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Ivory skin: What is it and how to take care of it?

The first thing that straight comes to my mind upon hearing the word “Ivory skin” is an elephant’s tusk. I wonder if it’s named after an animal’s tusk. Well, the answer is yes! Ha-ha. Continue reading to know more.

Elephant's tusk

What is an Ivory skin tone?

Ivory skin tone is a beautiful creamy-white colored skin tone with yellow, peach, pink, or golden undertones. Across the shades of white skin, Porcelain skin is the lightest followed by Alabaster skin and Ivory skin is the darkest.

How do you determine if you have an Ivory skin tone?

Human skin tone color palette

Human skin tone color palette

Well, It’s just a few simple steps. Let’s get started by looking at your skin tone. Skin tones fall into one of these 4 categories. Fair, Light, Medium, and Dark. If you have Ivory colored skin tone, you will have less production of Melanin in your skin compared to people with other skin tones. So, you will have a fair complexion with a yellowish/creamy/peachy skin undertone.

Now I just mentioned the undertone. What is the undertone? The shade below the skin’s surface can appear warm, cool, or neutral. You should know your skin’s undertone because it helps you make better color choices in makeup, jewelry, and clothes.

Here is how you can find out your undertone:

      • Check your veins

    Take a look at your wrist or forearm. If you see green-colored veins, that means you have a warm undertone. If you see blue-colored veins, you have a cool undertone. And if you have a mix of both green and blue veins, you have a neutral undertone. Now, here is some additional information to help you decide the most suitable color shades for your complexion.

    Warm tone colors- Coral, brown, off-white, mustard yellow, peach, gold, olive, amber, yellow, orange.

    Cool tone colors- White, gray, black, and mostly all shades of purple and blue like teal, lavender, rose, etc.

    Neutral tone colors- Jade, Red, white, dusty pink, coffee, light peach, lagoon blue.

        • Check your skin’s reaction to the sun

      If you are trying to determine your undertone, this is one of the easiest methods So, if you have a warm undertone, you will easily get tanned under the sun but won’t burn your skin whereas, with a cool undertone, you will burn badly but won’t get tanned easily.

      FYI: People with lighter complexions or Ivory skin tones are more prone to get harsh sunburns and are unfortunately also more prone to skin cancer. Your skin produces less melanin and hence cannot save you from the violent UV rays. Load up on sunscreen with an SPF of 30-50 every morning and repeat every 2-3 hours.

          • Jewelry test

        If gold elevates and suits your complexion more than silver, then you have a warm color undertone. If Silver tends to suit you more, you have a cool undertone. If gold and silver both suit your complexion, then you have a neutral undertone.

        Characteristics of Ivory tone

        Some general features of people with Ivory skin tones are:
         
        • Eye color is usually blue eyes, green, or grey
        • Hair color is generally blonde hair, red, or beige
        • Skin color is very light pale skin with a cream skin tone
         

        These are a few general features; yours may differ. 

        Makeup tips for Ivory Skin 

        Ivory skin is a delicate complexion that requires particular makeup techniques to enhance its natural beauty. All the tips given below are inspired by some renowned makeup artists and beauty experts. 

        1. Starting off with Foundation: The American makeup artist Bobbi Brown advises in her book that choosing the right shade of foundation is the primary step for natural looking finish. She suggests trying the foundation on the jawline and checking its right match of your skin tone in natural light for maximum surety.  Another makeup artist Lisa Eldridge suggests in her book “Face paint: The story of makeup” that Ivory skin or fair skin can sometimes appear yellowish or pale, so look for a foundation that has pink or peach undertones to brighten the complexion. 

        2. Next is Eyes: Enhancing the eyes is a great hack for people with Ivory skin tone to instantly brighten the face. A popular American Makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin advises in his book “Making face” that ivory skin tones tend to have more contrast between their skin tone and eye color hence to bring out the eyes, use shimmery eyeshadows for softer and more feminine look. Another famous makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury suggests in her book “Makeup magic” to use beige and ivory eyeliner on the lower waterline of the eyes to make the eyes look brighter and more awake. 

        3. The last step is Lips: Makeup Artist Bobby brown recommends in her book “Beauty Rules” to opt for light shades of pink and nudes for Ivory skin tone. She also highly advises using a lip liner before applying lipstick to give a perfect shape and volume to the lips. 

        4. Blush: Soft pink cheeks add an instant freshness to the face. Makeup artist Trish Mcevoy suggests in her book that ” Ivory skin looks beautiful with pink or peach blush tones. She advises applying the blush to the apples of the cheeks and blending it outwards towards the temples. Make sure you use just a dab of it and not more for a no makeup- makeup look.  

        Makeup Products suggestions for Ivory Skin tone

        Ivory skin tone is a very light skin complexion with blue undertone and it can be challenging to find the absolute perfect makeup products for your skin type. We have compiled a few products with the best reviews on amazon to make it convenient for you. 

        1. Foundation: The Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation is highly recommended by people with Ivory skin with a 4.5 rating. One reviewer commented ” I have a very fair complexion; this foundation covers really well and stays on for long hours”. Another popular foundation is Nars sheer glow foundation with a very high rating of 4.7. A reviewer commented “I have a fair bluish undertone and the shade Siberia is the perfect match, it gives a natural looking glow without getting greasy or oily”. 

        2. Blush: If you are looking for a perfect peachy shade, the Milani baked blush in the shade Luminoso has some great reviews with a rating of 4.5. People have commented that this is the most perfect peachy shade that suits fair skin very well and isn’t overpowering. Another popular option in terms of amazon reviews is Tarte Amazonian clay 12-hour blush in the shade called ‘exposed’ with a 4.6 rating. A reviewer recommends it saying “it’s a perfect neutral shade that looks great on Fair skin”.

        3. Highlighter: Becca Shimmering skin perfector pressed highlighter in the shade “Pearl” has 4.6 ratings and is one of the popular choices on amazon. A reviewer wrote” It’s not too warm or too cool, and it makes you glow without looking glittery. Another great product according to reviews and a very high rating of 4.7 is Hourglass ambient lighting powder in the shade ethereal light. A reviewer commented ” it’s a soft light weight product which gives a natural subtle glow and is perfect for fair skin tones. 

        4. Lipstick: Some highly reviewed pink-nude shades from people on amazon are Nars Audacious lipstick in the shade Barbara which has 4.6 rating. A reviewer has recommended it saying “it’s a creamy, long-lasting lipstick with perfect nude pink color for fair skin tones and doesn’t dry out lips at all. Another loved lip color amongst light color skin shades is Charlotte Tilbury matte revolution lipstick in the shade pillow-talk with a 4.6 rating. It is reviewed as a soft pink-nude color which is matte but not drying and super long lasting.  

        Examples of celebrities with Ivory skin tone?

        Sophie Turner

        Emma Watson

        Anne Hathaway

        Emma Stone

        Rose Leslie

        Taylor Swift

        Any drawbacks of having an Ivory skin tone?

        Ivory skin tone is a very pretty, pale skin complexion, but has a few setbacks.

        The drawbacks of Ivory skin tone are:

            • People with Ivory Skin tend to sweat more compared to people with darker skin tones. This is because they have a greater number of eccrine sweat glands in their skin than those with darker skin
            • People with Ivory Skin are more susceptible to dryness, irritation, and other forms of damage. This is because they have a thinner stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the skin, compared to those with darker skin.  
            • Light skin tone typically ages faster compared to dark skin tone. Fair skin cannot protect you from harmful UV radiations; hence, photo-damage and sunburns are higher in people with light skin tones. The only solution is to start with anti-aging products as early as the mid-20s.
            • With sun damage comes early wrinkles and fine lines. Start with the Retinol journey from an early stage.
            • Rosacea is more common in fair-skinned people than in darker complexion. Redness and inflammation in fair skin are common conditions. Always keep redness relieving products handy in your bathroom for any emergencies.
            • You get fewer tans but are more prone to developing freckles.

          Skin care tips for Ivory skin tone

          Your complexion is gorgeous but high maintenance. Your skin tone is very sensitive to the sun and can easily get photodamaged and develop early signs of wrinkles and fine lines.

              • Start with an anti-aging routine using serums with Retinol and Vitamin C. Use Retinol in the night and Vitamin C in the morning. In addition, use Hyaluronic acid as the second layer of serum (during day & night) to maintain perfect moisture levels in the skin.

              • Moisturizer- Choose a calming and soothing cream with peptides, ceramides, or green tea for healthy flawless skin.

              • If you care about your skin, please do not step outside without sunscreen. Finish off your skincare routine with a thick layer of sunscreen. FYI: Buy sunscreen which is comfortable to wear every single day for 365 days. You can use either physical or chemical sunscreen. 

            What colors suit the Ivory skin tone?

            Warm undertones- Coral, brown, off-white, mustard yellow, peach, gold, olive, amber, yellow, and orange.

            Cool undertones- White, gray, black, and mostly all shades of purple and blue like teal, lavender, light pink, rose, etc.

            Neutral undertones- Jade, Red, white, dusty pink, coffee, light peach, lagoon blue.

            Takeaway

                • Ivory Skin tone is a bright, light skin complexion that is very attractive and has been named after Elephant ivory tusks.

                  • This pale skin tone is very sensitive towards sun rays and hence is prone to easy development of wrinkles, fine lines, rosacea, sunburns, or in rare cases melanoma- the deadly skin cancer. So, always stay sun protected with an SPF of 30-50, wear hats, or carry an umbrella.

                    • Start with your anti-aging skincare routine (which is mentioned above) right from your early or mid-20s.

                      • Lastly, choose colors for your makeup, clothes, and jewelry according to your undertone.

                    Love~ Beauty Stroll

                    References 

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                    By Aayushi S
                    By Aayushi S
                    Aayushi is a New York based freelance writer and a content strategist. She is a computer science graduate, a health and skincare fanatic and is also the founder of “Beauty Stroll “. She aims to make science-backed skincare easy to understand for her readers.

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