Best Makeup Colors For Olive Skin Tone
It can be challenging to find makeup products that suit your skin tone.
However, if you consider your undertone, you’ll be able to see which colours suit you best.
For example, olive skin tones can be the trickiest to match.
In addition, most people assume that olive is a single shade.
However, anyone from the fairest to the deepest of complexions can have olive skin or an olive undertone.
If you have an olive skin tone, you may have noticed that typical foundation shades can be too warm and accentuate your green undertones, or too cool and leave you looking one-dimensional or ashy.
And even when it comes to choosing blush and eyeshadow shades, certain ones don’t work.
So, what are the best makeup colours for olive skin tones?
The best makeup colours for olive skin won’t leave you looking green or flat. Instead, you’ll want to opt for foundations that aren’t extremely warm and choose jewel-toned shades for eyes, lips, and blush.
When most of us think of olive skin tones, we often think of a medium-tan complexion.
However, not everyone with olive skin tones will fit that description.
While it can be challenging to find flattering makeup colours, it’s not impossible.
So, read on to learn the best strategies for shade-matching and colour mixing!
What Is Olive Skin?
What is an olive skin tone exactly?
We mentioned earlier that many people would classify olive skin as tan or medium-complexioned.
That idea comes from scales like the Fitzpatrick Scale (pictured right).
And it is true that “olive” can often be used to describe this particular skin tone.
However, while that may be true for some people, olive undertones can be found in all shade ranges.
For example, if you are generally pale, you’ll notice that your complexion looks cooler rather than tan.
However, if you have a deep skin tone, olive undertones may look more golden than green.
Most olive undertones look green or yellowish.
When looking for a foundation, you’ll notice that most of them are categorised by undertone. The three categories are calm, warm, and neutral.
Cool tones have red, pink, or blue undertones, while warm tones have yellow or golden undertones.
Lastly, neutral undertones are a combination of warm and cool.
So, where do olive skin tones fall in these categories? Olive skin tones are usually classified as a neutral undertone.
How Do You Know If Your Skin Tone Is Olive?
How can you determine if you have an olive skin tone?
Shade matching is one of the most challenging parts when shopping for makeup.
In addition, professional makeup artists have years of experience matching shades to identify undertones instantly.
So, what can you do if you’re not a professional makeup artist?
There are multiple tests you can perform to determine whether your skin is olive.
For example, the most popular methods are analysing your jewellery or examining your veins.
While there are more ways to find out whether your skin can have an olive tone, these are the simplest to do at home.
What Jewellery Looks Best?
Do you wear gold jewellery the most? Silver? Both?
The colour of jewellery that looks best on you can determine your undertone.
Then, once you know your undertone, you’ll have an easier time picking out the most flattering makeup colours for you.
For example, if you love gold jewellery and it looks the most flattering on your complexion, you will most likely have a warm undertone.
On the other hand, if silver jewellery complements your complexion the best, chances are you have a cooler undertone.
Finally, if you look great in both gold and silver jewellery, you most likely have a neutral undertone.
We mentioned that olive skin tones tend to fall within a neutral undertone, meaning they look fantastic with both silver and gold accessories.
Look At Your Veins
Another way to figure out your undertone is by looking at your veins.
Like the jewellery methods, looking at your veins can help determine if you have a cool, warm, or neutral undertone. Veins can appear green, blue, or a combination of both.
If your veins look predominantly green, you may fall within the warm undertone category.
However, if your veins look more blue, you likely have a cool undertone.
Lastly, if your veins are a mix of green and blue, you’re neutral.
Veins that appear green or blue are often found in people with an olive skin tone because they fall within a neutral undertone.
Signs You Have An Olive Skin Tone
What are some other signs that you have an olive skin tone?
Olive skin tones are often overlooked and the trickiest to match because they lean more golden.
You’re usually paired with a warm-toned foundation, and if you lean more cool, you’re usually paired with a cool-toned foundation.
You look flat with a cool-toned foundation.
In addition, conducting at-home tests, such as analysing your veins or jewellery, can be challenging, especially if you don’t know what to look for.
So, let’s gloss over some other tell-tale signs that can help determine if you potentially have an olive skin tone.
Without knowing your complexion and undertone, finding what makeup colours look best can be hard.
Green Cast
Olive skin tones can look slightly green, like an actual olive.
In addition, this subtle green tone can make it challenging to find flattering makeup colours, as you’ll try to match your overall complexion rather than your undertone.
A green cast can determine if your skin has an olive tone.
In addition, you’ll notice that with the wrong makeup, your skin can look ashy or washed out.
As a result, you may look one-dimensional or flat with your makeup done.
Foundations Don’t Suit Your Undertone
While most foundations on the market come in warm, neutral, and cool categories, it can still be challenging to find a match for olive skin.
For example, most foundations on the market are highly saturated and can create an unflattering finish for olive skin.
Some brands make an olive-undertone foundation line, but others don’t.
So, your best bet to find a match for olive skin is to look for a neutral undertone that is slightly muted to flatter the green, golden, or grey tones within olive skin.
You Tan Easily
Olive skin tones can produce pigment relatively quickly thanks to melanocytes, giving the skin more melanin.
This is why many people claim that olive skin tones can tan more rapidly, indicating that you have an olive complexion.
People with olive skin tones will tend to tan rather than burn in the sun.
However, even people with olive skin need to stay protected in the sun because a deeper complexion doesn’t shield them from the sun’s harmful rays.
So, next time you’re in the sun or on vacation and notice a tan developing, it can be a sign that you have olive skin tones.
Jewel-Toned Makeup Is Flattering
If you have an olive skin tone, you may notice that you look better in bold, rich colours.
In addition, pastels may not be the best fit for olive skin because they can highlight unwanted undertones or create an ashy/flat appearance.
Instead, colours like royal blue, deep purple, or forest green can complement your skin tone and make you look lively.
Rich or deep shades tend to look the most flattering on olive skin tones because they bring dimension and the right amount of warmth.
What Colours Look Good On Olive Skin?
Thankfully, many colours flatter olive skin tones.
Whether you’re looking for foundation, blush, or eyeshadow, you can rest assured that these hues will complement your complexion. However, what colours should you avoid?
As mentioned earlier, any pastel shades or light pinks can make olive skin look washed out or create an unflattering contrast.
However, that doesn’t mean avoiding pink altogether; you’ll need to find another shade of pink.
For example, when looking for blushes or lipsticks, avoid baby pinks and stick to deeper tones like mauve or berry if you want to wear pink.
So what other colours look good on olive skin?
Rich Browns
Deep brown eyeshadows can help accentuate your eyes and your skin tone.
In addition, rich browns won’t make your skin look ashy or flat.
Because olive is considered neutral, you can opt for neutral shades of brown for your skin tone.
However, if you want to add a little warmth to your makeup look, you can choose a warm, deep brown to create a smoky eye.
In addition, brown is the perfect everyday neutral that you can wear for the daytime or smoke it up for a dramatic night out.
Lastly, deep browns look wonderful on olive skin because they bring life and dimension to the face without looking overly warm or cool.
Gold, Bronze, Metallic
Dimensional shades like gold, bronze, or other metallics will also suit olive skin tones.
These shades work exceptionally well if you’re looking to add a slight warmth to the face, but you want something more interesting than a regular brown eyeshadow.
In addition, if you have olive skin with a slight tan or a deeper complexion, golds, bronze, or metallic shadows make a fantastic statement eye look.
Also, these hues will add that sparkle and shimmer without leaving your olive skin tone looking drab.
So, if you’re looking to create a bold makeup look that keeps olive skin looking lively, try using gold, bronze, or other metallic hues.
Deep Reds and Oranges
Red and orange makeup can be pretty intimidating to apply.
However, finding the right shade of red and orange can make all the difference, especially for olive skin.
It’s crucial to remember that olive can be present in fair, medium, and deep complexions.
Orange is already a universally flattering shade because it can suit almost all skin tones.
Burnt or deep orange can add warmth to olive skin without it looking overly yellow. Olive skin can have a green cast, which is why a deep red can neutralise its presence.
Brick red or burnt orange shadows are great for olive skin tones that want a new take on the lip or eye colours for every day.
In addition, they can even be used as a more neutral blush shade to get a cheeky flush.
Jewel Tones
Another good rule of thumb is to choose jewel-toned hues rather than light pastels.
Jewel-toned colours are rich, deep, and pigmented to complement all ranges of olive skin tones. In addition, they keep the skin looking fresh and lively.
Berry tones make great blushes and lip colours if you want a pop of colour to make a statement.
Other beautiful bold colours include royal blue, deep purple, forest green, and more.
Muted Tones
Muted colours can also enhance olive complexions.
If you love neutral looks and don’t experiment with colour, earth tones, or muted tones, they can still accentuate olive skin tones.
Most muted shades have a neutral undertone that pairs well with olive skin.
How To Pick The Best Makeup For Olive Skin
Now that we know what colours suit olive skin tones the best, let’s put this knowledge to work.
It can be overwhelming to go into a store and search for a product that works with your complexion.
So how can you pick out the right product every time?
You can search for the colours listed above, such as berry, golds, or earth tones, for your eyeshadow, lips, or blush.
In addition, you can never go wrong with purchasing a deep brown shade for your makeup.
Foundation
Foundations are the most challenging to match for olive skin tones because most brands won’t create foundations for olive complexions.
In addition, we know that olive skin can sometimes look slightly green, golden, or grey.
Most warm foundations are incredibly saturated and can look yellow on some olive skin tones.
Depending on your personal preference and complexion, you may want a foundation with some warmth.
A cool-to-neutral option might suit you best if you’re more pale.
A neutral foundation might work for you if you don’t lean particularly to either warm or cool tones.
Neutral foundations are more muted, which can suit olive skin, and you won’t have to worry about looking too warm or yellow or cool and ashy.
For a visual tutorial on finding the best foundations for olive skin, take a look at this video from Sephora below!
Bronzer
Bronzer is also tricky because its primary purpose is to add warmth to the face.
In addition, most bronzers, in general, can pull orange, whether you have olive skin or not, especially if it’s the wrong shade.
So, how can you add warmth without orange tones?
Try opting for a neutral brown bronzer that is slightly darker than your skin tone.
A bronzer with a neutral undertone can still add some warmth, but you won’t have to worry about looking grey or orange.
In addition, you can opt solely for a contour if you want a chiselled face without the warmth, especially if you find your olive skin leans more towards a golden hue.
Blush
When choosing blush, it’s best to opt for deeper shades of pink, orange, and brown.
Surprisingly enough, you can have a deep terracotta or brown hue as blush.
These shades will give you that flush you want without looking super warm.
However, mauves and burnt orange blushes will look wonderful on olive skin because they can be more neutral in tone but add the right amount of warmth to your complexion.
In addition, berry shades can also create a fresh-faced effect.
We mentioned how deep and rich colours can accentuate olive complexions.
All of these blush colours can fall into jewel-toned shades that flatter olive skin.
Eyeshadow
Rich browns, deep reds, burnt oranges, and muted earth tones make incredible eyeshadow for olive skin.
Now you can finally bring attention to your eyes without compromising the liveliness of your olive complexion.
In addition, these are beautiful shades for everyday looks or smoky eyes.
Another excellent option is to choose gold, bronze, and metallic shadows.
Textured shadows will quickly enhance your eyes, and these hues complement olive skin tones because they are rich and bold.
Lipstick
When it comes to the lips, the same rules apply as blush.
Surprisingly, blush and lipstick can be interchangeable, depending on the formula.
In addition, you can create a monotone look and match your lipstick to your blush.
Mauves, deep oranges, and rich browns will all make beautiful lip colours for olive skin.
Final Thoughts
Now you’ll know how to colour-match your olive skin every time!
Olive skin can be present in all complexions, no matter how fair or deep you may be.
Olive is considered to be a neutral undertone, and you can determine if you have olive skin in numerous ways.
For example, your jewellery or veins can indicate if you’re olive.
In addition, you may notice your skin can look green or golden.
Overall, the most flattering colours for olive skin are jewel tones, rich browns, and muted earth tones.
What colour will you incorporate into your makeup routine?
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