Selecting Clothes To Suit Your Skintone

Have you ever wondered why your friend looks amazing in that blinding neon blue turtle neck? The same turtle neck you could never pull off without looking like you were eaten by a giant carnivorous whale? Well the answer is simple! Neon whale colours just don't suit your skin tone. Simple as that!

Wearing colours that don't suit your skin tone are not only unflattering but can also make you appear tired and drained, even if you do make sure you are getting your eight hours of beauty sleep. Your eyes will most likely appear shadowed and your dark circles will be emphasized. Sometimes even your teeth will appear more yellow, even if you spent half a fortune at the dentist getting your teeth whitened. The thing is that people don't seem to realize that not all colours suit every person. We're all unique and therefore should be styled uniquely too.

Everyone has a natural undertone to their skin colour. These are usually either neutral, warm or cool undertones. A helpful tip on determining your undertone is to place silver jewellery against your skin. If you look good with silver jewellery then you probably are of cool undertone; however if you look better with gold jewellery then you probably are of a warm undertone. Another trick is the vein test. In natural light, meaning either by the window or outside, make a fist and check to see what colour is shown on your inner wrist veins. If your veins tend more to the bluish side then you most likely have a cooler undertone, while green or yellowish tints are a sign of warm tones. If your veins are a mix of the above colours then you most likely are a neutral tone (lucky you).

Once you've figured out your undertone you may be confused as what to do next. Don't fret because the hard part is over, now you're ready to up your fashion style with wiser fashion choices. If you are of a warmer skin tone like that of an olive or golden skin tone it's best you stick to warmer colours. Red, terracotta, orange, gold, camel, yellow, mustards, dark browns are colours for you. It's not to say that you are banned from wearing any purplish, violet colours again for the rest of your life. Besides fashion is an art form, so you can express yourself.

Do not forget that make-up can help us all achieve the final result we want (men included here by the way!). So if a colour you are wanting to wear normally tends to make you look pale then use some blusher - but not too much! If you are wearing a red tone the opt for a peach blusher or for pinks and blues a pink blusher. And remember - each colour has a different shade to it. For example purple has many shades: it can be plum, lavender and magenta. Moving on to skin with cool skin tones; purples, blues, navy, greens and pinks will look absolutely stunning on you. So every now and then when you’re wearing your boring grey suit to work wishing you slept those extra 15 minutes instead of combing your hair, why not put a blue or pink top on just to add a splash of colour and start your week fresh?

Lastly, we have our lucky winners, our neutral tones – they have hit the fashion jackpot! People with neutral skin tones can usually wear whatever their heart desires. Always keep in mind, no matter what skin tone you may have, you are unique and beautiful. Wearing complementary colours will enhance this. Your skin will look luminous and radiant. You will look well rested, with brighter eyes and whiter teeth, your hair will appear multifaceted and reflect more highlights and overall you'll receive a lot more compliments! You could even treat yourself to that luxurious cashmere cardigan you’ve been longing for, now you understand what colours will set your skin tone off perfectly.