Makeup for Olive Skin 🫒: EVERYTHING You Need to Know (Tested on Fair AND Tan Olive)

Summary of the video (Makeup for Olive Skin 🫒: EVERYTHING You Need to Know)

The video argues that most makeup advice for “olive skin” is misleading because it’s often filmed on only one person from one end of the olive spectrum, then marketed as if olive skin is one single shade/undertone. Instead, it uses color theory/science to explain olive skin, suggests home tests to identify whether you’re olive, and then provides makeup product recommendations split by lighter fair-cool olive vs. medium-deep olive (including options for the full range in between).

1) What “olive skin” actually means

• Skin tone is influenced by two types of melanin:
  • Eumelanin (brown to black) = affects depth
  • Pheomelanin (red to yellow) = affects undertone/overall cast
• Olive skin is described as the result of eumelanin depth combined with more yellow/khaki-leaning pheomelanin, creating an olive / khaki / gray-green type appearance rather than simply “warm” or “yellow.”
• Olive skin can appear cool, warm, or neutral, depending on how the pigments and undertone show up on you.
• The video emphasizes matching makeup to the aggregate tone across face + neck + body to avoid a “floating head” effect.

2) How to tell if you have olive skin (three home tests)

They propose three tests and suggest that if you pass 2 out of 3, you likely have olive skin:

1. Pink/Red shirt test

   • Olive skin often looks more yellow/green/gray next to red/pink.
   • The more that yellow/green/gray stands out, the more “olive” you likely are.

2. Photo & lighting test

   • If, in photos, you notice you look more green/yellow/gray than the background or compared to friends, that supports olive.
   • They differentiate:
     • Undertone (temperature)
     • Overtone (pink ↔ green tint)

3. Pink vs Purple blush test

   • Many olive complexions find purple/lilac blush flattering.
   • Some pink blushes can turn more orange on olive skin because many popular pinks lean warmer/red-orange, while purple counteracts warmth.

3) Makeup guidance: the main “problem” and what to look for

A major theme is that “olive-friendly” complexion products are hard to find, and brands often make shades that work well only for a narrow category—leading to mismatches that look too orange or too red.

Complexion (foundation/concealer)

• For fair-cool olive

  • Missha BB Cream (shade 21 light beige)
  • About Face concealer (F2 olive)

• For medium-deeper olive

  • Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (shade 9)
  • Praised for having multiple olive-leaning shades.

• The video recommends looking at brands/products that cover olive tones more broadly (examples mentioned include Lisa Eldridge, About Face, and others).

• Undertone/ingredient logic:
  • Some foundations may be built with pigments that miss olive undertones.
  • The video suggests formulas that include chromium oxide green or ultramarine blue to reduce “red/yellow-only” mismatch.
• Concealer tip: match concealer undertone to foundation undertone for a cohesive look.

Bronzer/contour

Bronzer is often described as too orange for olive skin. Suggested options include:

• Milani Cheek Kiss bronzer (Spicy Season) for medium-deep/neutral olives when you want warmth without orange-red
• Saie powder bronzer (Portofino) as a go-to for olive-friendly bronzing
• Makeup by Mario Skin Enhancer (Light) (also mentioned)

They also explain that contour/bronzer application differs depending on whether skin is cool and desaturated vs neutral/warm.

Blush

Blush is framed as tricky because olive skin may be muted and/or saturated, and blush is sheer so it blends with your undertone.

• Strategy:
  • Match the saturation level of blush to your skin
  • Consider undertone too, since sheer blush blends with undertone
• Tone guidance varies by depth/warmth:
  • Purple/pink blushes can work well depending on the person
  • For deeper olives with more warmth: terracotta tones
    • Example: CoverGirl Spicy Chai
• Examples mentioned as references for landing in the right rose/pink/mauve/terracotta zone include Rare Beauty and others.

Setting powder

Many setting powders can look orange or overly saturated. Recommendations include:

• Choose powders that are slightly yellow-leaning for everyday wear
• Specifically mentioned:
  • Huda Beauty Pound Cake
  • Huda Beauty Banana Bread
• For deeper skin:
  • About Face powder (draped) is suggested as peachy and helpful for correcting pigmentation.

4) Eyeshadow palettes

The video emphasizes cohesive eye looks by choosing olive-compatible neutrals that balance:

• warmer tones to warm up grayish eyelids
• cool/desaturated olive shades

Palette examples mentioned:

• Urban Decay Naked Foxy (olive-neutral)
• Master Mattes The Neutrals
• Natasha Denona mini (with described use of olive/green shade tones)
• For deeper skin: they suggest adding iridescence and mention palettes like Brown works, Light Work, etc.

5) Lips: matching depth + mutedness + undertone

Lip guidance includes a “double problem”:

• Match lip depth to your skin depth
• Match mutedness and undertone—olive skin often looks best with muted tones rather than ultra-bright lipstick shades

Recommendations:

• Go-to liner: MAC Stone (described as a contour-y gray brown)
• Liner alternatives:
  • Morphe Brulee
  • Rock Steady (dupe-like comparison)

Lipstick examples by olive type:

• Fair cool olive

  • Look for more purple-leaning shades
  • Example: ABH mauve cloud
  • A warmer option might pull off on cooler olives

• Deeper olives

  • Example: Truth Be Untold (warm muted brown tone)
  • Other mauve/pink options mentioned:
    • Maybelline Hold the Door
    • Ritual de Fille Water Violet (described as balm-like and matching blush)

The video ends by reiterating that correct color matching depends heavily on knowing your undertone, and that the “same” shade can look different across different olive complexions.

Speakers (people who appear as speakers in the subtitles)

1. Monica
2. Jasmine
3. Jazel (the “bestie” collaborator mentioned at the end)