Warm Color Tones

A warm skin tone has a bronze, golden, or "peaches and cream" cast. Characteristics of a warm skin tone include:

• You look better in gold jewelry than silver jewelry
• A beige towel held next to your face looks better than a white towel
• Hair colors with warm tones include: blond, light brown, brown, dark brown, and flat black

Your Strategy:

• Your best frame colors include bronze, gold, tortoise, honey, brown, coral and aqua.
• Red heads or brunettes look best in earth tones such as olive green, brown, beige, or pumpkin.
• Stay away from pastels or high contrast colors such as black and white.

Cool Color Tones

A cool skin tone has blue or pink undertones. Characteristics of a cool skin tone include:

• You look better in silver jewelry than gold jewelry
• A white towel held next to your face looks better than a beige towel
• Hair colors with cool tones include: strawberry blond, auburn, "salt-and-pepper," silver, and blue-black

Your Strategy:

• Your best frame colors include silver, pewter, blue, blue-gray, violet, charcoal and black.
• Natural blonds often look best in soft pastels or muted colors such as pink, soft yellow, or powder blue.
• Brunettes with pale skin or African Americans look best in vivid jewel tones like magenta, cobalt, or emerald green.
• High contrast colors such as black and white also look good.
• Stay away from muted colors like beige or pastels

Apply The Color Rules

Now that you know your skin tone, think about the secondary factors which will influence your ideal frame color.

• You can emphasize your hair color by choosing a frame color which is the complement (across the color wheel) of the color you are trying to emphasize.
• For example, try a brown frame to make your blue eyes pop or a green frame to set your red hair on fire!

Step 3: Bonus Frame Buying Tips