Everyone knows that you either have a cool or warm undertone. But finding out how could be tricky and figuring out which colors on the color wheel look best on you is equally as difficult. Some people are in between and have neutral undertones that require more attention to detail in their everyday clothing. This article will produce a better understanding on how to figure out which color tone or undertone you are in order to pair outfits together using the correct color blocking techniques.
First and foremost, if we take a look at the color wheel we see that the warm colors are reds, oranges, and yellows, while cool colors are greens, blues, and purples. Someone with a warm undertone would usually stand out in those bright reds, oranges, and yellows while someone with a cool undertone would look best in deep greens, blues, and purples.
Neutral undertones is a bit more complicated. People with neutral undertones are also lucky in the sense that they primarily look great in any color. However, neutral colors is where a cool color has warm undertones or if a warm color has cool undertones. For example, green is a cool color, but an olive green brings warm qualities. Red is a warm color, but a cranberry red brings cool qualities. Olive green would be considered more of a warm color and cranberry red would be considered a cool color. Mixing warm qualities with cool undertones and vise versa creates a neutral dynamic. Pinks, pale blues, cranberry reds, and olive greens are examples of neutral undertones.
Color blocking is another technique that neutral undertone people can get away with, which is where two opposite colors of the color wheel are worn to compliment one another. Red and green are complimentary, blue and orange are complimentary, and purple and yellow are complimentary. Below are some examples of each scenario:
Cool Undertones:
Warm Undertones:
Neutral Undertones:
Silver, Gold, or Rose Gold?
The most common technique is seeing if silver jewelry looks best on you or if gold jewelry looks best on you. This usually is the first and only indicator to tell if you are a cool undertone or a warm undertone. Silver jewelry will bring out the cool undertones in your skin and pigmentation while gold will bring out the warm hues in your skin. Whichever stands out the most and looks best on you is which to abide by. This solves whether or not reds, oranges, or yellows look best or if greens, blues, and purples look best.
Silver:
Gold:
Rose Gold:
Rose Gold on the other hand stands neutrally between the other two metallics. It brings out all skin tones, the undertones, and beautiful pigmentation in skin. If you are the one of many who can’t seem to find whether silver or gold looks best on you, try rose gold. Rose gold is so beautiful, lustrous, and rich and it meets in the middle between both color tones.
Check Your Veins
Another odd, yet helpful technique is to check your veins on your wrist. Blue veins indicate that you have a cool undertone, while green veins indicate that you have an olive or warm undertone. Once you figure that out, you’ll start to notice that blues, purples, and violets look best on you and bring out your complexion if you have bluer veins, and yellows, reds, and oranges will look best if you have greener veins. If you think you are stuck in the middle or can’t tell, you might be a neutral undertone.
White or Off-White?
Another tactic is to compare white clothes. White is a blank canvas and allows the pigment of your skin to stand out amongst it. Look and compare if a pure white or an off-white looks better on you. If a pure white looks better, you have a cooler undertone. If an off-white or washed out white looks better on you, you most likely have a warm undertone.
Natural Hair Color and Eye Color
If you have blue, grey, or green eyes with blonde, brown, or black hair, chances are you’re a cool undertone. If your eye color is brown, hazel, or amber eyes with strawberry blonde, auburn, or black hair with golden tones, chances are you have a warmer undertone.
Do You Tan or Burn? Or Both?
People who have a tendency to burn or not tan at all in the sun have a less likely chance of being a warm undertone. When people tan, chances are you have higher levels of melatonin in the skin. Melatonin gives the skin that yellow to olive pigment, which incidentally means you’re warm toned. If you burn or don’t tan easily, chances are you have cooler undertones because of the lack of melatonin in the skin. If you’re a neutral undertone, chances are you burn first before it turns to tan.
There are not rules to this, please feel free to experiment however you’d like. This article isn’t telling you what you should and shouldn’t wear, it’s just to help figure out your undertones in order to see which colors of clothing compliment you best.
Like what you see? View similar styles on our Fashom website or app.
Disclaimer: All images are from Pinterest. If you see a photo of yourself uncredited, let us know and we will add your name.
