A Colour For All Seasons

You put on a blouse or apply some lipstick and something about the shades make your eyes, skin and face simply come alive. The very next time, you try something in a slightly varied shade only to look washed out and drawn. Simple explanation required? Some colours clearly match your skins surface tones and undertones perfectly, while others are simply not complementary at all. Both the fashion and beauty industries revel in buzzwords but few are as pervasive as “warm and cool undertones”. Identifying which you are best suited to is fundamental to our general attractiveness. More so, understanding the difference between the two is a great and advantageous starting block. Surface tone is quite simply the colour skin you would describe yourself as having – ivory, olive etc. Undertone is the colour underneath the surface and can be either:

• Cool (pink, red or bluish undertones) – Anne Hathaway or Scarlett Johansson
• Warm (yellow or golden undertones) – Nicole Kidman or Jennifer Aniston
• Neutral (a mix of both)

Cool skin tones favour metals like silver, platinum and white gold. Stones such as pearls and diamonds are complementary. Gem colours in pinks, purples, blues and reds look fabulous. These shades are also spectacular in the correspondingly cooler months of autumn and winter. Understanding tone and colour and how it works best in its different environments, is an influential concept that can be used to overall accessory advantage.

• Warm skin tones suit warmer metals such as gold, brass and copper. Earthy coloured gems in tones of oranges, yellows, greens and turquoise are exquisite and come alive in the warmer seasons of spring and summer.

Have fun and play around with different metals and coloured jewels. Just pay attention to what suits you best and don’t be afraid to flaunt it.