How do you dress for your skintone when it's changing?

Kristin L

A few days ago I posted a WIW and one of the lovely ladies that responded left me a little puzzled about my skintone. For most of my life, I've been a cool tone with just enough olive to throw people off. As I've gotten older (and stopped dying my hair), my hair has changed from dark brown to a medium brown with blond and red highlights. My eyes have also been changing from dark brown to amber. When I look at the inside of my wrists, they are still blue. After being told that my hair was too warm, it finally occurred to me that this is the problem I've been trying to figure out. So, what can I do? I'm getting confused on what colors looks good on me and what colors don't anymore.

Thanks so much for any help you can give to a color confused lady.

13 years ago

Dressing

9 replies

Latest reply was from Kristin L

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

I'm not sure I can help, but I can totally understand. For years I coloured my hair various shades of auburn, but about three years ago decided to stop fighting my grey and let it go natural. As a result, my skin did not change colour itself but the look of it did against my hair. Colours I used to wear no longer looked good on me but new colours looked great. I think you need to just experiment trying on all sorts of colours - post pics here if you need help, but I suspect you'll know when you see what looks good on you.

13 years ago

Astrid

Veteran

Did I understand, you always dressed in cool colors and now think warmer colors would go better? Your skintone on its own won't change, but I can understand that colors look differently depending on your hair color. Maybe you need softer or more saturated versions of the colors you wore before? Are you sure what colors look best? What colors do you like the most when you look in the mirror in natural light?

I can only say that it's very hard for people to judge what colors look best using pictures that were posted here. It depends on so many things, the natural light when the picture was taken, the camera settings and how different screens display the color. I'm a good example for this, because people here always think I have red hair or a reddish tint in my hair and that's not true.

13 years ago

nicoleb

(website)

Veteran

I would say go to a professional make up counter and ask them to foundation match you (like Mac). They'll be able to tell if you have cool or warm skintones or maybe even neutral!

I had a hairstylist for YEARS that was always putting red in my hair. I suggested we try ash once and she literally recoiled and said it would wash me out. I think that so many people are warm skinned toned she was just kind of set on that path. When i look back at photos it's obvious something is off to where my hair is now.

I don't *think* that skin tones can change but i know for me personally when i am more tan in the summer i can pull off some different colors that would normally make me look like a zombie in the winter.

Good luck!

ETA: Once you find out what your skin tone is it can help to find a tv or movie character with the same type and hair color and see what colors of clothing that stylist put her in. At least it does for me!

13 years ago

Anonymous

Here's a simple formula that worked for me:

To find your best lip color, find a color that blends with your inner lip. This will also be your best red.

To find your best neutral, find a color that blends with your natural hair color. This color will be great for pants, skirts and shoes.

Your foundation makeup must match your skintone exactly. Keep looking until you find the perfect shade.

Take a close look at your eyes and find colors that enhance them.

After you do the above-mentioned things, you should be able to tell if you're cool or warm, and if you need saturated or muted colors. Use natural, not artificial, lighting when testing colors.

I hope this helps!

13 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

Huh. I didn't know that eye colour could change in adulthood. You learn something new every day, I guess.

If it were me, I would just experiment with different colours. Often, if you're wearing a colour that really suits you, people will comment. Or perhaps you could invite a friend over and you could hold swatches of fabric up to your face in natural light, and together you could decide what works? Your friend would have to be someone who has a clue about these things, of course.

13 years ago

DonnaF

Veteran

FWIW, I was reading the other night that one's skin can have a cool undertone but warm overtone, or a warm undertone but cool overtone -- and that is what can set us astray when buying foundation and the like. I think my skin tone is neutral to warm that gets more olive when/if I tan. But I think my eyes must be a cool brown because coolish brown eyeshadow looks better on me than warm brown.

When I had my colors done in the '80s, I was told that basically I could wear the same colors as I aged but that I would need a lighter hue (less vibrancy) due to the gray hair. I think skin color in general loses some vibrancy. I never could wear deep black or super saturated colors, and as I age (while still coloring my hair until this summer), this is even more true. No huge swathes of cobalt, but no baby pastels either!

My guess is that you are able to wear neutral (neither warm nor cool colors) to cool colors, and that the warm colors you can wear match the amber in your eyes.

13 years ago

Anonymous

Actually, I'm one of those people whose skin has a cool undertone and a warm overtone. I wear neutral colors as well as some cool colors that are not too cool on the cool-warm spectrum. Warm colors don't suit me at all.

13 years ago

christieanne

Veteran

I have sort of the same coloring - brown hair that leans naturally to warm, cool olive (but pale) skin, and warmish green eyes.
I still color my hair though and what I do is try to keep it neutral. I used to add a reddish tone to play up the warmth and then I wore more warm tones all the time. That got boring after a while so now I go neutral (mostly I color to cover gray but also to get the blond tones out of my hair).
The thing I do though to make it all sort of blend is play with my eyes - I use makeup colors but if you wear glasses you could do the same thing. Warm shades to bring out the warmth when you want to wear those or cool tones to contrast a bit and make a cohesive cool statement.

I know a lot of people really believe in color theory and what is right shades for us (and I do to a certain extent such as not wearing pale icy colors next to my face) but i think it is more about how much you want to wear complementary or contrasting colors.

Are there colors in your wardrobe that you think in natural or your primary lighting source, look horrid on you? Or look fantastic on you? Go with that.

13 years ago

Kristin L

Veteran

Thanks so much for the ideas! I'll be trying all of them!

13 years ago

Category