Sometimes you hear people talk about how a certain color is “their” color or how they look bad in another. But what does that mean? What actually causes colors to flatter or clash with someone’s skin tone and how do you figure it out? With these tips, you can be styling in no time! By all means, if you love a color, wear it, this is just a how-to guide to wearing colors that are supposed to be the most flattering for you.
Determining Your Skin Tone
It’s fairly easy to determine your skin tone. First, use a piece of white paper and hold it up to your face and compare it to your skin. If your skin looks more yellow, green, or light brown, you most likely have a warm skin tone. However, if your skin looks more pink, rosy, or blue, you most likely have a cool skin tone. If your skin looks gray, then you have a neutral undertone.
The next course of action is to look at the veins on your inner wrist. If your veins appear more blue or purple, you have cool skin. If they appear to be more green, then you have warmer skin. Furthermore, if you can’t really tell, you have neutral skin.
You can also use how your skin reacts to the sun as a helpful factor. If you tend to tan more easily than burn, you have warm skin. Similarly, if you burn more easily than tan, you have cool skin. People with neutral skin can fall either way.
Colors For Warm Skin Tones
For warm skin tones, the best colors for you are the rich colors. Looking at the color wheel, you should turn to reds, peaches, corals, oranges, ambers, golds, and yellows. “Warmer” versions of cool colors can also look great. This can be olive, moss, orchid, or violet-red colors. Neutrals that look best with a warm skin tone include taupes, cappuccinos, creams, and grays. Try to avoid chill colors like icy blues or jewel tones. These colors have a history of washing you out and making your skin look grayer.
Colors For Cool Skin Tones
The best colors for those with a cooler skin tone include bright blues, emeralds, and deep purples. Shades of lavendar, ice blue, or pink also can look great on you. For the warmer colors, ruby, rosy reds, and very pale yellows will look good. For neutrals, cool grays, bright whites, and navy is what you should turn to. Colors that can clash with a cool skin tone include oranges, tomato red, and strong yellows.
Colors For Neutral Skin Tones
Neutral skin tones have many options of colors that will look great. You can wear nearly anything on the color wheel, however, it’s best to go for softened or muted versions of a color. Dusty pink, jade green, cornsilk yellow, and a lagoon blue will look great on you. For neutral colors, off-whites, coffee colors, mid-range grays, and black look best. As for colors that can be a bit overwhelming for your skin tone are bright colors. This can include electric blue and magenta. However, the one exception to this is a bright red. This color will make you turn heads.
Colors For Everyone
Colors that can look great on anyone include pure white. Light blush pink can brighten any skin tone. Teal has a perfect mix of blue and green to compliment warm and cool skin tones. For darker colors, try a dark purple, such as egglant. This is a perfect neutral for anyone!
With these tips from famous designer Sherri Hill, you can be styling in no time! By all means, if you love a color, wear it, this is just a how-to guide to wearing colors that are supposed to be the most flattering for you.