How to find your skin undertone at home

Three checks to try

Do each one in natural daylight near a window, without heavy make-up, and look at your face rather than at the object you are holding.

• White against cream. Hold a bright white cloth under your chin, then an ivory or cream one. If the cream makes your skin look smoother and calmer, you may lean warm; if the white looks fresher and the cream makes you look sallow, you may lean cool. Many people see little difference, which suggests neutral.
• Gold against silver. Hold a gold piece of jewellery, then a silver one, against your wrist or neck. Gold looking more natural hints at warm; silver hints at cool. Some people love both.
• How your skin takes the sun. Skin that browns easily and rarely turns pink is often warmer; skin that reddens first is often cooler. This is the weakest clue, since sun habits and depth of colour affect it too.

What these checks can and cannot show

You may have heard of the vein test: green-looking veins on the inner wrist suggesting warm, blue or purple suggesting cool. It is popular but unreliable, especially on deeper skin, where veins are harder to see, and under artificial light. Treat it as a curiosity rather than an answer.

No home test is exact. Lighting, a recent tan, redness and the colour of the room all change what you see. The checks are useful because together they point in a direction, and that direction is only worth anything if it helps you choose clothes you enjoy. If the results disagree, you are probably neutral or olive, and that simply means a wide range of colours will work for you.

Settle it with a dupatta drape

The most practical test uses what you already own. Take two dupattas or scarves of similar depth, one warm (mustard, rust, coral, olive) and one cool (fuchsia, icy blue, emerald, plum). Drape each one round your shoulders by a window and take a photo of each without changing anything else. Compare the photos side by side.

Look for which one makes your skin look even and your eyes look clear, and which one you notice before your face. If both look good, enjoy both. Our gentle guide to choosing colours that suit you explains why your own taste should still lead, and warm undertone colour ideas gives starting shades if you lean golden.

Using it when you order

Undertone is most useful for the piece nearest your face: the kameez neckline and the dupatta. A colour you love but find harder to wear up close can go into the trousers or a trim. When you send an enquiry, describe the colour and attach a photo, and the fabric colour is agreed in your written quote. The custom stitching page explains how a made-to-measure order works, and the neckline styles show how much of the kameez sits close to your face.