Deciding your skin tone
One of the most interesting things I’ve learnt at Imageakademiet has been to see what colours will suit a person. Once you learn to see the difference between warm, cool or neutral colours, it’s practically a whole new world out there. Choosing a new top or lipstick is a lot easier if you know that it will complement your skin tone. But before you have a look in the mirror, it’s a good idea to understand the difference between warm and cool colours. I made a little guide:
This basically means that there aren’t any cool yellows (with the exception of a lemony, almost lime-coloured yellow), and that a blue colour needs to be slightly green-ish to be warm. There are also some colours that are neutrals, meaning they will suit people with both warm and cool skin tones.
Don’t worry if it looks confusing at first, it takes practice to see these things with a glance, but understanding the theory means you can begin to practice. Here, for instance:
Now, to the skin tone. One way to decide, is to look at celebrities with the same colouring as you. In my instance, that could be Anne Hathaway or Alexis Bledel, both who are definitely cool (just different kinds of cool, but we won’t get into that now). Examples of warm girls are Tyra Banks, Julia Roberts and Amanda Seyfried.
What makes this method tricky, is that you really need to look at someone in person, in natural daylight and without makeup to decide their true skin tone. And how often do we see celebrities in that situation? Second, hair and makeup can change a person’s colouring quite a lot, and actresses often have to do this because of their job. Third, pictures can be very deceiving because of lighting or photo editing.
My favourite method is the rouge test, which looks something like this:
Here’s what to do. You remove all your makeup, find a mirror big enough to see your entire head, and place it somewhere with good natural light. Then find two rouges or eyeshadows (even lipsticks might work), one in a very warm shade of red (meaning it will be rather orange) and one in a very cool shade (an almost purplish pink). You then smear two large spots on your cheeks, like pictured above. Don’t worry about blending them nicely or it looking good – you’re supposed to look a bit like a clown. Then take a step back, and cast a casual glance at yourself.
Does one colour blend better with your skin tone than the other?
Although I did the example picture using PhotoShop, I still think it illustrates my point because (at least to me) it looks like the pink colour blends away into my skin, whereas the orange looks like something that’s smudged on top of my skin. It almost looks like the orange colour is further to the front than the pink. Weird way to explain it, but that’s how I think of it. If you squint slightly, this becomes even more apparent.
Now, my skin tone is definitely cool. My teacher said that with enough makeup, she could probably make everyone in my class change their natural category, except for me. With others, the case is not so clear. If you think both colours can work for you, then you might have a skin tone that can handle both warm and cool shades. Yes, this is possible. In that case, your hair colour can “make” you warmer or cooler, and I suggest you choose a hair colour that tips you towards the colours you prefer the most. No point in going very cool with your hair if you prefer warm, peachy colours, for instance.
One could write several books about all this (and many people have done so), but I hope this post can get you started, at least. And brownie points to those who made it through the entire post, by the way! If you have any questions, fire away.
I really really really enjoyed this! I have been wanting (needing) a guide I could understand about deciding my skin tone for ages.. Well, I have always thought I leaned towards the cool end of the scale -but when you don’t know for sure you basically don’t know. This will make cleaning out my closet MUCH easier.
I’m so glad you liked it! I also think you’re cool, and if you do the rouge test you should be able to see it quite clearly for yourself
And good luck with the closet cleanout, that can be such a pain!
For en søt illustrasjon! Og det er forresten ikke bare for deg det er helt åpenbart at du er kald, du har gjort en super illustrasjonsjobb
Tusen takk!
Snille Maria som lærer oss sånn her uvurderlig informasjon gratis:)
Just returnin’ the favour, darlin’
This is a great guide, dear! And I agree with Néa, knowing these things makes the whole closet ordeal SO much easier. Now I need to find someone to donate my (on me) sickeningly orange Chanel lip stick to.. Stupid sales woman..
Oh, I know. All the magazines are talking about orange nowadays, and it drives me crazy. Yes, an orange belt or clutch can look good on everyone, but orange lipstick? Only a VERY small percentage of Norwegian women can make that work.
ahh this is interesting! i will have to do the blusher test… i’m guessing i’m warm (or hoping, because my make-up is already “warm”!)
I think you would have noticed it if all your makeup was in the wrong category, so you’re probably safe
But yes, the rouge/blusher test is great, because it’s often very easy to see which kind looks best.
Ser godt at du kler kalde farger best
Fin test!
Jeg har selv de siste månedene innsett at jeg kler kalde farger best selv.. livet ble så mye lettere nå!
Ikke sant? Sjansen for feilkjøp i både klær, sminke, hårfarge og tilbehør blir myyye mindre når man vet om man er varm eller kald
A how-to post! I’ve already staarted thinking I’m on the cool side, but thanks to this guide I know I’m in the “Definately Cool” category. Now my struggles in finding a peachy-coloured dress make so much more sense: I had actually found a cute one, but realized that they also had it in lilac (very pale purple) and that looked WAY better on me. Guess which one I bought.
Another lovely post as usual!
p.s.: I might have to start my own website so that I can actualy leave a comment without that frustratingly bland blank man’s picture beside it. I don’t know about you but it drives me crackers!
I know very well what you’re talking about – this spring, every single store has been packed with peachy things. It’s quite annoying when a colour that makes you look dead is so trendy you can hardly find anything else.
Oh, and you don’t have to start your own website to get rid of the blank man – just go to gravatar.com, and you can upload an image for your e-mail
This is a great post, I see so many women with lipstick on that makes them look dead because it’s cool but then they have self-tanner on as well which turns them orange! Do you have this problem in Norway too or is just the UK??? lol
Oh, we definitely do. Unfortunately :p
[...] that you’ve learnt how to decide if you look your best in warm or cool colours, you might be a bit frustrated and wonder doesn’t this limit my options considerably? Well, [...]
[...] Maria fikk meg til å se hvilke farger som passer til meg –selv om jeg fremdeles har en forkjærlighet til rødfargen som ikke nødvendigvis passer meg best… [...]
Oi! Kom hit via en annen blogg – og hurrahei for det. Gjett hvem som skal smøre varm og kald sminke på seg selv i morgen, haha. Men ja, takk for bra innlegg. Har lenge fundert over hvilke toner jeg bør rette meg mot
)
Det kan virke vanskelig å finne ut av sånt, men rouge-testen er superenkel! Håper den var til hjelp
Oj, wow! Vilka kanontips! Jag brukar alltid ha lite problem med att välja foundation och sådär, det verkar aldrig finnas någon som passar perfekt. Jag ska definitivt undersöka närmare vilken min naturliga hudton är.
Så fint at du likte posten! Foundation kan være supervanskelig, men det hjelper ofte veldig å vite om man er kald eller varm. Lykke til
jeg har forlest meg på color season analysis i en måned, snart, klarer ikke bestemme meg for noe, men har i det minste konkludert med at jeg er mer “soft” enn “clear/bright”. det er da noe! har egentlig aldri syntes at gult var min farge, og i de senere år har jeg heller ikke følt meg peachy i oransje. når jeg blir brun er det ikke like tydelig, men når jeg er vinterbleik er de to fargene, og gull, helt grusomt på meg. samtidig har jeg grønne blodårer (lett å se nå som huden er sommerbrun), og en hud som har en tendens til å se litt gul ut på bilder, ofte. blah. je ne sais pas. det er jo ikke en eksakt vitenskap akkurat. kanskje jeg er litt midt-i-mellom. syns oransje lipgloss funka fint, mens rosa blush ser ut til å gli mest inn i huden, sia kinnene mine allerede er litt rosa av seg. det er tricky! men du er jo helt klart både kjølig og dyp i fargene. du takler vel et ganske høyt nivå av kontraster også? lucky you!
Ut fra det du skriver, så kan det høres ut som om du er sommer (med en liten touch av vår? Det er mulig å kunne skli litt mellom sesonger, faktisk, ut fra hva man gjør med hårfargen sin og sånt). Hvis du sender meg et bilde (helst tatt i dagslys) på mail, så kanskje jeg kan hjelpe deg på rett vei?
Jeg er definitivt kjølig og dyp, vi kalte det en kontrastrik vinter på skolen. Tåler ganske mye av dette siden jeg allerede har så mange kontraster i meg fra naturens side (lys hud og mørkt hår og øyne). Bra observert
[...] advise you to choose a coat in a basic colour, but if you find one in a bright colour that suits you perfectly, I say go for it. These winter days need all the brightening up they can [...]
[...] case you need a reminder, I am a super-curvy, borderline plus size girl, with very pale skin and a cool skin tone. This means pastels, bright yellow/orange/green make me look sick, outfits without a waist and/or a [...]
Jeg elsker bloggen din! Har brukt store deler av dagen på å lese inspirerende poster. Og dette var veldig interessant og nyttig! Men langt fra lett å vurdere hos seg selv. Jeg har prøvd blushtesten, men har lite sminke for tida. Brukte dermed de to leppestifter jeg har, en veldig tydelig rød og en plommefarget. Den røde var definitvt best. Den plommefargede er det sjokkerende at salgsdamen anbefalte meg.
Jeg tror jeg er varm, men er noe usikker her. Heldigvis for meg har jeg klesmessig satset på nøytrale farger (marine, sort, grått) og ellers mye blått og farger mot ansiktet som “kjøler” ned min lett rødmende hud, noe som kanskje kan vitne om varm hudtone? Du fikk meg i alle fall interessert i temaet, og jeg har nå lest mer om det. Etter noe videre lesning er jeg fremdeles usikker. Jeg har relativt blek hud, lysblå øyne og en slags gyldenblond hårtone, eller, en veldig “gul” blondfarge som dermed gir et mer varmt preg til … helheten. Eller noe. Jeg leste litt om disse årstidsgreiene(http://www.thechicfashionista.com/your-best-perfect-colors.html) og tror jeg er vår.
Uansett; Inspirert til å lese mer om dette. Har du noe lesestoff å anbefale? Takk for alt det flotte du deler på bloggen!
Oi, nå ble jeg glad, tusen takk
Når det gjelder dette med hudtoner og slikt, så er det slett ikke bare enkelt. Noen mennesker er ganske tydelige, mens andre kan faktisk være såpass nøytrale at de ikke egentlig passer inn i en spesiell varm/kald kategori eller årstid. Jeg har planlagt en post som går nøyere inn på dette, må bare vente til Cookie er tilbake i Oslo slik at jeg kan ta bilder som demonstrerer
Noen ting er lettere å SE enn å FORSTÅ, synes jeg, og dette med farger og hudtoner er definitivt slik for meg.
Det er litt umulig å si noe konkret om deg siden jeg ikke har sett deg, men sånn som du beskriver det, så høres det veldig mulig ut at du kan være en vår. Det som ofte hjelper, er å se om du generelt er finest i klare, rene farger (vår/vinter) eller dusere, mykere farger (høst/sommer).
Det du kan gjøre for å finne ut mer om du er varm eller kald, er å gå på en butikk á la H&M, og finne et par foundations som definitivt er varme/gule (se etter navn som har ordet golden/peach i seg, eller spør de som jobber der) og et par som definitivt er kalde (de er vanskeligere å finne, men har ofte navn med rose/beige i seg). Trykk ut et pump av hver på hånda di, og så går du ut i dagslys og prøver de på (rent) ansikt. Da burde du kunne se om de varme eller de kalde sklir best inn i din egen hudfarge, selv om det kanskje ikke er en perfekt match
Av lesestoff er det desverre ikke så mye der ute, da det virker som om det gikk litt ut av moten med fargeanalyse etter 80-tallet. Jeg fant en bok i mamma sin bokhylle som heter “Dine beste farger” av Christel Buscher (det er denne, bare på norsk: http://www.amazon.de/Farbberatung-Christel-Buscher/dp/3809404330). Bildene er gruuusoome, med skikkelig 80-tallsstyling og -sminke, men selve teorien er ikke så verst. Det dumme er at boka ikke er i produksjon mer, etter det jeg kan se. Kanskje du er heldig og snubler over den på et bibliotek? Den er gitt ut av Hjemmets Bokforlag i 1992, ISBN er 82-590-0938-2.
Ellers kommer det flere poster her om emnet, jeg skal gjøre mitt beste for å gjøre det så enkelt og tydelig som mulig
Thank you so much. I have been struggling to figure this out for years! I’ve tried everything and couldn’t descide I I just gave up and figured “neutral”. This is the only thing that works for me! I still think I’m neutral but now I know I lean cool. Thank you!!!
You’re very welcome, Megan! It’s a great little trick, I’m glad you found it helpful
[...] that suit you. If the colour is wrong, it won’t really matter how carefully you apply it. Deciding your skin tone is an excellent [...]
[...] Style 5: more dressed-up and a bit avant garde when paired with dark lips (mine are MAC cremesheen in the colour Hang-Up). Curl, pull towards one side of your head, then add giant flowers. These ones are from H&M. They can be found in a multitude of colours, so make sure to pick one that suits your skin tone. [...]
Thank you so much for this! All the suggestions I’ve seen so far for figuring out skin tone (gold vs silver jewelry, white vs. off-white, etc.) just made me more unsure. I never thought of actually putting the colors on my skin! I tried it with photoshop and now I’m much more confident that my skin is warm.
That’s great to hear, Cyndie! I’m glad my post was helpful
Jag hamnade på din blogg då jag googlade på warm or cool skin tone och nu är jag nästan lite chockad, haha
Du och jag har samma färger (mörkt hår, bruna ögon, ljus hy) och jag har alltid trott att jag varit varm (men ändå aldrig hittat färger som passar…) och så hittar jag dig som säger att du är kall. Det förklarar så mycket! Jag var helt inne på att bruna ögon och brunt hår betydde att man var varm. Så tack för ett informativt inlägg!
Så fint at bloggposten min var hjelpsom, Jessi! Velkommen til den kalde siden
[...] følger gjerne farge. Også her har kjære Maria vært til hjelp! For en stund siden skrev hun et innlegg og kalde/varme fargetoner, og det har vært til stor hjelp. Jeg er av den typen som ikke visste forskjellene på dette, og [...]
I have both warm and cool skin tones, because I look good in orange, red, navy, white, black, purple, grey, blue of all shades, pink, mauve, olive, light green etc. Even my friends and family cannot tell whether a coral pink sweater look better on me or a light blue one.
Some people are just pretty much neutral, so lucky you – sounds like most colours are flattering on you
You had me at brownie points. Am a warm-coloured person but also love certain shades of purple and blue.
Many blues and purples look lovely on warm-coloured ones as well, so nothing wrong with that
I’ve tried doing this and i understand the concept, but i just can’t seem to figure out my skin tone!
its so frustrating i’m warm i really really believe, but then it goes into fair olive medium light blah blah and its just insane
I know how you feel, Nora, because even though my own colours are fairly easy to figure out, I often help other people out with _their_ colours, and it can be really tricky sometimes! Fair/light/medium and such are terms used to describe how light or deep a person’s colouring is, rather than whether it’s a warm or cool tone – I, for instance, is cool and fair/light. As for olive tones, well, nobody seems to really agree on how it works. Generally, it’s considered skin with a greenish tinge, and the skin tone can be either warm or cool “below” the green.
If putting things into the standard categories makes things more difficult for you, rather than easier, perhaps you can find a different way to think about colours? See if you can figure out if there are a couple of colour families, such as reds, greens, blues or purples, that make you look really glowing and lovely, and wear them a lot. In my case, most blues and pinks work well, but greens can be very tricky.
[...] – the focus is ultimately on you, not the clothes, so pick whatever suits you the best (that is, the ones that go with your skin tone). Still, more neutral colours such as black, navy, white, grey and beige will always work well for [...]
[...] a good idea to know if you’ve got a warm or cool skin tone. Unless you’re going for an editorial look, or are willing to wear a heavy base, choosing a [...]
[...] inspiring: Favourite book: A guide to quality, taste and style by Tim Gunn, My wardrobe staples, Deciding your skin tone (once you’ve got this figured out you’ll have an easier time picking out clothes, I [...]