How to Determine Your Skin Tone
A quick and easy way to determine your skin tone!
Do you know what color skin tone you have? It may be easy to tell if you’re a pale, medium or olive skin tone, but, do you know what undertones make up your skin color. It’s a pretty easy guess to say . . . you don’t know. It’s not the kind of thing your eye is trained to see. But, the undertones of your skin determine what colors work best on you. Seeing that your hair is a frame on your face, the color has an immediate effect on how you look.
“It’s worth your effort”
A good hair color can make you look more vibrant, complimenting your skin tone, or, it can make you look sickly and washed out. It’s worth your effort to try to determine where you fall in the spectrum of warm or cool and what colors work best for you.
Here is a new tip to help decipher your skin tone and it’s a simple one to see.
If the veins on your inside wrists are blue . . . you’re most likely a “cool” skin tone. If the veins on your inside wrists are green . . . you’re most likely a “warm” skin tone.
What do cool skin tones look like?
-
True olive complexions, like most Asians. Some Latinos and Afro Americans Brown with pink undertones
-
Medium with no color in the cheeks
-
Medium with faint pink cheeks
-
Medium with golden undertones
-
Pale with no color in cheeks
-
Pale with pink undertones
-
Brown or bronze when tanned Golden brown when tanned
What color should naturally cool people avoid?
-
Avoid gold, yellow, red and bronze tones, which can make you sallow and drawn.
What colors will complement a cool skin tone?
-
The best shades, depending on the depth of the colors in your skin tone are;
-
Cool reds, as in burgundy or bordeaux
-
Intense browns with a warm base, like red or blonde to the brown.
-
Highlight with cool shades like, wheat, honey or taupe or a cool ash brown.
-
What do warm skin tones look like?
-
Some Latinos and Afro Americans Brown with golden undertones
-
Pale with peach or gold undertones
-
Golden brown when tanned
What color should naturally warm skin toned people avoid?
-
Naturally warm people should avoid blue, violet, white and jet-black hair. These colors next to your skin can make you look washed out.
What colors will most complement warm skin tones?
-
The best shades for you, depending on the depth of the colors in your undertones are;
-
Deep rich browns like, chocolate, chestnut or auburns as a base. Highlight with warm golds and reds or copper.
-
Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!
| Related Articles |
Celebrity Hairstyles: Want to get Noticed? Change Your Hairstyle! How to Match Skin Tones and Hair Colors Tips for Finding Your Best Hair Color For Your Skin Tone Walk the Line, Hair Styling Hair color, getting one that compliments your natural color Hair Style News Roundup January Celebrity Hair Style Star: Rachel McAdams
Save this page to: del.icio.us - Digg it - Yahoo MyWeb
28 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
I seem to be a warm tone person, but I have rosacea, so how do I waer the right hair color in my skin tone w/o enhancing the ruddiness in my face?? Thanks Tam
Comment by tammy — October 8, 2007 @ 3:12 am
I’m confused.My wrist veins are blue. But, everyone says I look good in red, emerald green, black, white, light yellow, and light orange.
When I wesr hot pink lipstick my family hates it, and outsiders admire it. It brightens my face, but has a clownish look. What am I,haha?
Comment by marilyn genuardi — October 9, 2007 @ 9:02 am
what about indian skin tones? i can’t figure out if i have cool or warm tones.
Comment by maria — November 3, 2007 @ 10:03 pm
Tam, Marilyn and Maria,
All of you had good questions, so I wrot a post answering all your questions, go here: www.hairstyle-blog.com
Thanks for the good questions!
Barb
Comment by Barb — November 13, 2007 @ 3:02 pm
[…] Here were three recent excellent questions women asked on my article, How to Determine Your Skin Tone. If you aren’t sure if you are in the warm or cool category, check out the article. […]
Pingback by » How to Match Skin Tones and Hair Colors — November 14, 2007 @ 8:48 pm
I have very pale olive skin (It’s almost as pale as ivory but with a slight “green” tint to it) and I have very rosy cheeks. I have dark eyes brows & My natural hair color is medim somewhat ashy brown and my eyes are dark brown with little green flecks. I look best in brown and purple, blue (all shades). I can really wear any colors but red or green.
Am I a warm or a cool? Each of my characterstics seems to contract the last one.
Comment by Linni — September 12, 2008 @ 4:01 pm
Hi Linni,
Try this;
Check out the color of your veins in your wrists.
Blue veins indicates cool undertones.
Greenish beins indicates warmer undertones.
Comment by Barb Quinn — October 10, 2008 @ 1:53 pm
Hi!
My veins are greenish, I am a light african woman from kenya and really want to know if i am warm or cool. I am planning on chinging my wardrobe as i feel like i have been using wrong color scheme. Could i send you a picture of myself to help me out on what tone you think i am? please
Comment by Wambui — February 24, 2009 @ 8:01 am
Wambui,
Sure you can send a picture, but try to be sure the lighting gives the truest sense of your skin tone, that the picture reflects what you think is most accurate. Also tell me what colors you have been wearing that you feel have been wrong.
Comment by Barb Quinn — February 25, 2009 @ 8:06 pm
[…] A big key to figuring out if you are cool or warm is figuring out your skin’s natural undertones. Take a look at the veins on your wrist. If they are blue, you are probably “cool,” and if they are green you are probably “warm.” Check out some detailed ways to find out your tone here, but I’ll give you a quick summary: […]
Pingback by Makeup 101: Find Your “Tone” : College Candy — August 13, 2009 @ 10:01 am
I am definitely cool toned since the my veins are blue on the inside wrist. A long time ago, I tried to wear red lipstick (that had a warm base to it) and it was terrible. The makeup lady told me that I should try a deep red with blue undertones or deep red.
Comment by jessica — September 17, 2009 @ 11:25 am
edit: meant to say *true red* on the last part lol
Comment by jessica — September 17, 2009 @ 11:26 am
I would like to ask about veins
I was wondering what my skin tone might be if they look more aqua what skin tone am I more likely to bei am very light skinned but pull it off fair enough people would say medium but I know better please help me determine I have green hazel eys and it just looks like I have no color jusr white but I have dark features
Comment by Kristine — November 8, 2009 @ 2:11 am
I am hard to determine my skin tone. I am very light skinned, I burn in the sun easy. I have rosy cheeks. My eyes appear blue most of time with white rays. They may appear gray from a distance. I have gold/tan surrounding my pupils.
My hair is med. brown with red highlights, a little gold highlights. I am graying around temples.
HELP! I know that I am not a winter. I do not look good in black or very bold, or bright colors. Pink looks good on me if not very bright. Peachy pink is good on me, too. I am not good in bright orange or anything too bright or really dark. HELP! THANKS!
Comment by Belle — December 2, 2009 @ 11:00 am
Belle,
Your skin tone sounds like you fall into ‘cool’ range and your hair is more ‘warm’ toned. You know colors you don’t look good in and the one’s you do like fall into ‘pastels.’
Cool’s should avoid gold, yellow, red & bronze tones and ‘Warm’s’ should avoind blue, violet white and jet-black hair.
Why not try on a few wigs and see what colors you like best?
Comment by Barb Quinn — December 2, 2009 @ 1:41 pm
Okay so on my wrists i have blue veins, but in my forearms and right above the wrist area i have green. What am i? My face isnt white white, like pale, so i think im medium, but im not sure.
Comment by Sheridan — December 14, 2009 @ 4:14 pm
Oh and also , i have bluish grey eyes, and my hair is blonde right now, but im tempted to go brown, but im also very scared. Brown is my natural color by the way, a deep brown like Megan Fox brown.
Comment by Sheridan — December 14, 2009 @ 4:16 pm
Sheridan,
Sounds like you lean cool to me!
Why not try on a wig or two and see what you like?
Comment by Barb Quinn — December 15, 2009 @ 12:20 pm
OK I have a question. a tried the wrist trick, in some spots it looks blue & in others it looks green-ish. any other ways to tell?
ill tell a little about myself. my natural hair color is a medium brown. I have hazel eyes (that turn a green shade when i tear up or my allergies act up) and very light skin..
thanks so much.
Comment by bryttani j — December 29, 2009 @ 10:12 am
by the way, the reason i am asking is i am considering coloring my hair to a dark honey/caramel-ish color…
Comment by bryttani j — December 29, 2009 @ 10:14 am
Bryttani,
Sounds like a the dark honey/carmel-ish color would work great as a highlight in your medium brown hair.
Try it that way rather than as an over-all color, which might be too light.
Comment by Barb Quinn — January 8, 2010 @ 2:54 pm
hi
is there any other way to determine our undertone except dis veins thingy coz
i rele cant decide either my veins are blue or green ………..sumtimes they look green n sumtimes it luks like blue
gosh i m tired of lukin at ‘em
plz lemme kno ifthere is any!!!!!!!
loads of thankx^^
Comment by alyana — January 9, 2010 @ 6:57 pm
I have Indian skin tone, its pale brown, what am i?
Comment by Sirjana — January 21, 2010 @ 8:47 pm
and btw I have very dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes, and I want to change my hair color that is the reason I am asking.
Comment by Sirjana — January 21, 2010 @ 8:49 pm
Hi Sirjana,
Your hair color and eye color fall into the cool range but your skin-tone may be warm.
Check out my answer to that here;
http://www.hairstyle-blog.com/how-to-match-skin-tones-and-hair-colors.html
Hope it helps!
Comment by Barb Quinn — January 25, 2010 @ 1:32 pm
Hi!
I’m so confused idk what hair color will fit me right, I have green eyes light skin & my hair is dyed dark brown but people tell me a lighter hair color will look better, I’m so confused idk what color will match with my skin, I get red but then it turns tanned. & when I look at my veins they look green. What hair color might look good, anyone?
Comment by sheila — January 30, 2010 @ 7:39 pm
Sheila,
Your friends are right. Avoid dark hair with blue, violet tones. Try rich golden browns and auburns, warm gold and red highlights and golden blonde shades.
Highlights are a great way to add warm tones to your hair.
Comment by Barb Quinn — February 3, 2010 @ 2:03 pm
Hello, I was wondering if you could help me with my skin tone! My veins look like a purplish blue and shade away with a greenish hue. I have light skin but I’m not pale. I would say light-medium. My natural hair color is light brown. Any suggestions??
Comment by Jacqueline — February 9, 2010 @ 4:54 am