HerShadeEpisode 04 · Dear Brown Girl

Here Are 4 Tests That Actually
Work for Your Skin Tone.

Dear Brown Girl,

Every beauty article tells you to look at your veins. Most Indian women look, see a murky mix of blue and green, and give up.

The vein test works better for lighter skin tones. For medium, tan, and deep Indian skin, the veins appear as a murky mix and the test becomes unreliable. You need more than one method.

The vein test works better for lighter skin tones. For medium, tan, and deep Indian skin, you need more than one test — and you need to know how to read the results correctly.

Here are four tests. Use at least two. The more they agree, the more confident you can be.

Test One

The White Paper Test

Hold a plain white sheet next to your bare face in natural daylight — not yellow indoor light. Look at your skin against the white. This works well even for deeper skin tones because the contrast makes undertone visible.

Looks yellowish

Warm

Looks pinkish

Cool

Grey-green cast

Olive

Cannot tell

Neutral

Test Two

The Jewellery Test

Put on silver jewellery. Look in natural light. Then swap to gold. Which one makes your skin look cleaner, brighter, more natural?

Gold wins

skin looks brighter

Warm

Silver wins

skin looks cleaner

Cool

Both feel off

neither flatters

Olive

Both feel fine

equally flattering

Neutral

Test Three

The Sun Reaction Test

Think about how your skin responds to sun exposure. You do not need to go in the sun right now — just remember what happens when you do.

You tan quickly, go goldenWarm undertone

You burn before tanning, look pinkish in sunCool undertone

You tan but colour looks ashy or greenishOlive undertone

Somewhere in betweenNeutral undertone

Test Four

The Selfie Test

Take a no-makeup selfie in natural light near a window. Look at your jaw and neck area specifically, not your forehead or cheeks which can be oilier or more uneven.

Yellow-gold

Warm

Pink-rose

Cool

Grey-green

Olive

Neither clearly

Neutral

Do all four. If three say warm, you are warm. If you get two olive and two neutral, you are likely olive-neutral, which is real and very Indian.

“If three tests agree, trust it. If you get two olive and two neutral, you are likely olive-neutral, which is real and very Indian.”

3 or 4 agree

High confidence

2 agree, 2 differ

Likely a blend

All 4 differ

Go neutral first

The right tests were always out there.
They just weren’t being shown to you.

HerShade detects both depth and undertone, and lets you correct it if we get it wrong.

hershade.com

Here Are 4 Tests That ActuallyWork for Your Skin Tone.

Here Are 4 Tests That Actually
Work for Your Skin Tone.