Colour advice often starts with "find your undertone", which can sound vague. Your undertone is simply the colour that sits under the surface of your skin, and it stays the same whether you are tanned or pale.
Warm undertones lean golden, peachy or yellow. Gold jewellery, olive, rust and cream usually look easy on warm skin.
Cool undertones lean pink, red or bluish. Silver jewellery, navy, emerald and pure white tend to suit cool skin.
Neutral undertones sit in between, so both families of colour often work. Many people are neutral, which is why simple tests can feel inconclusive.
Quick checks you can do at home:
- Look at the veins on your inner wrist in daylight. Greenish suggests warm, bluish or purple suggests cool, and a mix suggests neutral.
- Hold a white sheet and a cream sheet next to your face. The one that makes your skin look clearer is the better match.
- Think about how you react to sun. Burning easily is more common with cool undertones, though it is not a rule.
These checks are rough guides. If you want a second opinion from a photo, StyleLookLab has a free colour analysis tool and a colour palette guide.
Disclosure: written by the StyleLookLab team.