When you are trying to find the right clothes to suit you, you may find that certain colors look amazing on you, and others do not.
For instance, bright colors like orange can really uplift someone’s appearance, and for others it can clash with their hair or not flatter their skin tone.
This is why it is so important that you choose colors that compliment your hair, skin tone, eyes, and overall personality- as this can really make your outfit pop.
Some people look better in warmer colors, and others shine more in cooler colors. But, how can you tell what is warm and what is cool? Or which tone is better for you? That’s what we are going to discuss in this article!
What Are Warm And Cool Colors?
On the color spectrum, there are warm colors and there are cool colors. Most people will learn that warm colors are shades such as red, red orange, orange, yellow orange, yellow, and red violet.
Cooler colors on the palette are green, blue green, blue, blue violet, violet, and yellow green. Think of the color wheel as a temperature gauge on your air con or shower.
Most temperature gauges we have are blue on one side, and red on the other. The hotter it gets, the redder the color becomes, and the cooler it gets, the closer to blue you turn the gauge.
It is hard to definitively say what is a cool color and which is a warm color, but most color experts will argue that warmer colors are between red, orange and yellow, and cooler colors are between green, blue and purple.
However, when it comes to creating a color palette for yourself, you can have varieties of these colors, and colors from both sides of the spectrum, with cool and warm undertones.
Finding your color palette for your wardrobe involves finding out which season you are. True Springs and True Autumns may look better in warmer color palettes, whereas True Winters and True Summers may prefer cooler color palettes.
But, you will find green colors in warmer palettes and yellow or red colors in cooler palettes, because they have cooler or warmer undertones and can compliment someone who prefers those undertones. Still with us?
What we are trying to say is that there is no definitive line between the two. The color wheel above is a basic one, and there are so many other colors that are not included.
You can have warmer toned greens that would suit those with warm undertones, and you can have cooler toned reds and yellows that would suit those with cool undertones!
For instance, if you look at these shades of green, you can see some are warmer (and have more yellow undertones) than those on the right that have more blue undertones.
Therefore, warm and cool are not the actual spectrum to describe colors, as each hue has warm and cool tones.
How To Tell Which Colors Will Suit Your Wardrobe
To understand which colors will look best on you, you have to find out what your ‘Season’ is. These are based on the four seasons; Winter, Summer, Spring and Autumn.
Each of these seasons have three categories within them. For Winter, you have Clear Winter, Cool Winter, and Deep Winter. For Summer, you have Light Summer, Soft Summer and Cool Summer.
For Spring, you have Light Spring, Clear Spring, and Warm Spring, and for Autumn, you have Soft Autumn, Warm Autumn and Deep Autumn.
Which True Season you are will let you know which color palette to use, and whether you will look better in cooler tones or warmer tones.
To find out which season you are, you will need to know a few things:
- The undertone of your skin
- Color of your hair and eyes
- How light or deep your overall coloring is or how much of a contrast there is between your hair and skin tone
Spring (Clear, Warm)
Skin: Warm undertones, clear. Cheeks are peachy with blush, and skin is light for your ethnicity.
Hair: Light blonde to medium brown, with golden, warm or red undertones.
Eyes: Blue, turquoise, clear green, light brown or hazel.
Summer (Soft, Cool)
Skin: Cooler undertones, low contrast between hair and skin. Cheeks turn rosy when blushing.
Hair: Light blonde to medium brown with cooler ashy undertones.
Eyes: Gray, cool green, blue, gray-blue.
Autumn (Deep, Warm)
Skin: Warm, golden undertones, rich coloring. Low contrast between skin tone, hair and eyes.
Hair: Medium brown to black, medium with red or gold undertones.
Eyes: Olive, warm green, black-brown, brown.
Winter (Deep, Cool)
Skin: Olive undertones or cool undertones. High contrast between skin and hair color. Deep features.
Hair: Ashy brown, dark brown, black with cooler undertones.
Eyes: Medium brown to black brown, gray-blue, cool green or clear blue.
How To Tell If You Have Warm Or Cool Undertones
To see if you have warm or cool undertones, there are a few ways to check. Firstly, if your skin appears yellow or darker toned, and you tan easily, then you have warm undertones.
If your skin is cooler, you will have blue undertones, and you burn easily, then you have cool undertones.
Another way to check is to look at the veins in your wrist. If they appear more blue, then you have cool-toned skin. If they appear more green, then you have warm toned skin.
Finally, think about whether gold or silver jewelry looks best on you. If gold is best, then you will look best in warm tones. If silver looks best, then you will shine in cooler tones.
Summary
To summarize, the color palette has a range of hues to choose from. Some are warmer, and others are cooler. Depending on your skin tone and appearance, either warm or cool tones will look best on you.
To tell if a color is warm or cool, you will need to understand what the undertones suggest. If a color hue has bluer, greener, or more purple undertones, then it is a cool color. If a hue has more red, orange, or yellow undertones, then it is a warm color.
My whole life, I have always been a little bigger than my friends. I was always a bit taller, wider and just bigger built. From my late teens, I would say that I was curvy. I really struggled to find clothes that fitted me, as my hips went out, but my chest didn’t really.
I created WarningCurvesAhead.com because I wanted other women to feel the sense of empowerment I have felt since changing up my wardrobe and finding out what clothes suit my body shape, skin tone and style.
I hope that you too can join me on this journey, and start making some amazing fashion choices that celebrate your beautiful body- instead of hiding it!
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