Have you been playing it safe and sticking to neutrals because you can’t decide on the best colour palette to complement your skin tone? Whether you’re a strawberry blonde with a gorgeous peaches and cream complexion, an olive-skinned brunette, a natural redhead with freckles or any other shade under the sun, if you’ve ever asked “what colours suit me?” we’ve got your back.
Wearing the right colours can give you a radiant glow, while the wrong colour palette has the exact opposite effect, making your skin look sallow and tired. And you don’t need a stylist to help you choose. Once you know the tricks of the trade, it’s easy to colour-analyse yourself.
And, remember this is just a guideline. If you adore a colour that isn’t quite right for you, use it as an accent. (Think: shoes, belt, or handbag.) You do you!
How Do I Work Out My Skin Tone?
Cool, warm, or neutral are the colour tones that come through your skin from underneath the surface. And it’s not dependent on how light or dark your skin is.
Very fair to dark-skinned ladies can have cool, warm or neutral undertones. So working out your skin tone is a great place to start when it comes to finding the colours that suit you. Here are five different ways you can find your skin tone at home.
1. The White Paper Test
Start with a clean face that’s clear of makeup and creams. If you’ve just washed your face, wait at least 15 minutes for any redness to subside, then step into some natural light to properly examine your skin.
Grab a piece of pure white paper and hold it up to your face. How does your skin look in contrast? If you have a hue that leans towards a greenish, light brown or golden or yellow undertones, then you have a warm skin tone. Pink, rosy or blue? You’re as cool as a cucumber, baby! However, if your skin appears grey or ashen, it’s a neutral skin tone for you.
Acne, rosacea, or a tan can make it hard to determine your skin’s tone. It this is the case, ask a mate to do the paper test on the crease behind your ear instead. The delicate skin there is less likely to be affected.
2. The Vein Test
What colour are the veins in your hand and wrist? Blue or purple veins indicate cool skin, while a greenish hue, means warm skin. If you can’t decide between the two, you could have neutral-toned skin. Or, you may way to try another method to confirm your skin tone.
3. The Sun Test
Another easy way to work out your skin’s undertone is to gauge how it reacts to the sun. Olive-skinned beauties who tan easily generally have warm skin tones. Gals with pale skin who burn in the sun, are usually cool. But that’s not to say that women with dark skin that doesn’t burn can’t have a cool skin tone. If you’re neutral, you may fall into either group.
4. The Jewellery Skin Tone Test
Put on some different earrings, necklaces, rings or bracelets and see how the metal tones sit against your skin. Silver and platinum generally make cool skin tones pop, while for warm tones, gold is where it’s at.
5. Your Eye/Hair Colour
It’s not an exact science, but eye colour and the hue of your hair can help to determine skin tone. People with warm skin tones tend to have amber or brown eyes with dark blonde to dark brown hair, while cool skin tones have grey, blue or green eyes and tresses that range from very dark (blue-black or very dark brown) to light blonde.
Interestingly, most people with neutral skin tones have hazel eyes, and hair that is is multiple colours like blonde with ashy streaks or brown with warm golden brown highlights.
Colour Palettes For Different Skin Tones
Once you know your skin tone, you can start finding colours that suit you, not only when it comes to clothes but also makeup and accessories.
What Colours Should I Wear If I’m Warm?
You’re looking for warm colours like oranges, golden yellow, honey gold, amber, and reds that will make your golden undertones sing. But you can also get away with warmer greens and blues, like deeper turquoise, green moss, olive, fern, pesto, and red-purples in magenta and orchid shades.
Neutrals like taupe, hot chocolate, cream whites, and latte will make your skin glow. Steer clear from icy shades and jewelled tones like amethyst, and sapphire.
Celeb lookalikes: Jessica Alba, Jennifer Lopez, Claire Danes, Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé
What Colours Look Good On Me If I Have A Cool Skin Tone?
On the cool end of the colour chart, your best hues are bright blue, royal blue, sapphire, emerald, amethyst, deep purples, lavender, lilac snow. But don’t discount warm shades like shocking pink (not hot pink, which is warm), cerise, ruby, and bright rose.
Your neutral colours are grey, navy and pristine white, but avoid oranges and yellows!
Celeb lookalikes: Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis, Nicole Kidman, Mindy Kaling, and Lupita Nyong’o
What Colours Suit Me If I’m Neutral?
Wear jade green, dusty pink, lagoon blue and cornsilk yellow and you’ll make heads turn.
Neutral colours like off-whites, coffee, mid-range greys and black are also your best friend. Give colours that are too bright and vibrant a wide berth, though – they’ll overwhelm you.
Celeb lookalikes: Angelina Jolie, Rachel McAdams, Julianne Moore, Julia Roberts, and Kerry Washington
Seasonal Colour Analysis
You can take it a step further, and try out seasonal colour analysis, which involves classifying yourself according to the seasons.
Once upon a time, seasonal colour analysis, or skin-tone matching, was broken down into four basic categories:
- Spring: Light hair and eyes, warm undertone
- Summer: Light hair and eyes, cool undertone
- Autumn: Dark hair and eyes, warm undertone
- Winter: Dark hair and eyes, cool undertone
But the narrow classification meant that many women weren’t accounted for. So, now we have 12 seasons to choose from:
- Light Spring
- True or Warm Spring
- Clear Spring
- Light Summer
- Cool or True Summer
- Soft Summer
- Soft Autumn
- True or Warm Autumn
- Deep Autumn
- True or Cool Winter
- Clear Winter
- Dark or Deep Winter
Light Spring
- Hair: Golden blonde, strawberry blonde, or golden brown
- Skin: Fair skin with pink or peachy undertones
- Eyes: Blue, green, hazel, or light brown
– You rock: Spring colours like jonquil yellow, spring green, warm coral, fresh aqua, ivory, khaki, bright aqua, warm coral, greenish khaki, sunshine yellow
– Celeb lookalikes: Kate Hudson, Taylor Swift, Blake Lively
True or Warm Spring
- Hair: Strawberry blonde to copper auburn and light to dark golden brown
- Skin: Warm beige, slightly bronzed, may have freckles
- Eyes: Green, blue, hazel, or light brown
– You rock: Bright blue, pine green, sea green, ocean aqua, ivory, evergreen, rose, warm yellow, navy, true red
– Celeb lookalikes: Nicole Kidman, Jessica Chastain, Amy Adams
Clear or Bright Spring
- Hair: Golden, light to dark brown
- Skin: Skin has a warm undertone and ranges from fair to deep brown, usually complemented by golden hues
- Eyes: Green, blue, light brown
– You rock: Hot pink, robin’s egg blue, royal blue, lime, pine green, ocean aqua, ivory, warm brown, bright blue, true red
– Celeb lookalikes: Tyra Banks, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gwyneth Paltrow
Light Summer
- Hair: Light to medium ashy blonde or strawberry blonde hair
- Skin: Skin has a neutral undertone that is neither warm or cool, but may have a slight pink tinge
- Eyes: Blue or green
– You rock: Cool pink to pale green, baby blue, lavender, royal blue, evergreen, white, and pale warm coral
– Celeb lookalikes: Reese Witherspoon, Margot Robbie, Cate Blanchett, Marilyn Monroe
True or Cool Summer
- Hair: Medium to dark ashy brown
- Skin: Skin has a cool undertone and ranges from medium beige to dark brown
- Eyes: Blue or Gray
– You rock: Cobalt blue, evergreen, true rose, parma violet, crisp navy, fog gray, white, mint green, violet, slate blue.
– Celeb lookalikes: Kate Middleton, Emily Blunt, Bella Hadid
Soft Summer
- Hair: Medium to dark ashy brown
- Skin: Medium beige to dark brown with neutral undertones
- Eyes: Grey, blue, hazel
– You rock: Periwinkle, parma violet, cocoa brown, lavender, dusty navy, dusty rose, marsala wine
– Celeb lookalikes: Jennifer Aniston, Rihanna, Sarah Jessica Parker
Soft Autumn
- Hair: Blonde to medium brown or reddish light brown
- Skin: Ivory, olive, or medium brown with warm undertones
- Eyes: Green, hazel, or light brown
– You rock: Maize, moss, teal, peach, ivory, goldenrod, French blue, olive, camel, warm pink, and aubergine.
– Celeb lookalikes: Dianna Agron, Mischa Barton, Elizabeth Olsen
Warm Autumn
- Hair: Medium to dark golden brown or warm auburn
- Skin: Ivory, olive, or medium brown with warm undertones
- Eyes: Green, hazel, or light brown
– You rock: Autumn colours like deep olive, marsala wine, padparadscha orange, yellow, rust, gold, warm blue, mauve, burgundy, and terracotta.
– Celeb lookalikes: Olivia Palmero, Debra Messing, Rita Hayworth
Deep Autumn
- Hair: Medium to dark brown with golden shine
- Skin: Ivory, olive, or medium to dark brown with warm undertones
- Eyes: Dark blue, deep green, hazel, dark brown, brown-black
– You rock: Topaz, forest green, bright orange, brilliant russet, citrine, deep olive, warm ruby, black, russet, and goldenrod.
– Celeb lookalikes: Natalie Portman, Oprah Winfrey, Gal Gadot
Cool or True Winter
- Hair: Ashy blonde, ashy light or dark brown, or black with blue undertones
- Skin: Olive or cool blue undertones
- Eyes: Light brown, blue, or grey
– You rock: Sapphire, navy, amethyst, royal blue, bottle green, vivid green, emerald, cool ruby, hot pink, lime green, black, white, fuchsia, cool pink, fog gray, white, and black
– Celeb lookalikes: Zooey Deschanel, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristin Davis
Clear Winter
- Hair: Medium to dark brown or black
- Skin: Olive or cool blue undertones
- Eyes: Bright green or blue
– You rock: Forget muted colours and go for the brightest you can find!
– Celeb lookalikes: Courteney Cox, Megan Fox, Alexis Bledel
Dark or Deep Winter
- Hair: Medium to dark brown or black
- Skin: Olive or cool blue undertones
- Eyes: Dark brown or black
– You rock: Sapphire, navy, turquoise, eggplant, amethyst, emerald, bottle green, cool ruby, black and white, and plum.
– Celeb lookalikes: Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Mila Kunis
Colours Anyone Can Wear
If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to adding colours that suit you to your wardrobe, consider looking for clothes in colours that suit most skin tones and colour palettes, including:
- Pure white
- Light blush pink
- Teal with a perfect mix of blue and green
- Eggplant purple
- Grey
You’ll find some of these colours will come in and out of fashion, but fortunately white and grey are usually always available. And if you wan to try bold colours, such as reds, yellows or a particular shade that’s trendy, you could always try something on to see how it looks. Take photos with and without a flash, then consider how the clothes and colour sits against your skin to decide if it suits you.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that what colours suit you might change or be up for debate – a fact Zooey Deschanel can attest to. The actress and singer posted a video of her getting colour analysis done earlier in 2024, where there was still debate in the comments (officially, she’s a True Winter).
