If you’re anything like me, your wardrobe is full of black. Black clothes are flattering and slimming on all body types. Not only that, but black clothes pair well with all other colors, so they make for easy styling and aren’t as limiting as other colors can be. Needless to say, it’s completely understandable if your wardrobe consists of a lot of black. However, there are certain colors that better complement your particular skin tone and undertone, which is what we explore in this article.
Let’s face it, our clothes are usually the first thing people notice about a person. This is probably the main reason why we spend so much time building, expanding, and removing items from our wardrobe. Most of us strive to look and feel good – and convince others we look good too. There are many different ways to achieve this, and people go to great lengths to do so. However, in this article, we focus on skin tones, undertones, colors, and the most flattering pairings. It’s easy to wear black, but adding some color to your wardrobe can work wonders.
Skin Tones
To determine which colors are most flattering on you, it’s important to first understand both your skin tone and undertone. Skin tone is the surface skin color and is determined by the amount of melanin in the top layer of your skin. Skin tones are grouped into these four main categories:
- Fair
- Light
- Medium
- Dark
Skin Undertones
Figuring out your skin tone is fairly obvious, but your skin’s undertone usually isn’t as obvious. As its name suggests, the skin undertone is the faint color underneath the surface of the skin. While the surface color of your skin (skin tone) may change due to increased sun exposure, skin brightening products, or medical conditions, your skin undertone remains constant. Skin undertones are grouped into these three main categories:
- Warm
- Cool
- Neutral
Understanding your specific skin tone and undertone is the first step in determining what colors complement you best. Now that we’ve reviewed the various skin tones and undertones, let’s explore which colors complement each specific skin tone so that you can enhance your natural beauty and look and feel your best.
To put it simply, colors that are most flattering are those that match your skin’s undertone. Warm colors on the spectrum are most flattering on those with warm skin tones, cool colors are most flattering on those with cool skin tones, and neutral colors are most flattering on those with neutral skin tones.
Warm Undertones
Warm undertones include yellow, golden, or peach hues. The most flattering colors on those with warm skin undertones are, you guessed it, warm colors. These colors include red, peach, orange, gold, and yellow. Colors that do not pair as well with warm undertones are light, cool blues and jewel tones, like sapphire, topaz, and amethyst as these colors may wash you out.
Cool Undertones
Cool undertones include red, pink, or bluish hues. The most flattering colors on those with cool skin undertones are cool colors including royal blue, sky blue, green, purple, and pink. Colors that do not pair as well with cool skin tones are bright red and orange.
Neutral Undertones
Neutral undertones include a combination of both warm and cool tones. The most flattering colors on those who have neutral skin tones are neutral colors including taupe, pewter gray, nude, and beige. Those who have neutral skin tones tend to look great in any color on the spectrum, however, muted versions of colors are the most flattering. For example, pistachio pairs better with neutral skin tones than emerald green, pale yellow pairs better than canary yellow, etc.
In summary, skin tones fall into four main categories: fair, light, medium, and dark. Skin undertones are typically broken into these three main categories: cool, warm, and neutral. Understanding both your skin tone and undertone is crucial in determining which colors are most flattering on you. Of course, there are no “rules” when it comes to fashion, and we are all free to wear whatever we want. This is simply a general guideline for choosing the best shades for your skin tone. Ultimately, we hope that this guide helps you feel comfortable and confident in whatever colors you choose to wear.