PMU Color Theory & Pigment Selection 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client with a cool (pink/blue) undertone wants natural-looking brow PMU. Which pigment base should you select?
- Warm golden-brown
- Cool ash-brown or taupe (Correct answer)
- Orange-based brown
- Red-based mahogany
Correct answer: Cool ash-brown or taupe
Cool-undertone clients require ash or taupe-based pigments to avoid a warm, orange healed result.
Question 2: What happens when a blue-based pigment is applied over skin with a strong yellow undertone?
- It heals to a clean blue-gray
- It can heal with a greenish cast (Correct answer)
- It turns orange over time
- It remains unchanged
Correct answer: It can heal with a greenish cast
Blue + yellow = green; the skin's yellow undertone reacts with blue pigment creating an unwanted green cast.
Question 3: Which color on the color wheel is directly opposite (complementary to) orange?
- Yellow
- Red
- Blue (Correct answer)
- Green
Correct answer: Blue
Blue is the complementary color of orange; complementary colors neutralize each other when mixed.
Question 4: A client's healed lip blush has turned grayish-purple. Which corrector pigment would best neutralize this unwanted tone?
- Blue corrector
- Orange or peach corrector (Correct answer)
- Green corrector
- White corrector
Correct answer: Orange or peach corrector
Orange/peach neutralizes gray-purple tones because orange is complementary to blue-purple hues.
Question 5: In PMU pigment formulation, what role does titanium dioxide (TiO2) primarily serve?
- Provides black pigment depth
- Lightens and opacifies the pigment (Correct answer)
- Acts as a preservative
- Accelerates pigment polymerization
Correct answer: Lightens and opacifies the pigment
Titanium dioxide is a white opacifier that lightens pigment color and increases opacity.
Question 6: A warm-undertone client wants a soft ombre lip. Which pigment family is MOST likely to heal true on this skin type?
- Cool berry tones
- Warm peachy-nude or coral tones (Correct answer)
- Pure red with no undertone
- Gray-mauve
Correct answer: Warm peachy-nude or coral tones
Warm-undertone skin amplifies warm pigments, so peachy-nude and coral tones heal true and flattering.
Question 7: What is the effect of layering multiple thin passes of pigment versus one heavy pass during PMU application?
- One heavy pass gives more even saturation
- Multiple thin passes allow better color control and reduce trauma (Correct answer)
- Multiple passes always lighten the final color
- One heavy pass reduces healing time
Correct answer: Multiple thin passes allow better color control and reduce trauma
Multiple thin passes build saturation gradually while minimizing skin trauma and allowing real-time color assessment.
PMU Color Theory & Pigment Selection 2
A client with a cool (pink/blue) undertone wants natural-looking brow PMU.
Which pigment base should you select?