good look for anyone! If you don’t believe us, Google “celebrities without eyebrows” and take a look. Yikes!)

So, if your eyebrows are lacking (or missing), combine both pencil and powder (which are usually both included in an eyebrow shaping kit) to get a more natural look. For those with very light blonde hair, you might also want to use a brow gel (comes in a tube with a small mascara wand) in a blonde/light brown shade, just to make the most of the hairs you do have.

Mascara

Depending on your hair color, you might want to save the thick, black mascara for nights out on the town (it is often too overpowering in daylight). For a more suitable yet jaw-dropping effect, use aneyelash curler, then follow with the best volumizing mascara you can find in a dark brown shade.

Skin

And finally, we’re not revealing any state secrets here… your skin is pale.

All of your skin, from the skin of your scalp all the way down to your toes, must be protected from the sun! So, daily SPF is an absolute DO!

There are plenty of foundations and concealers made with a built-in degree of SPF, which is fantastic…but your best bet is to start with a sheer sunblock containing SPF. There are so many great formulations available, light and sheer, and instantly absorbable, which are ideal for layering under makeup.

Now, you have all the tips and tricks you need for showcasing your gorgeous fair skin to the fullest…so what are you waiting for? Whether you feel more comfortable in minimal makeup, a full face, or anything in between, there are countless ways you can create a look that will make the most of what ya got!