What Colors Look Good on Me?

For help in choosing the most flattering clothes that will bring out your natural beauty, it helps if you first ask yourself, "What colors look good on me?" By determining what hues are the most flattering, you can fashion a wardrobe that makes you look fantastic every day.

Warm or Cool Coloring

When consulting experts who advise women on which colors work best for them, you may hear terms like "warm" or "cool" in relation to your skin tone. In order to choose the most flattering colors to wear, it's important to understand what these terms mean and to find out which one best describes your skin tone. In clothes, as with makeup, the undertones in your skin as well as hair and eye color give valuable clues as to what shades will work most harmoniously with your natural coloring. These factors directly impact what colors will look best on you.

Warm

You're probably a warm if you have:

Dark brown or black hair
Deep red or auburn hair
Reddish or golden brown hair
Brown or green eyes
Olive or golden skin
Beige skin
Skin which tans easily

Warm complexions look best in:

Red (with warm undertones such as tomato red)
Peach
Orange
Golden yellow
Golden brown
Olive green
Gold jewelry

Cool

Cool complexions are typically defined by:

Light to medium brown hair
Light green, hazel or blue eyes
Grey or blue-grey eyes
Natural blond hair
Fair or pale skin
Skin which burns easily

Cool complexions look best in:

Red (with blue undertones such as cherry red)
Pink
Blue
Teal
Turquoise
Purple
Mint green
Silver jewelry

There can be overlapping between the two groups. Some women may have brown eyes and brown hair, but their fair skin burns easily. Naturally rosy cheeks are a good indicator that a brunette probably belongs in the cool group.

You may also find color schemes defined by the four seasons, which can be more in-depth. In either case, the best way to determine your undertones is to look at your skin, makeup-free, in natural daylight, wearing a crisp white top or holding a white sheet of paper next to your face. Warm skin has golden or yellow undertones while cool skin has red or blue undertones.

Understanding Colors

You may have always wondered why your favorite top didn't make you look as radiant as you expected. If you're a warm and that shirt is turquoise, that may be an indication because turquoise isn't going to be one of your best colors.Once you know what colors flatter your skin tone the most, you can use this knowledge when you shop. This isn't to say that you always have to select one of your suggested colors. These are guidelines, not rigid rules. However, they do serve the purpose of informing you what your best colors are. These are the colors that will make you look radiant and really alive instead of fading you into the background.

You should use your newfound knowledge when applying makeup as well. This way, your face and clothing will blend harmoniously for an overall fabulous look.

Tips and Tricks

By pairing complementary colors together, you can create great outfits that make the most of your natural beauty.

Jeans work well with many different colors, so casual chic is easy to get. Cool women can pair dressy jeans with hot pink or teal tops while warm women will look great in red tops over dark jeans and high heels.
If you find slacks or a skirt in a color you love but that also doesn't fall into your most flattering category, you can still wear it; just pair it with a top that does flatter you.
Use makeup and jewelry to enhance and complement your clothing choices.

Choose Complementary Colors

Knowing what colors flatter your skin tone - and choosing your wardrobe accordingly - will have a huge impact on how you look and feel and can take some of the guesswork out of shopping for new clothes. When you wear colors that really work with your skin tone instead of against it, you will look your best and you'll feel good about the way you look.