There are plenty of ways to find your fashion stride. People have plenty of different opinions on this topic, and if you delve into it a little bit, you’ll find a variety of recommendations. Although many of them diverge substantially, there’s one thing many people rely on for fashion choices: a person’s skin undertone. But what does that mean, and how can you use it in your fashion choices?

Determine Your Skin Undertone

The first thing to do is to determine your personal undertone. Traditionally, undertones are either cool or warm. Although some stylists have also proposed neutral and olive as undertones, you can usually find which side you’re closer to, even if you’re more in the middle. A warm undertone is one that’s more red or yellow, while a cool undertone is one that’s more green or blue.

The most tried and true method of determining your undertone is looking at the veins on your wrists. Hold them under natural light and try to tell their color. If you would consider them green, you’re a warm undertone, and if they’re blue, you’re a cool undertone. A mix of the two, or even a hint of purple, indicates an olive or neutral tone.

Match Your Hair Color

Though it’s definitely not set in stone, different hair colors often pair best with different skin tones and undertones. In general, hair colors also have an undertone, and if you pair your skin undertone with the same hair undertone, you’ll have a more cohesive look.

For example, you can have black hair with a red undertone or black hair with a blue undertone. If you want to dye your hair, go with your skin undertone when selecting the hair color. A professional stylist can help you do this as efficiently as possible so your end result looks truly natural.

Find the Right Accessories

Accessories are a big part of any outfit, and your skin undertone definitely influences what those accessories should look like. It’s not just the colors present in the accessories either, although you should certainly take those colors into account. Another very important part of choosing accessories is choosing between silver and gold.

In general, silver looks better with cooler skin tones and gold looks better with warmer skin tones. This is especially true for colors like rose gold, which inherently incorporates even warmer colors. When it comes to gemstones for those accessory styles, utilize warm and cool colors again to your advantage and match their colors to your skin undertone.

Mix and Match Colors

Now it’s time to get into the most prominent colors of your outfits. Most commonly, these colors will fit your skin tone: cooler skin tones will benefit most from prominently blue, green and purple clothing, and warmer skin tones will benefit most from prominently red, yellow and orange clothing.

If you want to stick to warm and cool tones, remember that there are plenty to choose from. If you want something a little less dramatic and more playful, consider lighter colors like peach and turquoise. On the other end, you can make a statement with deep, saturated colors like emerald and scarlet. It’s all about what you want to show off.

Don’t Be Afraid to Break Boundaries

As with everything else, these fashion guidelines aren’t set in stone, no matter how much someone tells you they are. You’re allowed to have your own fashion styles, even if they break all of these fashion guidelines. If you have a warmer skin tone, feel free to go with a blue outfit, and don’t be afraid to buy a red dress if you have a cool skin tone.

These are guidelines and not rules. They can steer you in the right direction, but sometimes you have to take a chance and try on an outfit and see how you feel in it. If you feel happy and comfortable, that’s the most important part of the outfit anyway.

Conclusion

Your skin undertone can be a wonderful way to discover new styles and expand upon old ones. Although some people have a hard time understanding the concept, you might already be using it to outfit yourself and your friends. If all of this color theory comes naturally to you, why not put it to good use? Look into a cosmetology program at Ogle School to start with your cosmetology journey today.