How to determine your skin tone?

On what skin tone do you fall? Are you warm, cool or neutral? You do not know? You aren't sure? You aren't familiar? I know some would ask why. Do you know that determining your skin tone can bring out the best in your appearance? Believe me, it is that important.

This is relative to my previous post "Fashion 101: Identify The Colors". If you understand the colors, you can apply that knowledge to your everyday routine in applying make-up and selecting clothes to wear would be easy. I admit, I always spend a lot of time in selecting tops to match my bottoms (or vice versa)  but when I understand the color wheel; thinking of clothes to wear is now as easy as counting 1, 2, 3. In fact, my closet is now partially organized (think of a mess!) because I started piling and grouping my tops and bottoms that match and look good together basing on color theory or the color wheel. It would be less time and effort for thinking of pieces that looks good together. I even printed a copy of the color wheel and pasted it at the door closet for quicker reference because I am so forgetful and I haven't memorized yet the color consecution of the color wheel. 

As I was organizing my closet, I realized I have tons of grays, browns, blacks and whites. I thought of Neutrals as safest to wear in the office before. This is the result of working in a corporate world. I used to be an office girl before and I settled for how many years wearing neutral colors. In short, I endured being colorless for so long until I quit the corporate world. I wish I could have known the fashion basics before. At least I could have put colors and life on all my office outfits. Okay, enough for this. 

Anyway, determining your skin tone is very important because there are certain colors that make us look great while other colors make us look ashen and tired. Not only when buying clothes but also when buying make-ups such as foundation, blush, and lipstick. If you know your skin tone you are at peace that your purchases will be worth it and won't go to waste. Now, it's time to determine what tone you fall. Here's a simple guide to help you with that:

Cool toned

o You burn easily instead of tanning.

o You look good in blue, pink or purple.

o You have pink undertones (rosy).

o Silver jewelry, white clothes look good on you.

o Look at the back of your hand (in natural light), your vein would be visibly bluish.

Warm toned

o You tanned easily instead of burning.

o You look good in brown, yellow and green.

o You have yellow undertones.

o Gold jewelry and cream clothes look good on you.

o Look at the back of your hand (in natural light), your vein would be visibly greenish.

Neutral toned

You will have mix of the guides stated above of both warm and cool. For example:
o You have greenish veins but you have pink undertones (rosy look).
o Or you have yellow undertones but you have bluish veins.
o All colours will look good on you.

As I've mentioned from my previous post, Neutral can go with anything. You may look better wearing a cool color but you may look best in wearing warm colors.

Now that you already determined your skin tone, it is time to identify which is a warm, cool and neutral colors. Identifying the color will be your key to bring out the sparkle of your appearance. Neutral colors are Black, White, Gray, Beige, Cream, Khaki and Navy (Denim).

                                                  

                                                  

                                                  

                                                  

                                                  

                                                  

Warm               Cool

Warm colors are vivid or bold in nature. It implies a friendly, inviting and relaxing atmosphere. These colors can be overwhelming. These colors are in relevance to heat, sunshine, dry, and candle light.

Cool colors are calm or soothing in nature. It implies freshness, open, and coolness, hence, it named as Cool. These colors are not overpowering. These colors are in relevance to water, air, rain, and mint. 

Neutral colors are lacking hue (colors). It implies classic, harmless, natural and timeless. These colors play more on a safe side - quiet, pale, light and modest.

I fall on Warm tone. I did a test to determine my tone a few years back by only looking at the back of my hand. I have greenish veins. That's the simple way I did after reading a post from a beauty blogger about 3 years ago and I noticed I don't get burn when we go to beach but I just easily get tanned. I may add this, my skin does not return to its normal tone that fast but it takes 6 months to 1 year. Yes, my skin was that slow to recover from tanning. I actually still have bikini tan lines on my bottom part until now from our last Boracay trip. Even before I did a test, I am fond of wearing reds, mustard, and light greens. I do not know if I can connect that relation but even before I really do not fond wearing blues, fuchsias, and violets; anything that is very dark because it makes me darker except Black. Though I had some of those cool colors in pastel but mostly you'll see me wearing warm colors. 

I hope you find this post helpful.

XX,

I am J...