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How to Choose Colors to Flatter Your Skin Tone

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By eHow Contributing Writer
(274 Ratings)
Pink goes well in the winter if you're a brunette
Pink goes well in the winter if you're a brunette

An important part of choosing the right colors for your wardrobe is to pick the ones that flatter your skin tone. Below are tips on what colors to choose and which ones to stay away from.

From Quick Guide: Seasonal Style Guide
Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

    Determine Your Skin Tone

  1. Step 1

    Decide which season most accurately describes your complexion. People - and skin tones - can be divided into "seasons," depending on their skin tone.

  2. Step 2

    "Winter" complexions have blue or pink undertones. Skin can be pale white, yellowish-olive, or dark. Winter people are generally brunettes, with deeply colored eyes. Many Asians and African Americans fall into this category.

  3. Step 3

    "Summer" complexions, like winter complexions, have blue or pink undertones. Skin is pale and pink. Summers are often natural blondes or brunettes with pale eyes.

  4. Step 4

    "Autumn": Autumn complexions have golden undertones. Many redheads and brunettes with golden brown eyes fall into this category.

  5. Step 5

    "Spring": Spring complexions have golden undertones and are usually creamy white or peach. Spring people generally have straw-colored or strawberry red hair, freckles, rosy cheeks, and blue or green eyes.

  6. Choose Clothes to Flatter Your Skin Tone

  7. Step 1

    "Winter": Winters should wear colors that are sharp, stark and clear. White, black, navy blue, red and shocking pink all go well with winter complexions. For lighter colors, wear icy tones rather than pastels. Avoid subdued tones like beige, orange and gold.

  8. Step 2

    "Summer": Summers should choose pastels and soft neutrals with rose and blue undertones. Lavender, plum, rose-brown and soft blue suit summers well while black and orange do not.

  9. Step 3

    "Autumn": Autumns should select colors with golden undertones, like camel, beige, orange, gold and dark brown. Avoid colors with blue tones, like navy.

  10. Step 4

    "Spring": Springs can wear warm colors like camel, peach, golden yellow and golden brown. Avoid dark, dull colors.

Tips & Warnings
  • It is often difficult to discriminate summer from winter, and autumn from spring. Remember that winters are usually brunettes while summers can be natural blondes. Springs tend to have pale eyes while autumns have dark eyes.

Comments  

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steff07 said

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on 1/18/2010 My natural hair colour is light brown, my eyes are blue and i have yellow undertones around my chin. What hair colour would suit me best.Thanks

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on 12/23/2009 I finally took out my brown hair dye. Now I have my natural coppery red hair.

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on 12/21/2009 Hi! I have brown hair with natural gold and red highlights. In the dark, it looks brown with gold in it. In the light, it looks like a brown with a touch of gold and coppery red tones. My eyes are green with a tiny bit of brown, but in the light, they are green. I have fair skin with peachy undertones. What colors suit me? Can someone help me?

faishca: Do you have pink or blue undertones in your skin with no red or gold tones in your hair? If so, you are winter.
If you have gold, peach, or yellow undertones in your skin and red or gold tones in your hair, you are an autumn.
If you have neither, you are neutral and that means you can wear any color except for ashy colors.

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on 7/30/2009 this was veryyyy helpfulll <33 thanx bunchs c:

stylejedi said

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on 5/27/2009 This article is very helpful but I wish you could have had some pictures as well.

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