Finding the right colors for your skin, eyes and hair can help you to look your best. You’ve probably noticed that you have favorite colors or garments that you feel good wearing and these can be a valuable clue toward the right colors for your skin tone. Determining your personal color palette requires that you consider whether your skin is warm or cool and the intensity of your coloring. Color palettes include spring, fall, winter and summer colors.
Find Your Undertone
Hold a white scarf or cloth against your face and look at yourself in natural or incandescent light. If you see pink, violet or blue undertones, you have a cool complexion. Gold, yellow, peach or red undertones indicate a warm complexion. Check the inside of your wrist or stomach if you have difficulty seeing an undertone on your face.
What Season Are You?
Use the seasons as a basis for analyzing and determining your colors. If you are a spring or autumn, your skin is warm; if you are a winter or summer, you have cool undertones. While both spring and autumns have golden tones to their skin, springs typically have golden or strawberry blond to golden brown hair with clear, brightly colored eyes, while autumns have red, auburn, dark brown or black hair with red or gold highlights and earth-toned eyes, ranging from steely or teal blue to deep green, hazel or golden brown. If you favor summer colors, you will likely have light blond to dark brown hair, but it will be ashy rather than golden and your eyes will most likely be light and softly colored rather than bright. Winters have medium brown to black hair, again with ashy or bluish tones rather than red or gold and may have a substantial contrast between fair skin and dark hair or deeper skin with jet black hair.
Your Most Flattering Colors
Plan a wardrobe around your colors. Autumns may wish to use olive greens, warm grays, tans, or shades of brown as basic colors, while springs might favor golden browns, camel or cadet navy. Shades of cool gray, soft navy or taupe flatter summer skin tones, while winters may opt for classic black, charcoal, or clear navy. Buy pants, jackets and skirts in basic, neutral shades that flatter your complexion.
Brighten Up Your Wardrobe
Brighten your wardrobe with color. Add shirts, sweaters, and prints in colors that suit your complexion. If you have cool undertones and dramatic coloring, opt for rich jewel tones, including blue-toned reds, emerald green, and sapphire blue. Summers should choose soft colors, including powder blue, dusty pink, mauve and lavender. Soft, warm-tone springs might opt for aqua, coral, clear yellows and periwinkle. Choose mustard, teal, orange, and purple if you have an autumn-toned complexion.
