Question: Warm or Cool Complexion - YouLookFab Forum

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Question: Warm or Cool Complexion

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

Ok---I know this is a fashion and style forum where we usually discuss clothes (and lately hair too) but I have a question about natural colouring.

I suffer from dichromacy color blindness. So I confuse between shades of red, green and blue, and most soft or pale colours are invisible to me. Even when these colors are evident to me on paper or in clothes, I don't see colors on the skin when I put makeup. I have evolved my own technique for makeup and stick to colors that match my skin closely to play it safe, because I do not see the blush or eye shadow once it's on my face (though I see it in the box).

My question is - would you say I have warm color tones or cool color tones?

I am really not sure about this, and I have seen many of you mention your 'colouring' so you can decide what colors in clothes will look best on you. I'd like to do that too.

Here is a close up of my face in natural light for you to see up close. Thank you for your help!

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36 replies

Latest reply was from Maneera

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I'm not absolutely clear on whether warm coloring is better with cool clothes or if the opposite is true. I did go back and look at your WIW pics and it seems to my eye that you look really good in white, brighter blues, and navy/black. That would put you into the winter category which means cooler jewel tones work for you. Most people think white is universally flattering but from what I've read, it looks best on winters.

ETA: I noticed that you have two grey peplum tops. One is a bit lighter and more structured than the other but wow, the peplum top is a great silhouette for you. The more structured top with the black pencil skirt was killer.

Anonymous

It's so tricky to just tell from photos as all it takes is a slightly different light levels and colours hitting your face (i.e. sunlight etc.) and we get a different idea of warm or cool. I must admit that your skin and hair do look a little cool toned in this photo. So you may be a Winter as Cheryle said.

Is it possible...with hubby's help to identify colour tones... to get some cool toned clothes and some warm toned clothes and get some good photos of you in each and then we may be able to asses better? Make sure you do it all in the same spot of the house in good daylight.

Meantime I really like the website 12 Blueprints for colour advice

http://www.12blueprints.com/.

Also these two links for colour contrast too:

http://www.insideoutstyleblog......ep-process...

http://www.insideoutstyleblog......trast.html

ETA. In your profile photo your colouring looks very warm toned and golden, which is to my first point.

kerlyn

Veteran

I'd be inclined to say cool as well. Do you feel you look better in white or cream? Silver or gold jewelry? I often hear those questions can help you decide which category you're in (white and silver being cool), but I still have trouble with it myself.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I say cool but it's so hard to tell with photos. As between cool vs warm I have often heard people say to look at the veins in your arm, and if they are on the green side, you go warm (e.g. Autumn or Spring color sets) and if they are on the blue side, cool (e.g. Winter or Summer color sets.) Due to your color perception issues you would need to have someone else do it, outside, because your house has intense colors.

Melinda SF

Ultimately the eyes are the final determinant if you are between two colors. This means you're either a winter or an autumn because of how dark they are.
You are also a "deep" color since the intensity of the color is very rich, using myself for an example as a "soft" because my eyes are hazel.
I think you are a deep autumn, because 1) That warm tomato red in your profile photo--which you chose because I hope you think it's flattering, as I do-- to me is the dead giveaway. Just looking at your photos in grey, I can't imagine you looking your best in white vs cream. BUT photos lie: so if you white makes you look alive vs cream (and truly, go try them on and find out, I was 44 years old before I did this); then you'll be a deep winter. Otherwise you're a deep autumn.
Note that the old four color season often confused women like us (I'm a soft summer) but these more flow oriented diagrams really helped me narrow in. The idea is that it's not a pure orange, but a more neutral one, because it "flows" into winter.
details from that page that will help resolve the dilemma:
The Deep Autumn (Shaded Autumn) needs to wear the deepest and most vivid colors of the autumn palette. Rich dark chocolate, tomato red, Pine green are a few of the colors that enrich your intense coloring. For maximum effect, pair dark colors with some of the brighter colors for contrast. Steer clear of soft pastels and light earth tones which are not strong enough for your coloring and will wash you out.

The Deep Autumn is a blend of both Autumn and Winter (Autumn “flowing into” Winter), and their coloring will be more slightly more neutral than a Warm Autumn (Pure Autumn) season.

Power Colors: Deep Brown, Tomato Red, Emerald Green, Rust, Burnt Orange, Deep Olive

Avoid: dusty blues and lavenders, any light or pale colors
Does that feel like coming home? hooray! If not, you're a deep winter.

Warning: you may find as I did that once you realize your true color, that you had to change your hair color and your wardrobe but it's worth it when you settle into colors that make your heart happy. New ones for me that I had never worn before: olive green, ashy mauves and purples, turquoise and sea green, and lots and lots of navy...

Anonymous

Your neck looks warm but your face skin tone looks cool (pinker) as do your lips.

My BODY colour is warm (olive) but my FACE colour is very cool.
So, yellow gold rings and bracelets looked better on me than their silver counterparts, but silver earrings and necklaces look better on me. So I was kind of confused for a while there. Eventually, I figured out that it's more important to find colours that match your face colour rather than your body colour.

So if you have the same issue (different body colour from face colour), I'd say your face colour is cool, which would make you a winter.

When figuring out my best colours, I found it easiest to work backwards. So I narrowed my seasons down to two possibilities (Winter or summer) and then figure out what two similar colours of the two palettes I know I looked better in. Like, I KNOW I look better in navy (summer) than black (winter). So I think I'm a summer.

Hope this helps.

Echo

Veteran

I tend to agree with what has been said. Your face looks cooler in that it seems to have pink undertones, but your neck looks warmer with yellow undertones. When in doubt regarding foundation (if you choose to wear it; you certainly do not need it!), go neutral. And I'd go cool for most things because items intended for warm skin go wrong much more obviously than cool on warm skin.

donnat

Veteran

I am so psst! I just wrote you the longest reply.... i am working on a tablet, so typing is a beeoch... ah huh
So, I said, cool, cool, cool, cool,.......
The beauty of your perfect white blouse against your face tells me this. Also, you said you can wear black, another clue. You have winter coloring, a bit on the lighter side,
Be careful with the bolder, brighter colors, fushia comes to mind, it can drain a lighter winter. Not seeing you in person, I can't judge the depth. Winter, cool, for sure.

deb

Veteran

My guess would be a cool also. I am a dark winter and wear white very well as you do. You cannot always go by the eye color. Do you have any orange in your closet? If orange looks good on you, you are most likely not a winter.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Reading with interest. I think cool.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

Thank you very much, ladies. Melinda and Smitthie....thanks a ton for the long explanation!

Ok, here are few things I can tell you:

I look very good in jewel tones of pink, but not pale shades of any color. Since the white top you're all referring to is new and I didn't wear white earlier, I don't know if white looks better on me compared to cream/beige. I'll click photos in both colors and show you all.

Black definitely looks good on me. Orange looks horrible. Purple looks good on me, as do Grey's and Blues. Red looks good, and I'm wearing a maroon dress in this display picture, not tomato red. These photos are clicked in artificial lighting and I do think they give me a warmer glow, compared to what my coloring really is. I will add a picture taken in the elevator and not inside the restaurant for you to compare.

I will try to rope my husband into 'find my color' project as Diane suggests. Smitthie, you're probably onto something. I think my face is slightly 'pinker' compared to my neck because my husband sometimes thinks I'm wearing makeup even when I'm not. I've noticed it too...after using a cleanser, my face looks paler than my neck, but I only notice this if a lot of natural light is streaming into the washroom.

I cannot judge if I look better in navy or black....I like both. But it's worth clicking photos in both colors and posting them here.

Below, picture #2 is inside the restaurant. I think the lights were very flattering! The other two pictures are outside.

Thank you everyone for your help. You've put in so much time into typing your answers to help me out, and it really means a lot to me.

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cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

You wear the same colors I wear and avoid the ones I avoid. Red is a good indicator. If the reds you prefer are more of a blue or pink shade, you are cool. If they are warmer with yellow/orange undertones, you are warm.

I also love blues and teals and deep pinks and purples and I look like I have the flu if I wear some beiges, deeper yellows or orange.

I think the mystery is solved.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

Aha. Thank you so much Cheryle.

harmonica

Veteran

First, you have a beautiful face with beautiful skin. I like your makeup and can't imagine how to apply when not seeing colour on the skin. Impressive!

Thanks for an interesting thread! I've always found this colouring thing very difficult. I'm East Asian with brown eyes, black(not coal-black) straight hair and fairly light skin tone (not milkish), though many people think my skin is darker. I think the eye and hair colour distract the perception.

Earlier I thought I looked better in warm autumn colours and black, though now I find cool brights better, i.e. as a top or topper. Someone once told me with my skin tone I could go either way. Still not sure about which season I am.

I think you've gotten great input and I lean towards cool face and warm body.

Astrid

Veteran

We've had lots of color discussions on the forum, it comes up from time to time. There are those who believe in the analysis and those who say you should wear whatever you want... I've also tried to pin down my season a few times and I'm fairly sure I'm a Soft Summer. With the colors you like and looking at the first two pictures I would say you're cool toned too. That pink lipstick looks good on you, if you were warm toned I don't think it would work as well. The first impression you get from someone (hair color, eye color) normally doesn't help much with the decision whether someone is cool or warm toned - I think you need to ignore that when you try to analyse which colors work. Something you can normally see at first glance is contrast. I don't dye my hair and if you look at me in natural light you can see my contrast level is very low. I also look warm toned to some people, but I'm definitely not. I can pull off some warmth because I'm a Soft Summer (and not a Cool or True Summer) which borders on Soft Autumn. But I definitely look much better in pinks and blues than I do in orange or warm greens. I'd choose grey over cognac or tan anytime.

(Picture from yesterday - it was 38°C outside. I'm so glad we had some thunderstorms last night and it has cooled down again.)

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Maneera

(website)

Veteran

Astrid, you are super cute. You have amazing skin! Love this picture of you! I can see your contrast level is low and that gives you a softer look.

Yes, I look good in pink lipstick. In fact, I use only shades of pink and coral for lipstick and blush. I guess I am cool tone then. Orange and green (unless emerald green) do not look good on me either.

Thank you for the compliment Harmonica. You're very kind I learnt how to put makeup looking at my sister who is very very good. Basically, I can use the brush strokes even with my eyes closed. And I go makeup shopping with either her or my best friend so they can pick out colors that are a close match with my skin. Yet, there are days when I don't manage to blend in the blush completely and my husband will tell me I have odd pink spots on the apples of my cheek But because I use a very light hand and only pink/coral shades, I get away with this ----it looks intentional to a stranger rather than looking like I didn't blend my makeup properly. And because the colors are close to my skin tone, they don't look garish. However, I cannot try contouring, bronzing or highlighting because I don't see the color at all, and minor mistakes can make me look like a clown. My sister got me a lovely bronzer from H&M but all I do is stare at the pretty box and feel happy :D. I usually stick to eyeliner, mascara, blush and lipstick.

Alassë

Veteran

Definitely cool, then, and probably a winter of some sort. You have a very beautiful face, too.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

Thank you Alasse Never thought of myself as beautiful...the words I would use to describe myself are cute and smart....so I'm dancing with joy

Helena

Veteran

I think you've got it, but for what it's worth, I would say Deep Winter ... I think you are on the neutral side of cool, but you have a softness to you as well, that I think would be overwhelmed by the really pure-bright Clear Winter colors. Any deep cool or jewel-toned color would look gorgeous on you I think!

Melinda SF

Beware pink vs yellow skin tone. I had a mild case of rosacea on my face that was obscuring my coloring. Once I went to very slightly more yellow foundation on my face and lightened my hair slightly it all made sense (as you can see from the profile photo). But note I wear a berry lipstick, not an peach or apricot one . That's why I'm a summer and not a spring. I'm just low contrast due to hazel eyes. That's what I meant about eye color being the tie breaker. You are definitely a DEEP, whatever it is.

I've thought about it this way:

Deep or light: how dark are the eyes-yours are dark.
warm or cool: ivory or white; black or brown or gray? (most people look good in navy) and you say you look better in black and white vs ivory. I think you would know if you liked browns etc.
soft or clear: this has to do with whether you are strongly in the season or whether you have some others that look good on you. example: Liv Tyler is a Clear Winter, but Lucy Liu is a Deep Winter. It's all about intensity of the shade. Here's a good explanation of that last part (cool vs. deep vs. clear winter).

To me the question is are you a cool winter or a deep winter. You are not a clear winter because of your eyes. I'm betting on the deep winter. (If you can wear chocolate brown, you are a deep winter, if not, you're a cool winter)

Note that deep and cool winters are very unhappy in pale shades of anything. (incidentally) Most people can wear some shade of turquoise as it's part blue and part yellow... same thing with purple and lavender...even burgundy crosses some seasons...it's the intensity that matters. That's why the Black/White/ivory test is so helpful in separating those of us who might be one of the "middle" types. Deep winter is the ONLY type that truly looks elevated in Black.

This is the best analysis of color in the deep/soft range I've ever seen and it's why I follow kate middleton closely. not for her style as much as seeing what colors suit her. Because it turns out they suit me perfectly, too.

PS Lucky you. I loved being a winter (I thought I had pale skin and dark hair) and it was VERY hard to move my wardrobe away from the bright colors I loved to the more muted colors of ashy purple, olive green, watery blues, etc but I get more compliments than I ever did before. I love yellow but can't wear it, so I have shoes and purses to console me. Same with red. these days it just overpowers me, since my contrast between my hair, eyes, and skin is so light.

kerlyn

Veteran

Wow, lots of interesting info!

Smittie, I never thought about the possibility of face and body being two different tones!

I think I'm an autumn...love earthy colors olive, browns, rust, etc. But I definitely love both gold and silver jewelry. I think for me the gold(or hammered brass that I've been loving lately) blends in with my hair more, but the silver provides a nice contrast(especially with a bit of a summer tan).

I wonder if some people are right in the middle...totally neutral?

Anyway, great question! You're so pretty!

Anonymous

Wow! Melinda SFS you know your stuff..really interesting. I'm going to browse those links too. Maneera, those extra photos, really do seem to show a cool colour. Fab dress btw and you have lovely eyes.

Rubygirl

I agree with donnat.. The fact that you can wear white and wear it well denotes you are cool.. A winter person.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

Wow Melinda, you do know coloring very very well. Your in-depth analysis is very thorough and I truly appreciate the time you've put into answering my question with so much detail. Thank you so much.

I agree with you. I think I might be Deep Winter. I read the links you sent to me and most things are true.

I don't wear Browns in summer at all. They do wash me out. Same for oranges and yellows. The biggest mistake I ever made was wearing orange for my wedding day (in India the bride wears bright colors, reds and maroons most often but oranges and pinks too). I just wore orange because it was 'different' and I looked truly horrible. I don't even have a picture----that horrid!

However, I do wear brown in winters. I never bothered to notice if it looked good or bad. But I will do so this winter and post pictures. My favourite winter coat and my leather jacket are both Browns. I think I do have a picture from last winter on my phone when I wanted to try my new boots. Will find it and add it here so you can analyze some more I think it looked good when I was wearing it at home(that picture is without any makeup at all) but did not look as good when I wore it for a night out( I am wearing makeup in that picture). Will attach that picture too. Again, thank you very much for your help, Melinda. You're truly a color expert!

And if anyone ever has colouring questions - please seek out help from Melinda SF, ladies! She truly knows what she is talking about!

Thanks for the compliment, Diane.

ETA: Since you are looking at colors on me, I thought I'll also add another photo from winter. I suppose this magenta pink would be a good color for a Winter. Does it look better? This photo is in natural light.

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Astrid

Veteran

Love the magenta! The coat definitely seems the wrong color. Very warm, maybe something for a true autumn? The boots look like a warm brown too. There are cool browns around, but I think they're harder to find.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

Thanks Astrid. Aha-I'll have to buy new winter coats and jackets that means. I have lots of browns in winter wear. Humph. But I'll worry about that in winter! Will definitely add a red or pink coat I think.

Astrid

Veteran

I think one way to avoid the replacement problem is to invest in a great winter scarf with more of your colors. If you wear that over the coat/jacket next to your face it won't matter as much. If you find something in cool colors with just a hint of warmth in the pattern to go with your outerwear it will be flattering and look intentional.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

What a great idea Astrid. Thank you!

Aubergine

Veteran

This is timely!

I've always assumed I have warm coloring, but Angie mentioned in a thread recently that she saw me as cool-toned. I'm somewhat similar to you in that I have dark hair and eyes and that overall "deepness" is one of the most noticeable things about my coloring. So I think a lot of the same questions and comparisons would apply to me as to you.

I'm pretty sure I do look better in gold than in silver and in cream than white, which is probably partly why I've always assumed I'm warm. But maybe I got that wrong? (And I also hate winter the season so much that maybe I've subconsciously not wanted to be a winter. Which is silly, I know.) I do look good in black and in rich jewel tones and kind of weirdly radioactive in most oranges and a lot of pastels. I don't wear much chocolate brown, but I think it works on me as long as I put some other color in there so I'm not just a lump of brown and beige.

You clearly glow in the burgundy and fuchsia. Dark Winter makes sense to me for you although, as I just established, I'm far from an expert here.

And I agree with Alasse -- you're totally beautiful!

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