The Best Colour for Your Skin Tone - Styled By Sally

The Best Colour for Your Skin Tone

What’s your skin tone?

Skin Tone

Before diving into how to match clothing with your skin tone, it’s essential to understand your skin tone itself. Skin tones generally fall into three broad categories:

  • Fair: Light skin that may burn quickly in the sun and often has pink or blue undertones.
  • Medium: Skin with a slightly darker complexion, typically with golden or neutral undertones.
  • Dark: Deep, rich skin tones that rarely burn and can have cool or warm undertones.

Identifying your skin tone is the first step in determining the colours that will enhance your features. However, undertones play an equally important role in colour matching. Learn more about personal style consultations.

What are Undertones?

Undertones are the subtle hues that lie beneath your skin’s surface and affect how colours appear on your skin. They typically fall into three categories:

  • Warm undertones: Skin with yellow, peach, or golden hues.
  • Cool undertones: Skin with blue, pink, or purple hues.
  • Neutral undertones: A mix of warm and cool undertones, often appearing olive or beige.

How to Identify Your Undertones?

Here are some easy methods to determine your undertones:

Check the Colour of Your Veins

Look at the veins on your wrist.

  • If they appear blue, you likely have cool undertones.
  • If they look green, you most likely have warm undertones.
  • If it’s hard to tell, you may have neutral undertones.

Jewellery Test

Hold both silver and gold jewellery against your skin.

  • If gold suits you better, you likely have warm undertones.
  • If silver looks better, your undertones are probably cool.
  • If both work, you may have neutral undertones.

Need help finding your undertones? Book a consultation with us today!

What Colours Are the Best for You?

Dress Selection

Now that you know your skin tone and undertones, it’s time to figure out which colours complement your complexion. Below are tailored colour recommendations for each undertone.

For Warm Undertones

Outfit

If you have warm undertones, choose colours that complement the yellow, peach, and golden tones in your skin. These include:

  • Earthy tones: Olive, brown, camel, and burnt orange.
  • Warm shades of red: Tomato red, coral, and brick red.
  • Golden yellows: Mustard and sunflower.
  • Warm greens: Olive and sage.

For Cool Undertones

Cool Undertones

Cool Undertones

If your undertones are cool, opt for colours that bring out the blue and pink hues in your skin. These include:

  • Jewel tones: Sapphire, emerald, and amethyst.
  • Cool blues and purples: Navy, cobalt, and lavender.
  • Cool pinks: Rose and fuchsia.
  • True reds: Cherry red or cool-toned reds.

For Neutral Undertones

Neutral Undertones

Neutral Undertones

If you have neutral undertones, you can pull off both warm and cool colours. Some of the best choices include:

  • Soft neutrals: Taupe, blush pink, and soft white.
  • Balanced shades of blue: Steel blue, turquoise, and teal.
  • Muted shades of red and purple: Soft reds and lilacs.

Not Sure About What Colours Suit You?

If you’re uncertain about your skin tone or undertones, try these simple steps to determine your ideal colour palette:

Use a Colour Wheel

A basic colour wheel can help you choose complementary colours based on your undertone.

  • Warm undertones typically work well with colours opposite of blues and purples (such as oranges and yellows).
  • Cool undertones thrive with contrasting shades like blues and greens.

Consult a Colour Test Chart

Many fashion experts and websites offer colour test charts that help you match specific clothing colours to your skin tone and undertones. You can use this as a reference for creating your wardrobe.

How the Right Colours Affect Your Appearance

Wearing the right colours can do wonders for your overall appearance. The correct shades will:

  • Highlight your features.
  • Make your skin appear more radiant.
  • Brighten your complexion.

On the other hand, wearing colours that don’t complement your skin tone can:

  • Wash you out.
  • Make you look tired.
  • Clash with your natural hues.

Colour Testing Clothes

To find the best colours for you, it’s essential to experiment with different clothing items. Try holding fabrics or clothing near your face to see how they affect your skin tone. You’ll quickly notice that certain shades can make you look fresher and more vibrant, while others may leave you looking dull or fatigued.

Dress for Your Skin Tone Chart

Here’s a simple dress-for-your-skin-tone chart to guide you in choosing the best colours based on your skin tone and undertones:

Skin Tone Undertones Best Colours
Fair Cool Cool blues, soft pinks, lavender
Medium Warm/Neutral Olive green, coral, mustard yellow
Dark Warm Deep reds, warm browns, bright oranges
Medium-Dark Cool Sapphire blue, emerald, silver grey

Colour Codes for Skin Tones

If you’re into specifics, here are some colour codes for skin tones that can help you match your clothes with precision:

  • Fair skin tones with cool undertones: Lavender (#E5D0FF).
  • Dark skin tones with warm undertones: Golden yellow (#D69B2C).

Final Thoughts: Wear What Makes You Feel Confident!

Neutral Undertones

While it’s essential to choose colours that complement your skin tone, remember that personal style matters too. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different colours, and always trust your instincts. The most important thing is to wear what makes you feel confident, happy, and comfortable!

Want personalised styling advice? Book a consultation with us today for personalised advice!

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Thank you for reading!

Our blogs are designed to give general fashion tips that are easy to implement. As stylists, while we aim to provide you with information to help improve your personal style, we also believe that there are no hard and fast rules. What you wear should reflect your personality and increase your self-confidence. That’s where Styled by Sally comes in – as personal stylists with nearly 20 years experience working with women and men of all shapes, sizes and ages, we will help you to discover and embrace your own, unique personal style. Get in touch with us today to find out more!

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