I don't have the faintest clue! Am I a warm or a cool...or strictly neutral? If I'm warm, do I wear cool colors? If I'm cool, do I wear COOL colors? How do you tell???

if memory serves from the pics I've seen of you, Steph, you look like a "Summer" to me, which is cool coloring. Ashy hair (as you describe your natural haircolor) is typical of cool-coloring types. As are true-blue eyes (rather than greenish blue which are often warm types.)

Even though I've read a lot about color types, I have never been able to figure out if I'm warm or cool... my freckles look golden to me (warm) but my skin is rosy (cool) and I can't decide if my natural haircolor is dark ash blonde or light golden brown! Arrgggghhhh...

I was just reading on one of the mineral makeup sites that a way to tell for sure is to look at your wrist in natural light... if the veins under the skin appear blue you are cool, if they appear green you are warm. I was SO excited to try this, then I discovered that you can't actually SEE my veins! :rolleyes:

HTH (in spite of my rambling!)

if memory serves from the pics I've seen of you, Steph, you look like a "Summer" to me, which is cool coloring. Ashy hair (as you describe your natural haircolor) is typical of cool-coloring types. As are true-blue eyes (rather than greenish blue which are often warm types.)

Even though I've read a lot about color types, I have never been able to figure out if I'm warm or cool... my freckles look golden to me (warm) but my skin is rosy (cool) and I can't decide if my natural haircolor is dark ash blonde or light golden brown! Arrgggghhhh...

I was just reading on one of the mineral makeup sites that a way to tell for sure is to look at your wrist in natural light... if the veins under the skin appear blue you are cool, if they appear green you are warm. I was SO excited to try this, then I discovered that you can't actually SEE my veins! :rolleyes:

HTH (in spite of my rambling!)
That helped SO much! Okay...so I know I'm cool now...which is what I thought. My skin is so friggin transluscent that I can see every single vein in my wrist. Large and small. Same goes for the inside of my elbow (I've never had a problem giving blood LOL).

So, does this mean that I wear cool colors? I'm assuming...

I'm gonna go surf the net for a minute to see if I can find out some more about color typing and seasons. I'll post my finds...provided I find something. ;) LOL

Thank you SO much!

Some sites with info...

http://www.idiotsguides.com/Quick-Guides/MG_Find_Color_Type/file.htm

http://www.imageandmore.com/colortype.htm

http://www.career-intelligence.com/management/Image/Cosmetics.html

Steph here's another little page:

http://www.aromaleigh.com/whatcolarewa.html

About the wrists, it really helps to compare your wrists with other people, the differences really stand out. DH & DD are warm, I am cool, the contrast jumps out.

If you ever get the chance to get your colors 'done' go for it, it is a revelation. Standing in front of a mirror with large different color swatches trains you to see what is truly flattering to your complexion, and which colors make you look blotchy, tired and...well just yucky.

Your public library probably has a copy of the Color Me Beautiful book, that's a good place to start.

I'm a winter. Winter's look best in black, white, jewel colors like dark purple and bright colors like lime green, orange and yellow.

I wear white almost all the time, I just feel the best in white.

I have no idea what i am. Looking at the sites im either deep autumn, deep winter or neutral.

The veins at my wrist look bluish, purple and geenish even in comparison with someone with blue veins. In my albow they are green.

My skin color is mostly with grey untertones. My brother gets a deep warm tan, mine is more deep cold.

Orange would not suit me. Blue green would. Dark red too. I look much better in silver than gold. Pastels suits me. Blue pink would not suit me. My hair has reddish undertones.

Any guesses?

http://dk.photos.yahoo.com/bc/vachet2/lst?.dir=/Mine+billeder

I got a color analysist done by Color Me Beautiful (http://www.colormebeautiful.com), as a graduation gift from my mom. Before going, I had thought that I was cold, but the analysis showed that I was a soft autumn (I.e. Warm toned, but not too warm). They helped me apply the right colors of makeup, and my looks improved 100% from that day. I had used horribly wrong colours before...

They also gave me a color chart, and I always follow it when I am out to buy clothes. Because if I don't, I always end up disliking the clothes anyway.

My point is that it is possible to be right between warm and cold (autumn and summer for me), but still lean more to one category than the other. And it can be really hard to find out unless you get some help from a professional. That's also why Color Me Beautiful have expanded the Winter, Summer, Spring, Autumn system to include three subcategories in every category. There are three autumns, three summers, etc. All with their perfect sets of colours.

I probably sound like a commercial... but this has really been a wonderful improvement in my life. Also what made me finally accept my own haircolour and grow it out. Because now I wear colours that compliment it.

Katrine... from your picture and your description, you sound like a Winter. According to Color Me Beautiful (the old version) your colors would be deep and vivid, like pure red or jewel tones. Or icy pale shades like white and very cool, pale pastels. Black is also good on Winters.

I am going to look into the new version of CMB Feye posted about. I'll betcha I'm somewhere between a Summer and a Spring, myself.

Oh, I almost forgot!

Steph... Summer's best color is blue in any shade. Also cooler versions of most colors: raspberry pink, watermelon red, cool green, aqua, violet purples... basically any color, but with bluish tones rather than yellowish. Oranges and yellows are not so good on Summers though. Summers are supposedly not able to wear pure black or stark white very well. Summers should wear a soft-white, and greyed navy is better on them than black.

However, I tend to disregard the advice about black and white. Nobody but Winter is supposed to look good in them, but I'm either Summer or Spring and I think I look good in both.

Thank you Princess Buttercup I think you are right that Im a deep winter.

Searching I found a category called 'sunset winter' that should be between autumn and winter but I only found one place using these categories.

Katrine I would say you're a winter too, like me. Even though it looks like my skin tone is lighter than yours, our coloring is similar.

Blue red or white are my favorite colors to wear.

Katrine I would say you're a winter too, like me. Even though it looks like my skin tone is lighter than yours

Thanks Anne :)

Im a 1/4 black (indian or african...who knows). I guess my skincolor is olive.

I dont have any clothes in dark blue, but lots in dark red and white. I dont know why but I have always avoided navy colors next to my face. Next time I go shopping I will try and see if it suits me.

And when I have the money for it I will get a proper color-analysis just for fun.

I read all these websites every time they are posted and only get confused more. :(

I don't know WHAT I am. I like to wear creams and browns and olive green....... Autum colors. I don't know if I am an Autum though!

My hair is medium brown with gold tones in it. My eyes are green with flecks of yellow and teal. My skin.... ugh... I have no idea. I THINK it's got yellow undertones? But... I am NOT good with judging my skin color. It's light, but I don't burn, I tan slowly and tan well... nice. (Although I stay out of the sun nowadays!)

I am hoping I am an Autum though, atleast. I absolutely would be appauled if I had to wear summer or winter colors! Eck! I love the "just rolled in a pile of mud" colors. ;)

Anyone got any opinions? I am quite sure I am warm atleast.

And I agree Steph- you are one cool lady. 8) Hehe.

I still don't know what I am.
I have golden blonde hair, very green eyes, and my skin is quite pink, no question about it, no blue or green undertones, it is PINK!!!!!
I wear jeweltones, hate pastels, and can't decide what they think I am. If my hair and eyes match a category, my skin color throws it all off and vice versa!!!!
WHERE is the site with all the subcategories at, please?????????

What a great thread that I came across. I think if we all found our right colors then we would look nice all the time no matter if it's makeup free day, or bad hair day, lol!

I always assumed I was some sort of cool color, but I don't know what. I have gold blonde hair. My skin is super porcelain pale with alot of blue undertones but with plenty of pink. I know I hate wearing gold, it looks terrible. Only silver for me. :) My eyes are grey/blue.
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Here is my opinion about being warm or cool, summer, winter etc. People make this so confusing it is no wonder people don't know where to start and what colors to wear. I think you should wear what you like. Anyone can wear any color with the proper makeup.

Most people have a mixture of undertones so it can be very difficult to know whether you have yellow undertones (warm) or pink undertones (cool). That is why a good neutral foundation works for so many people.

Also colors that we wear can have cool or warm undertones depending on the shade. Take red for example there are warm and cool shades of red. The blue red (cool) and the orange red (warm). If you have warm undertones you would want to wear the blue red (cool) so you don't look yellow or orange. If you have pink undertones then you would want to wear the orange (warm) red so your face doesn't look red or pink. Then again, people with warm undertones can also look good in the warm shade of red as well and visa versa.

You can also neutralize the tone of your face if you want to wear a particilar color. If you have yellow undertones and want to wear yellow and not look sickly and yellow yourself, then you would use a foundation with a pink undertone. Same if you have pink undertones and want to wear red or pink and not look pink or red then you would want more of a yellow based foundation. By doing this you neutralize the tones in your face so you can wear the colors you like. I go into this on my MMU website as so many people are so confused.

My advise it wear what you like and what you think looks good on you and don't worry about what season or color you are. You did ask :wink:

wow SunCat, that makes a lot more sense to me than everything else in this thread so far :)

Easiest thing I've learned is that you should wear the colors you like wearing the best. Go through your closet, dig out the ratty beloved T-shirts, and find those items that you always really liked the way you looked in. Buy more things in those colors! Most people have an instinctive sense of what does or does not look good on them, and your favorite color to wear is not always your favorite color in general.

For warm/neutral/cool, one easy thing I've found is that Loreal is making a line of makeup with shades in all three. There's often a little transparent card by the display to help you match shades to, and you'll quickly see which colors blend into your skin tone and which don't.

Warm-toned people wear warm colors best, cool-toned people wear cool colors best, neutrals do well to stay neutral. Google can help, because warm and cool colors in clothes and makeup aren't the same as the warm and cool colors you learned in art class in elementary school. (For example, true red is neutral.) People with lots of contrast between skin, eyes, and hair colors tend to look better in stronger, darker or brighter colors than lower-contrast people. But wear what you think looks good on you, because it probably does.

If you have warm undertones you would want to wear the blue red (cool) so you don't look yellow or orange. If you have pink undertones then you would want to wear the orange (warm) red so your face doesn't look red or pink. Then again, people with warm undertones can also look good in the warm shade of red as well and visa versa.


I agree completely. When I figured out my colors (using the famous Color Me Beautiful books with the seasons), I was absolutely horrified. Every color they said was good for me, I thought they were my worst colors. I am a warm (Spring), but I look better in cool clothing. In my opinion, most warms look best wearing cool clothing, and most cools look best in warm clothing.

Honestly, I think the warm/cool thing is pretty much crap. :twocents:

I agree with SunCat and Talullah. I've always found the seasonal colour coding more confusing than helpful. So many, many people don't fit these categories.

I have very dark hair and pale skin and generally speaking find that pretty much any vibrant/jewel or dark colour suits me, but anything pastel is corpse like against my skin. (Mid-tones are middling, not particularly flattering, not particularly awful.) That simple rule of thumb helps me more than thinking I'm a second degree winter or whatever...

Wow! Old thread! :grin: SunCat, your info helps immensely - thank you! :flowers:

You are very welcome Stephanie and everyone glad I could help. I didn't realize this was such an old thread when I posted.

I don't know. For years I tried to wear warm tones on my face, Bobbi Brown and other famous makeup artists insist that everyone looks better warmed up. After a while, the makeup would turn yellow or orange on me and look like hell. :(. Cool tones melt right in to my cool-toned skin. When I step back and look, my face looks like it belongs on my neck LOL.

I was typed years ago as a Winter (jewel tones, cool coloring, silver not gold, etc.) Seeing all those different colors draped on me in harsh light made a believer out of me!

I don't know either, I find that wearing warm tones against my pinkish skin clashes something horrible. It doesn't "warm it up", it combats with it! And wins!

I appear to have differing skin and hair tones. Fair, pinkish skin and bright, red-gold hair. But that's why the systems say "tend to" instead of "do". :lol:

Warm-toned people wear warm colors best, cool-toned people wear cool colors best, neutrals do well to stay neutral. Google can help, because warm and cool colors in clothes and makeup aren't the same as the warm and cool colors you learned in art class in elementary school. (For example, true red is neutral.) People with lots of contrast between skin, eyes, and hair colors tend to look better in stronger, darker or brighter colors than lower-contrast people. But wear what you think looks good on you, because it probably does.




I agree. I am a cool, my hair is very dark brown/black I have blue eyes and very fair skin with cool undertones. I can't wear warm colors for anything.
My sister is very fair/blue eyes also but yellow undertones, she can't wear cool colors, and we wear our make up completely different even though we both have the same natural blush in our cheeks.

I read about a test for this. Basically, you get 2 white shirts. One pure icy white and one more of an off white with golden tones. If you look best in the former, you're a Cool, if it's the latter, you're Warm.

I read about a test for this. Basically, you get 2 white shirts. One pure icy white and one more of an off white with golden tones. If you look best in the former, you're a Cool, if it's the latter, you're Warm.

This is so true, I convinced my sister to get an Ivory wedding gown instead of a pure icy white, the Ivory looked so much better on her than the white gown did. She was surprised at the difference. The Ivory flattered her warm skintones better, she is typed as a Spring.

I was just reading on one of the mineral makeup sites that a way to tell for sure is to look at your wrist in natural light... if the veins under the skin appear blue you are cool, if they appear green you are warm. I was SO excited to try this, then I discovered that you can't actually SEE my veins! :rolleyes:


What really? I have what I've always considered warm coloring: tan skin, dark hair & eyes (think Salma Hayek). BUT my veins are definitely blue! It's not possible that I'm cool is it?

What really? I have what I've always considered warm coloring: tan skin, dark hair & eyes (think Salma Hayek). BUT my veins are definitely blue! It's not possible that I'm cool is it?





Why not ? I think its possible to have tan, olive, or dark skin and be warm,cool or neutral.
Most people assume if your fair skinned your coloring is a certain way, but you can be a cool, a warm or a neutral. :)

Wow I've been wondering about this warm and cool thing myself lately. It seems to be really confusing, but what Suncat said does make sense.

I've always assumed that I am warm (green veins, dark hair, dark eyes, yellow toned skin) but my face is rosy and both gold and silver jewellry look fine on me. Am I neutral then?

Also, I seem to have more 'cool' colours in my wardrobe than warm, as i hate yellow and orange based colours. However, I look better in a off white shirt rather than an icy white shirt. What does that mean then? That I look better in warm colours?

Just to add, the reason I have clothes in cool colours (pastel blue, pink, maroon) is mainly because my mom says I look better/ fairer in them.

Why not ? I think its possible to have tan, olive, or dark skin and be warm,cool or neutral.
Most people assume if your fair skinned your coloring is a certain way, but you can be a cool, a warm or a neutral. :)

Bwah! You just confused me even more! I know when it comes to makeup, I definitely look better when it has a gold/yellow undertone. Pink undertones look horrific on me. But when it comes to clothes? Not so sure. Can the two (makeup & clothes) be different? Very confused :silly:

Bwah! You just confused me even more! I know when it comes to makeup, I definitely look better when it has a gold/yellow undertone. Pink undertones look horrific on me. But when it comes to clothes? Not so sure. Can the two (makeup & clothes) be different? Very confused :silly:



I'm sorry I didn't mean to confuse you :flower:
I think we are drawn to what we like and what looks good on us. I'm never drawn to warm colors ever, but my sister is- she loves them.

That doesn't mean it has to be one or the other. You know what looks good on you, so wear what you like, and don't worry about the rest :)

Why not ? I think its possible to have tan, olive, or dark skin and be warm,cool or neutral.
Most people assume if your fair skinned your coloring is a certain way, but you can be a cool, a warm or a neutral. :)

Yeah, I know. I would say I have pale olive skin and medium-to-dark brown hair, but I'm definitely either cool or neutral, not warm. Maybe the blue-gray eyes are the tip-off, but the olive tones are confusing.

Yeah, I know. I would say I have pale olive skin and medium-to-dark brown hair, but I'm definitely either cool or neutral, not warm. Maybe the blue-gray eyes are the tip-off, but the olive tones are confusing.


My Italian grandmother had black hair, fair to light olive skin and blue eyes and she was a cool. I take after her with my hair and eyes, although I'm lighter skinned than her, I'm a cool as well. I think what confuses people with hair color and dark colors alot is warm to cool.
Black hair can be warm or cool in tone, and if a person has black hair- its assumed dark skin and dark eyes. Red/red family is much the same way, most people consider the reds warm colors, but there are cool reds as well.

I don't think theres one type olive, tan or dark skin, rather many variations and not just with skin tone. I think hair color /eye color can be or seem to be contrasting to skin tone. I also think many people are more used to complimenting rather than contrasting, so 'typing' becomes difficult.

Many make over pro's used to tell me I was a warm or I needed pastel shadows because of my fair skin/blue eyes . However I look terrible in pastels( anticolor) and warm colors. Dark cool colors look the best on me, probably because of my very dark hair.