Colour Theory | A Guide to Finding the Best Colour Palette For Your Skin Tone
There are no rules to personal style; however, by focusing on wearing colours that effortlessly complement your skin tone, you will find that creating looks becomes a process that is elevated through ease.
Besides being a simple yet effective way to instantly brighten the complexion, eyes and smile, choosing colours that suit your skin tone can also help simplify the process of curating your wardrobe by focusing on the shades that flatter, time after time.
If you find yourself reflecting and asking, ‘What are my colours?’, keep reading for the Aje Report’s detailed guide on how to find the best colour palette for your skin tone – and which pieces to pack for your next warm-weather getaway.
What Are My Colours: How To Find The Hues That Suit You
To find the correct colour palette, you should first determine your skin’s undertone. As the word itself suggests, the ‘undertone’ signifies the tone of your skin from below the surface that influences your overall complexion.
Classically, there are three types of undertone in skin colour theory: warm, cool and neutral. Finding your dominant undertone is the easiest way to uncover which colours will best complement you. This is because it is the undertone that reveals which hues enhance and ‘pop’ against your complexion, making your eyes and skin appear brighter, and your smile whiter.
Below, uncover the four techniques to find out whether your undertone leans warm, cool or neutral.
White Paper Test
The ‘white paper test’ is arguably the simplest method for finding your undertone. Commence with a makeup-free face in natural light to best examine your skin. Take a piece of pure white paper, place it near your face, and consider how your face looks in contrast.
If you notice subtle gold, yellow, green or light brown tones beneath the surface, you have a ‘warm’ undertone. Conversely, if you find pigments that veer more towards blue, rose or pink, your undertone is cool. If your skin seems ashen or grey, you likely present a neutral undertone.
Note that certain skin conditions can make it more difficult to observe your natural undertone. In such scenarios, have someone hold the paper test near the crease behind your ear.
Note that certain skin conditions can make it more difficult to observe your natural undertone. In such scenarios, have someone hold the paper test near the crease behind your ear.
The Jewelry Test
The ‘jewelry test’ is another method to reveal your skin’s undertone. Begin by holding a piece of silver and then gold jewelry against your face, and observe: which piece of jewelry makes your skin ‘sing’? If you have a warm undertone, gold jewelry should give your complexion an added glow, while silver jewelry looks more striking against a cool countenance.
The Vein Test & The Hair And Eye Colour Test
The Vein Test
Unlike the paper and jewelry tests, you don’t require any additional items to do the ‘vein test’. Simply take note of the colour of the veins in your wrist and hand. If your veins appear more blue or purple, that is a sign of a cool undertone, while a green hue suggests a warm undertone. If it doesn’t seem like it is quite either of those? That indicates a neutral undertone.
The Hair And Eye Colour Test
Although it is not a perfect method, examining your hair and eye colour can assist in finding your skin’s undertone. Typically, people with cooler undertones tend to have blue, green or grey eyes, with locks that span blue-black and brown hair that appears almost black, to very light blonde.
Those with gold undertones often have varying shades of brown and amber eyes, with black, dark brown or caramel blonde tresses. While not always the case, those with neutral undertones usually possess hazel eyes and locks with mixed warm and cool natural highlights.
The Best Colors for Warm Skin Tones
If you have determined that you have a warm undertone, you should look to colours that share the same ‘golden’ quality. To bring out the naturally aurous quality in your complexion, lean towards rich shades of yellow, orange, burgundy, chestnut, deep berry, caramel and warm red.
That is not to say traditionally perceived ‘cool’ colours such as blue and green are off limits by any means, but that blue shades with yellow undertones, such as turquoise and olive, are far more flattering for warmer skin tones. When opting for neutrals, consider creamy off-whites, camel and chocolate.
The Best Colors for Cool Skin Tones
If your undertone is on the cooler side, opt for traditionally cool shades such as sapphire, cobalt blue, emerald, lavender, and ice blue. When considering warm hues, including pink and red, select shades with blue-leaning undertones, like ice pink or ruby, to enhance your overall complexion. With neutrals, favour colours like navy, crisp white and classic grey.
The Best Colors for Neutral Skin Tones
Those with neutral skin tones have the benefit of suiting a broad range of hues, but tend to work particularly well with colours that fall in the middle of the spectrum – neither too bright nor too bold.
Consider a palette of dusty pink, medium green, jade, light peach and lagoon blue when opting for colour. In terms of neutrals, off-white, medium greys, black and coffee can complement a neutral complexion.
The Best Colors for Summer Skin Tones
True or Cool Summer
Skin: Cool undertones, with overtones ranging from medium beige to dark brown.
Eyes: Gray or blue.
Hair: Medium to dark, ashy tones of brown.
Colors to wear: Classic navy, cobalt blue, traditional rose, mint, violet, raspberry, dark emerald, and evergreen.
The Best Colors for Summer Skin Tones
Light Summer
Skin: Predominantly neutral undertone that might lean slightly pink.
Eyes: Blue or green.
Hair: Medium to dark, ashy tones of brown.
Colours to wear: Lavender, light warm coral, baby blue, cool pink, cornflower, wisteria, primrose yellow and pastel green.
The Best Colors for Summer Skin Tones
Soft Summer
Skin: Warm undertone with overtones ranging across ivory, olive and medium brown.
Eyes: Dark and golden to chocolate brown eyes with gold flecks.
Hair: Medium to dark brown or auburn with golden tones.
Colours to wear: Burgundy, golden yellow, rust, deep olive green, saffron, wine red, coral, aquamarine and warm blue.
The Best Colors for Autumn Skin Tones
Warm Autumn
Skin: Warm undertone with overtones ranging across ivory, olive and medium brown.
Eyes: Dark and golden to chocolate brown eyes with gold flecks.
Hair: Medium to dark brown or auburn with golden tones.
Colours to wear: Burgundy, golden yellow, rust, deep olive green, saffron, wine red, coral, aquamarine and warm blue.
Coastal Sunset can also work beautifully within a Warm Autumn palette, where its coral tones echo the warmth of the season. The Elara Gown in Coastal Sunset is made for a beach or resort getaway, bringing a sunset-inspired gradient into occasion dressing.
The Best Colors for Autumn Skin Tones
Soft Autumn
Skin: Neutral undertone that might lean slightly warm.
Eyes: Light brown, green or hazel.
Hair: Blonde, strawberry blonde or brown hair.
Colours to wear: Peach, light olive, soft lime, moss, French blue, sage green, oyster white, cream, light coral, aubergine, warm grey and old gold.
Soft Autumn types packing for somewhere warm can look to Avocado as an easy neutral. The Vionette Gown in Avocado brings the shade into occasion dressing, while the Bellara Mini Dress in Avocado is an easy piece to pack for dinners, lunches and warm-weather plans.
The Best Colors for Autumn Skin Tones
Deep Autumn
Skin: Warm undertone, with overtones ranging across ivory, olive and medium to dark brown.
Eyes: Dark brown, brown-black, dark blue and green.
Hair: Medium to dark brown and black hair with golden tones.
Colours to wear: True red, deep teal, dark olive green, topaz, citrine, warm ruby, forest green, dark chocolate and soft white.
The Best Colors for Spring Skin Tones
True or Warm Spring
Skin: Warm undertone, with overtones ranging from warm beige to slightly tan.
Eyes: Light brown, hazel, green or blue.
Hair: Golden blonde, strawberry blonde, and auburn to dark, warm brown.
Colours to wear: Lime, yellow ochre, dusky peach, coral, tangerine, soft teal, sea green, aqua, ivory, evergreen, ginger and biscuit.
True or Warm Spring escaping the cold can make the most of the palette’s vivid, sunlit shades. The Sorela Mini Dress in Zest is built for a warm-weather trip, bringing one of the season’s brightest colours into a getaway wardrobe.
For occasion dressing, the Esmerina Gown in Zest and Antonella Gown in Zest offer the same vivid hue in gown silhouettes. Coastal Sunset also reads exactly like its name, with the Elara Gown in Coastal Sunset made to pack for a beach or resort getaway.
The Best Colors for Spring Skin Tones
Clear or Bright Spring
Eyes: Light brown, blue or blue.
Hair: Warm, golden blonde or brown hair, copper and auburn.
Colours to wear: Bright blue, watermelon, true red, azure, light emerald, dove grey, cobalt blue, violet and red coral.
The eyes line says “blue or blue”, which looks like a typo. It may be meant to read “green or blue” or similar, so it’s worth checking before it goes live.
The Best Colors for Spring Skin Tones
Light Spring
Skin: Cool undertone that veers slightly pink or peach, with pale overtones.
Eyes: Hazel, green, blue or light brown.
Hair: Light to medium golden brown, golden blonde, strawberry blonde and light red.
Colours to wear: Light aqua, soft teal, ivory, bluebell, cornflower blue, blush, periwinkle, shell pink, peppermint, pale peach, and primrose yellow.
The Best Colors for Winter Skin Tones
Clear Winter
Skin: Cool undertone that veers blue.
Eyes: Bright blue or green.
Hair: Black or medium to dark brown.
Colours to wear: Hot pink, cobalt blue, true red, violet, sapphire, azure, ice pink, acid yellow, emerald and light grey marle.
The Best Colors for Winter Skin Tones
Deep or Dark Winter
Prints And Finding Your Colours
Not every print fits neatly into a seasonal colour palette. When a pattern combines multiple hues, look to the colours within the print rather than trying to assign it to a single colour family.
For a statement getaway look, the Nerona Maxi Dress in Mirage and Asmarina Mini Dress in Mirage (coming soon) offer a print-led alternative to dressing strictly within your seasonal palette. Both can be packed when you want the print to do the work, rather than building a look around a single colour.
Finding Your Colours
Colour theory is a useful starting point for understanding the shades that work with your natural colouring, but personal style is never limited to a single palette. Use your seasonal colour family as a guide, then experiment with the colours, prints and silhouettes that feel right for your wardrobe.
Whether you’re escaping the cold for a beach holiday, planning a resort getaway or packing for a destination event, your colour palette can help narrow the edit. From the vivid Zest of the Sorela Mini Dress in Zest to the cool Ice Pink of the Canyon Gown in Ice Pink, pack the shades that make sense for your next warm-weather destination.