Choosing colours to best suit your skin colour and tone

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Guide viewed: 6308 timesTags: fashion color | hair color | makeup color | skin tone | skin color

We all have our favourite dresses, skirts and tops. As Rosario Dawson shows so beautifully, when we put them on we know we look great. Our confidence rises and we feel beautiful and radiant. Sure the style and cut suit our figure and personality but it’s more than that, the colours compliment and lift our natural colourings and features.

Your natural skin colour, hair and eye colours will typically fit in to a “colour season”, either Autumn, Winter, Spring or Summer. Knowing your natural colour season can help you select fashion colours that will look best on you.

Of course what is most important is that you feel comfortable and confident wearing the fashion colours you select however this guide may help you choose fashion colours that help bring out your natural beauty. 

Choosing Fashion Colours Step 1: Decide your colour season.

Your skin colour, and hair and eye colours influence which colours look best on you. To help identify your natural skin tones look at the inside of your arm in natural daylight. Using a mirror you can also try placing a white piece of paper near your face to contrast your facial skin tone. “Warm” skin has a golden or yellow skin tone, while “cool” skin has red or blue skin tone. Using the following skin tone guides decide which season best describes your skin tone.

Winter Skin Tone

Winter is a cool skin tone. People with winter skin tones have blue or rosy / pink skin tones. Skin tone can be pale and porcelain white, yellowish olive, or dark. “Winters” are usually brunettes with deeply coloured eyes. Many Asians, and African Americans are winters. Natural white blondes may also be winters.

Winter celebrities include: Alicia Keys, Rosario Dawson and Kristin Kreuk.

Summer Skin Tone

Summer is also a cool skin tone and like winter skin tones, “summers” have blue or pink skin tones. Summer skin tones usually occur in natural blondes, and pale skin toned brunettes with pale eyes. 

Summer celebrities include: Gweneth Paltrow, Denise Richards, Eva Habermann and Jeri Ryan

Choosing Fashion Colours Tip; How to choose if your skin tone is winter or summer.

The difference between Summer and Winter is color intensity. Visualise a clear crisp winter’s day. The sky is an intense bright blue. Colours are clean and sharp. These are winter colours. Now visualise a humid warm summer’s day. The humidity creates a hazy effect making colours look soft and muted. These are summer colours.

           Winter vs. Summer

Autumn Skin Tone

Autumn is a warm skin tone, autumn complexions have golden skin tones like pale peach, golden beige or golden brown. Many redheads and brunettes with golden brown eyes are “autumns”. However golden blonde and black hair colouring can also fall into this range.

Autumn celebrities include: Jessica Alba, Natalie Portman and Aishwarya Rai

Spring Skin Tone

Spring is also a warm skin tone, “springs” have extremely light, ivory skin tones. They are usually natural golden blondes, auburn, or strawberry blonde redheads and often have freckles and rosy checks. Springs also have very clear, light blue or green coloured eyes.

Spring celebrities include: Gillian Anderson, Lindsay Lohan and Evangeline Lily

Choosing Fashion Colours Tip; How to choose if your skin tone is autumn or spring.

If you can’t decide whether you are an autumn or a spring, springs tend to have pale eyes while autumns tend to have dark eyes.

Choosing Fashion Colours Tip; Still not sure what season you are ?

Here is an additional method using your natural hair and eye colours to confirm your season;

Winter hair is black or ash black brown without highlights, while eyes are blue, brown, hazel, or green.

Summer hair is ash blonde or light ash brown without highlights, while eyes are blue gray or blue green.

Autumn hair is golden brown, red, auburn, or chestnut, while eyes are dark brown, hazel, or green.

Spring hair is golden blonde, golden brown, or red, while eyes are blue, blue gray, blue green, or light turquoise green.

Choosing Fashion Colours Step 2: Understand your seasonal colour palette.

Now that you know your “season” you can look for the colour pallet that will best compliment you natural skin tone and eye and hair colours.

Best colours for Winters;

Winter colours are intense and high contrast and so is the winter colour palette. It contains the primary colours and jewel tones such as ruby red, sapphire blue, and emerald green. Snow white and jet black look fabulous on a winter, especially worn together for high contrast. Winters should wear colours that are sharp, stark and clear. White, black, navy blue, red and shocking pink all go well with winter complexions. For lighter colors, wear icy tones such as cool blues, pinks and yellows rather than pastels. Avoid subdued tones like beige, orange and gold. They will make you look faded and ashen.

Best colours for Summers;

Summers have a low level of contrast between their hair and eye colours and skin tone. For you to look your best, choose soft neutrals and pastels, as well as muted colours with cool undertones. Powder blue, dusty pink, mauve, lavender, plum, and pale yellow are all great colour choices. Lavender, plum, rose-brown and soft blue also suit summers. Avoid intense, vivid hues because they will look harsh. Earth tones, black and orange will also drown out your skin colour. 

Best colours for Autumns;

Autumns can wear both earthy and rich golden, spicy warm colours such as camel, beige, olive, orange, gold, and dark brown. You will also look great in a rich warm grey. Stay away from clear, bright colours and black and white, which will make your look tired and faded. Also steer clear of pastels and blue tones, which will look cold against your complexion and give you a pale appearance.  

Best colours for Springs;

Springs can wear warm colors like camel, peach, golden yellow, golden brown and aqua. They also look good in ivory, bright greens, true reds, clear blues and coral. Avoid colours that are too dull and muted or too dark. Avoid black and white, which are also too contrasting.

Choosing Fashion Colours Tip;

These colour palettes will give you an idea of what colours to look for but don’t be afraid to experiment to find what looks best on you. Taking a friend with you, who’s not afraid to be honest, when shopping for new clothes is often a good idea.

Winter Colour Palette

Summer Colour Palette

Autumn Colour Palette

Spring Colour Palette

 Plucked right off of Ebay.  The credit should go to eBay My World: yourbestbet123MY CURRENT STYLE

Did you know that the colors you choose to wear can have a positive or negative effect on your appearance?  Whether your color selection has a positive or negative effect on your appearance depends on whether your complexion has a warm or cold tone.

Selecting the wrong colors can result in:

• Skin Tone appearing drained and tired
• Shadowing creating a false impression of under-eye circles
• Shadowing causing a false impression of double chins
• Giving your teeth a slightly yellow hue

Selecting the right colors can result in:

• Skin tone appearing radiant and glowing
• Eyes appearing brighter and alert
• Hair reflecting highlights

SO WHAT SEASON IS MY SKIN TONE?

To determine what colors will look best on you, you must first analyze your skin tone, natural hair color and eye color.

1. To determine the undertone color of your skin, look at the inside of your arm in natural daylight.
2. Then decide which season most accurately describes your complexion based on the list below.
3. The list below will act as a guideline of colors and shades that will work best for you.

THE FOUR SEASONS

There are 4 seasons of skin tones divided into warm and cold tones.  Cool tones are Winter and Summer complexions.  Warm tones are August and Spring Complexions.

Winter (Cool Tone)

You are a winter tone if the inside of your arm has blue or pink/rosy undertones:

• Skin can be pale and porcelain white, yellowish-olive, or dark.
• Has a lot of depth to their coloring and a lot of contrast between their hair color, eye color and skin tone. 
• Generally brunettes with deeply colored eyes.
• Many Asians and African Americans and Natural white-blondes.

The Best

• Sharp, stark and clear hues.
• Intense, rich colors, like black, navy blue, red, and hot pink
• Bright white or icy pastels, such as like cool blues, pinks and yellows

The Worst

• Earthy tones and subdued colors like beige, orange and gold
• Light-medium browns and some camel

Summer (Cool Tone)

You are a summer tone if the inside of your arm has blue or pink undertones with very pale and pink skin:

• Generally occurs in natural blondes, and pale-skinned brunettes with pale eyes.

The Best

• Soft neutrals and pastels, as well as muted colors with cool undertones.
• Powder blue, dusty pink, mauve, lavender, plum, and pale yellow

The Worst

• Intense, vivid hues
• Earth tones
• Black and orange

Autumn (Warm Tone)

You are a autumn tone if the inside of your arm has golden undertones like a pale peach, golden beige or golden brown:

• Generally redheads and brunettes with golden brown eyes and golden blonde and black hair coloring.
• Tend to have dark eyes

The Best

• Rich golden, spicy, and earthy colors
• Muted and rich warm colors, such as camel, beige, olive, orange, gold, dark brown, and grey.

The Worst

• Clear, bright colors
• Black and white
• Pastels
• Blue tones

Spring (Warm Tone)

You are a spring tone if the inside of your arm has subtle golden undertones, and are usually creamy white or peach with extremely light, ivory skin color:

• Generally natural golden blondes, auburn, or strawberry blond redheads
• Very clear, light blue and green colored eyes
• Freckles and rosy cheeks
• Tend to have pale eyes

The Best

• Pale, soft colors, such as peach, camel, golden yellow, golden brown, aqua, ivory, bright greens, true reds, clear blues and coral.
• Fabric textures should have a refined finish, crisp linens, gabardines, and polished cottons

The Worst

• Black and white
• Dark, dull/muted colors

WHEN WEARING RED

Many women fear wearing red.  Strangely enough, the color red is a color that works for all complexions in some way.

Warm Tones (August/Spring)

1. When wearing red clothing, consider getting gold, beige and browns as neutrals to go with your clothing.
2. Pair red with animal prints, in natural animal fur colors
3. Pair red with black.

Cool Tones (Winter/Summer)

1. When wearing red clothing, consider getting blue, black and grey as neutrals to go with your clothing.

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Introduction

An important part of choosing the right colors for your wardrobe is to pick the ones that flatter your skin tone. Below are tips on what colors to choose and which ones to stay away from.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Determine Your Skin Tone

Steps

1

Step One

Decide which season most accurately describes your complexion. People - and skin tones - can be divided into “seasons,” depending on their skin tone.

2

Step Two

“Winter” complexions have blue or pink undertones. Skin can be pale white, yellowish-olive, or dark. Winter people are generally brunettes, with deeply colored eyes. Many Asians and African Americans fall into this category.

3

Step Three

“Summer” complexions, like winter complexions, have blue or pink undertones. Skin is pale and pink. Summers are often natural blondes or brunettes with pale eyes.

4

Step Four

“Autumn”: Autumn complexions have golden undertones. Many redheads and brunettes with golden brown eyes fall into this category.

5

Step Five

“Spring”: Spring complexions have golden undertones and are usually creamy white or peach. Spring people generally have straw-colored or strawberry red hair, freckles, rosy cheeks, and blue or green eyes.

Tips & Warnings

• It is often difficult to discriminate summer from winter, and autumn from spring. Remember that winters are usually brunettes while summers can be natural blondes. Springs tend to have pale eyes while autumns have dark eyes.

Choose Clothes to Flatter Your Skin Tone

Steps

1

Step One

“Winter”: Winters should wear colors that are sharp, stark and clear. White, black, navy blue, red and shocking pink all go well with winter complexions. For lighter colors, wear icy tones rather than pastels. Avoid subdued tones like beige, orange and gold.

2

Step Two

“Summer”: Summers should choose pastels and soft neutrals with rose and blue undertones. Lavender, plum, rose-brown and soft blue suit summers well while black and orange do not.

3

Step Three

“Autumn”: Autumns should select colors with golden undertones, like camel, beige, orange, gold and dark brown. Avoid colors with blue tones, like navy.

4

Step Four

“Spring”: Springs can wear warm colors like camel, peach, golden yellow and golden brown. Avoid da

Choosing colors that are right for you!

by Ambreen Akhtar with Barb Klemke There are no good or bad colors, just ones that are right for you! You can wear almost any color if you learn to choose the right shade and intensity that will enhance your skin tone. Wearing that perfect color can take years off your appearance and brighten your look.Your best colors will be determined by a combination of factors including your natural hair color, eye color and skin tone. Take a look at the undertone of your skin in natural daylight and this will help you to determine whether you are a “cool” or a “warm” toned person. Cool toned people tend to have a pink or rosy skin tone. Warm toned people will have a more golden or apricot undertone.   Cool toned persons will look best in blue-based colors; warm toned persons will look best in yellow-based colors.This season’s delectable, bright hues can be added to your wardrobe, just follow these easy suggestions for a fresh new look!WARM TONES can be crisp or muted; they include natural earth colors with gold translucent undertones.  Most people with the warm skin tones look great in the new mochas, bronzes, sage greens, and delicious mango oranges. If this is your skin type you may also want to try the softer warm tones of peach or apricot and the new summer yellow and apple greens.If you prefer reds, then look for the clear brick, a dark tomato or the burnt orange hue. Earth greens like olive, moss, or jade enhance the warmer skin tones. This summer you may want to add a few items with the fresh lime, grass or celery greens. Crisp ivory or oyster whites also enhance the warm skin tone type. Colors from camel to warm taupe to bright navy will fit well into your professional wardrobe. Brown in your shoes and gold in your glass frames are part of your ticket for impact!COOL TONES are rich, true colors that have blue undertones. Cool toned people can wear the vivid blue red beautifully; add the rich raspberries, deep emerald greens, royal blue, plums or pure black. The softer pastels from the blue range and rose-based pinks also nicely enhance the cool skin tones. From the green palette choose the emerald and icy greens, as well as the aqua blue green from the very light pastel shades to the deeper tones. The pure white or a soft white looks great with the cool skin tones. Clear lemon yellows and rich colors like ruby and sapphire will sweeten your wardrobe. A key color this season is the aquatic blues and a whole range of tones that evoke the deep ocean hues. Add some of that high voltage pink to sweeten your day!Color can be compelling and daunting, so have some fun and dress up your wardrobe this season!Related Reading:Spring & summer color trendsWhy doesn’t this lipstick look right on me? ~ Ambreen Akhtar has worked in fashion advertising and marketing and as an assistant manager and buyer for a clothing store. She currently reports on fashion for Women Today. Read Ambreen’s story of survival.  ~ Barb Klemke is one of three sisters who enjoy getting together for elegant boutique shopping or mega outlet mall sprees.