Just like the right haircut can shape your face, there are colours matched to complement specific skin tones.
If you find yourself asking “What colour suits me? What will make me stand out in a crowd?”, the answer comes down to finding the colours that are flattering for you based on your skin’s undertone.
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Fashion has no hard and fast rules, but there are tips to consider when it comes to knowing which colours to buy this season:
Start with skin tone
Your signature colour is determined by your skin’s over- and undertone.
There are three main categories: warm, cool and neutral, with sub-categories of undertones.
The easiest way to know in which category you fall is to look at your veins on your wrist. If they are greenish, you have a warm skin tone. Blue to purple-looking veins may indicate a cooler skin tone. And if you cannot tell, it’s more likely you have a neutral skin tone, which is a mixture of warm and cool.
Your actual skin shade does not affect your skin tone. Even if your skin’s surface changes (for example, if you get a tan), your skin tone will remain the same.
If you’re cool…
When you have a cool skin tone, you’ll have a pink undertone. Your favourable fashion colours would be blue, purple and pink. If you want to mix it up with some neutral shades, avoid light beige. Rather choose richer shades such as caramel, khaki and grey. Orange and yellow can possibly make you appear washed out. Gravitate towards silver or rose-gold jewellery.
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If you’re warm…
If you have a green/yellow or golden undertone, you have a warm skin tone. Experts will say you have an olive complexion. Accentuate your appearance with hues of green, brown, red, orange and gold. Your jewellery preference is yellow-gold – it will highlight your skin tone and make you glow.
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If you’re neutral…
If you are not a clear warm or cool skin tone, you will fall into the neutral category. There are no limits to your fashion choices. You have a wider variety and can wear the suitable colours from both warm and cool skin tone, so take your pick. Don’t go crazy and wear all the colours of the rainbow, but choose complementary colours for a balanced outfit.
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Know your tone zone…
Knowing your undertone doesn’t only help when it comes to your fashion choices. It can help you select the correct foundation, blush, eyeshadow and lipstick shades, too!
Your skin’s tone really unlocks the fashion and beauty questions we struggle to answer (and could save you hours standing at the lipstick counter). It might take some time to know the exact shade of the colour that works for you, but it can make your life a lot easier and you will always look stylish.
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