Your hair and face shape are important but the colors you wear can totally make or break your look. Picking the wrong shades can actually wash you out and ruin a great outfit. Today we are breaking down exactly what colors work best for your specific skin tone.
Find Your Real Skin Tone First
Before you start buying new clothes you really need to figure out where you sit on the skin tone spectrum. We are going to look at four main groups which are pale, light, olive, and dark. Knowing this simple detail will help you build a wardrobe that actually makes you look more confident and powerful.
Pale Skin Needs Careful Contrast
If you get sunburnt super fast and never tan you definitely have pale skin. You want to avoid wearing light pastel shades all by themselves because they will just make you look completely washed out. Try layering a pastel shirt under a darker jacket like navy or forest green so you get some nice contrast.
Best Neutrals for Pale Guys
Staying away from solid black and white is a smart move since black is too harsh and white does not give enough contrast. You should definitely stick to colors like grey and beige and navy blue instead. These specific neutrals will bring out the natural color in your face without sapping the life out of you.
Earth Tones Rule for Light Skin
Guys with light skin that tans easily look incredible in earthy colors like green and brown and khaki. You can pair these tones with a crisp white shirt and some dark blue jeans for a really solid everyday look. Autumn shades like burnt orange and maroon are also huge winners for your daily clothing rotation.
Colors That Drain Light Skin
You really have to avoid colors that closely resemble your actual skin tone unless you want to look super bland. Bright vivid colors can also be a bit risky especially if your face gets red easily. Just put that bright yellow shirt back on the rack and walk away slowly my friend.
The Golden Rule for Olive Skin
Olive skin guys have a natural year round glow but you still need to avoid colors that match your skin too closely. Any yellows or greens or browns that look just like your face should be pushed to the back of the closet. You do not want people thinking you forgot to put clothes on today.
How to Balance Olive Skin Outfits
You are actually blessed with a very forgiving complexion so you have plenty of great options to play with. You can definitely wear bright colors but you need to offset them with neutral shades to keep things balanced and cool. Just use simple pieces to ground the outfit and feel free to experiment with the rest of your closet.
Dark Skin Is the Ultimate Jackpot
If you have dark skin you basically hit the color matching lottery and can pull off almost anything. Your skin is perfectly suited to handle a crazy amount of different hues and combinations without looking weird. Black is an especially great option and an all black outfit will always look incredibly sharp on you.
Why Pastels Look Amazing on Dark Skin
Lighter guys usually get washed out by pale clothing but dark skin provides a beautiful natural contrast. This means you are completely free to wear pastels and pale shades and bright whites without any aesthetic issues at all. Pink is actually a really trendy color right now and it will look awesome on you.
Watch Out for Head to Toe Brown
You can definitely wear brown but you really need to use it sparingly in your outfits. Throwing on a brown shirt is totally fine but please avoid going out wearing brown from head to toe. You just want to keep things balanced and maybe throw in one vividly colored piece to make the outfit pop.
About the Author
