Identifying and finding the colours that best suit your skin tone can be confusing, but it really needn’t be. The first thing you need to do is to identify whether you have a cool or a warm skin tone, and this in itself couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is look at the underside of your wrist. If your veins are bluish or purple in colour, then you have a cool skin tone. If your veins are more green or yellow in colour, then you have a warm skin tone. It really is as simple as that.
Now, the next thing you have to do is to understand the colour wheel. It’s not exactly difficult to differentiate the warm half of the colour palette from the cool. On a very basic level, the cool colours will suit those with a cool skin tone, and the warmer colours will suit those with a warmer skin tone. So, as a general rule, if you have a warm skin tone, look for earthy colours like reds and oranges, browns and tans, stretching through to leafy greens. If you have a cool skin tone, sea-type colours will work for you, blues and jades and turquoise and blue-purples.
However, it’s not always as simple as that. For example, I have a cool skin tone and I love wearing oranges and pinks. Some colours can straddle the cool/warm divide with their undertone, just like our skin. Reds, oranges, pinks and greens are the most prominent in these, as reds, oranges and pinks with a blue undertone are technically cool colours. The same works for green with a yellow or even red undertone. This is especially important to consider when choosing lipstick. Cool-skinned ladies, do not despair for there is a statement red lippy out there for you! You just have to find one with a blue undertone.
One last thing. As a general rule, when it comes to metallics, golds, rose and bronze suit those with a warmer skin tone, whereas silver suits those with a cooler skin tone. Ultimately, it comes down to each individual, but it’s absolutely useful to know your skin tone and know your colour wheel to work as a guide when it comes to determining what colour you should buy that dress in. Knowing your colour wheel will also help when it comes to pairing block colours that you wouldn’t usually see together, or even clashing patterns which is oh-so-in right now. Just remember: work with what you’ve got, girl!
3 comments
Great post, I love cool tones, even though I have a warmer skin tone. It’s fun experimenting 🙂
Zahra | http://www.theluxeedition.com
Great to hear from you! Yes its fun exprimenting
[…] I came to know about cool and warm tones. I have done an article on that already here – “How to Find Colour Pallete for Your Skin”. But there is more to it than just knowing if you are cool or warm, something that has always […]