Choosing Colors
Knowing your skin tone will help you choose the most flattering colors. Look at your skin on your inner arm (or anywhere that is seldom exposed to the sun). Do you notice yellow or pink undertones? Do your veins look more green or blue? Does ecru tend to flatter your skin, or does white? If you tend toward yellow/green/ecru then your skin tone is warm. If you favor pink/blue/white then your skin tone is cool. If it is difficult to tell, then you may be neutral.
Now look at your wardrobe. You are likely to be naturally drawn to colors that flatter your skin, hair, and eyes. These are the very colors you will look for in makeup.
Cool skintones
If you have a cool skintone you may have Northern-European ancestry. You are likely to burn easily in the sun, especially if you are fair. You have a slight blue or pink undertone and tend to be flattered by:
Silver jewelry
Pink based colors and blue/grey tones
- White
- Pink
- Violet
- Blue
- Blue based green
- Navy
- Grey Taupe
- Blue-red
- Charcoal
- Grey/Khaki
- Jewel tones
Neutral skintones
If you have a neutral skintone you may be able to see yellow, pink, beige and/or peach undertones in your skin. If you are fair you may burn easily, but if you are light/medium or deeper in tone you may tan fairly easily. You tend to be flattered by:
Both Gold and Silver jewelry
Warm colors without too much yellow, and cool colors without too much blue
- White and/or ecru
- Rose pink
- Green
- Navy
- Neutral Taupe
- Brown
- Soft grey
- Black
- Some reds (not too orange)
Warm skintones
If you have a warm skintone you may notice yellow, orange, or peach undertones in your skin. You are flattered by:
Gold Jewelry
Yellow based colors and earth tones
- Ecru
- Amber
- Olive green
- Peach
- Browns
- Brick red
- Taupe with green or yellow undertones
- Brown/Khaki
- Camel and beige
Golden Skintones
Golden skintones are similar to warm skintones but with stronger yellow undertones. You may notice a soft yellow to strong golden brown undertone in your complexion. You are flattered by:
Gold jewelry
Warm
- Ecru
- Warm brown
- Khaki
- Brick red
- Orange
- Warm green
- Earth tones
Olive Skintones
If you have an olive skintone you may have Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, or Asian ancestry. Likely to tan easily, and you may notice a neutral beige or even a very subtle green undertone in your complexion. You are flattered by:
Silver jewelry (sometimes gold as well)
Neutral to cool colors
- White
- Black
- Cool blue-based brown
- Khaki
- Red
- Navy
- Grey/green
- Jewel tones
- Taupe
Bronze Skintones
If you have a Bronze skintone you have medium to deep brown skin with red, orange or yellow undertones. You are likely to be flattered by colors similar to those with warm skintones, and look especially wonderful in deep, vibrant versions of those colors:
Gold jewelry
Yellow based colors and earth tones
- Both White and Ecru
- Amber
- Warm greens
- Peach, Orange, Rust
- Warm browns (not grey-based brown)
- Brick red
- Brown/Khaki
- Camel and beige
Ebony Skintones
If you have an Ebony skintone you have medium to deep brown skin with red, blue. or yellow undertones. You will look best in colors which flatter your undertone, and look especially wonderful in rich, vibrant versions of those colors:
Gold or Silver jewelry
- Both White and Ecru
- Rich jewel tones
- Earth tones
- Black
- Brown
- Red
- Taupe
- Khaki
