What's My Palette?

Finding the right palette for your coloration is one of the most important parts of learning how to wear makeup. But knowing which colors will make you look beautiful and which colors will make you look frightful is a difficult task. I've had several people ask me what colors are best for them, and I finally have time to do a post about everything you need to know when it comes to finding your palette.

First, you need to determine your skin tone. The best way to do this is to hold your wrist up to a white wall or piece of paper. What shades do you see? If you have any shades of white, pink, blue, or gray, you have a cool skin tone. If your skin has yellows or browns, you're a warm. Now that you know if you're cool or warm, look at your current hair color and refer to this list below:

Blonde/Light Brown Hair and Cool Skin

• Best eye colors: grays, blues, lilacs, plums, navys, gray mascara
• Best blush colors: sugar or rose pink
• Best lipstick colors: sugary pinks, heathers, pinky browns
• Colors to avoid: Warm yellows and oranges

Blonde/Light Brown Hair and Warm Skin

• Best eye colors: warm browns, shimmery golds and greens, pale yellows, peach
• Best blush colors: apricot or tawny brown
• Best lipstick colors: golden browns, corals, peachy pink, bronze
• Colors to avoid: bluey pinks or purples

Red Hair and Cool Skin

• Best eye colors: peach, orange, khaki, light green, bronze
  
• Best blush colors: tawny pinks or light apricot, only if necessary
  
• Best lipstick colors: orangey reds, heathery pinks, terracotta, apricots
  
• Colors to avoid: black mascara--instead, go with a brown

Dark Hair and Cool Skin

• Best eye colors: gray, black, ivory, silver, plum
• Best blush colors: sugar or rosy pink
• Best lipstick colors: fuchsia pinks, crimson red, plum, mauve
• Colors to avoid: corals
  

Dark Hair and Warm Skin

• Best eye colors: olives, rust, beige, chocolate, earthy red and oranges
• Best blush colors: tawny browns, apricot
• Best lipstick colors: rust, raisin, chocolate brown, orangey red
• Colors to avoid: pinks and blues

Dark Hair and Light Black Skin

• Best eye colors: charcoal, chocolate, pale pinks, lilac, blue
• Best blush colors: shimmery pinks, caramel
• Best lipstick colors: nude, chocolate, shimmery pinks, warm, browny pink
• Colors to avoid: bright primary colors
  

Dark Hair and Dark Black Skin

• Best eye colors: navy blues, plum, dark brown, reddish brown, golds
• Best blush colors: plum, dark brown
• Best lipstick colors: raisin browns, plum, deep red, chocolate
• Colors to avoid: blues, pinks

As always, take these recommendation with a grain of salt. If, for example, you have dark hair and warm skin and you love the way you look with blue eyeshadow, by all means keep it up! Makeup choices are very personal, and your signature color can make you feel confident and looking beautiful, even if it's not supposed to look good on your skin tone. There are also a lot of colors that are universally flatting, like nudes, browns, etc.

Choosing makeup requires a great deal of trial and error--just remember to try to have fun in the process. It's just makeup, after all! Hopefully, this little list will help you find which colors are best for you.