Color Palette for Cool Skin Tones - Flattering Makeup, Hair & Style Tips

Understanding Cool Skin Tones

When it comes to finding flattering makeup shades and clothing colors, determining your skin's undertones is an important first step. Skin undertone refers to the base color underneath the surface of your skin, which can be categorized as cool, warm, or neutral.

People with cool undertones tend to have skin with a pink, red, or blue hue. If you have a fair or light complexion with cool undertones, you likely also have visible veins that appear blue or purple, and you may burn easily in the sun.

Some examples of celebrities with fair cool skin tones include Emma Stone, Reese Witherspoon, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Olive complexions with cool undertones are often seen on celebs like Anne Hathaway and Penelope Cruz.

Best Color Palette for Cool Skin Tones

When building a wardrobe and selecting makeup, sticking to colors that complement your skin undertone is key. For those with fair or light cool skin tones, the best color palette includes:

• Plums
• Emerald greens
• Royal blues
• Pinks
• Reds
• Classic reds like ruby and crimson (avoid orangey reds)
• Silvers
• Lavenders
• Icy pastels like mint, sky blue, and petal pink

People with medium to olive skin tones that still lean cool should embrace these hues:

• Deep plums and wines
• Forest greens
• Sapphire blues
• Rich magentas
• True reds
• Emerald greens
• Royal purples and blues

Avoiding Unflattering Color Options

On the flip side, people with cooler skin tones tend to look best avoiding warmer shades like:

• Mustard yellow
• Peachy oranges and corals
• Golden browns
• Spring greens
• Warm reds and pinks
• Coppery metallics like gold

Sticking to the recommended color families for cool skin tones will ensure your clothing, makeup, and hair colors provide the most harmonious look.

Makeup Tips for Cool Skin Tones

Finding a makeup palette that complements your skin undertone is essential for creating a naturally flawless face. Here are some top makeup shades and products for cool complexions:

Foundation and Concealer for Cool Skin

The right foundation formula will seamlessly blend into skin, camouflaging imperfections without an noticeable lines of demarcation. When shopping for foundations and concealers, those with cool undertones should look for shades with pink, red or neutral bases.

As a general guideline, fair cool skin will look best with foundation and concealer colors like ivory, peach, and alabaster. Light to medium cool complexions look great with shades like nude, sand, and fawn.

Top foundation picks for cool skin include:

• NARS Sheer Glow Foundation
• Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation
• Fenty Pro Filt’r Hydrating Foundation
• bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream

Blush for Fair and Light Cool Skin

Blush adds a natural flush of color and vitality to the cheeks. To identify the most flattering blush shades, look closely at your lips. Blush colors that pick up on the natural coloring of your lips will harmonize beautifully.

Those with fair cool skin tones will look best in berry and pink or rose colored blushes. Top blush shade options include:

• mauve (try NARS Orgasm or Glossier Cloud Paint in Dusk)
• soft rose (Clinique Cheek Pop in Rosy Pop or MAC Powder Blush in Breath of Plum)
• cool-toned pink (Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek in Werk or Merit Flush Balm in Raspberry Beret)

For olive or medium toned cool complexions, opt for bolder berry shades with blue undertones like deep plums and wines. Great options include bareMinerals Gen Nude Powder Blush in You Had Me At Merlot or Anastasia Powder Blush in Rose.

Eyeshadow Palettes for Cool Undertones

From pretty pastels to bold jewel tones, cool-toned eyeshadow palettes make blue, green and gray eyes pop. The key is choosing palettes with hues that contrast nicely with your undertone.

Some of the best eyeshadows for cool skin tones include:

• Urban Decay Naked Cyber
• Huda Beauty Naughty Nude Eyeshadow Palette
• Violet Voss Sugar Crystals Palette
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette
• Natasha Denona Glam Eyeshadow Palette
• Pat McGrath Labs Mothership III: Subversive

Aim for grayed lavenders, frosty pinks, navy blues, forest greens and cool-toned browns when choosing eye colors.

Hair Color Ideas for Cool Skin Tones

In addition to clothing and makeup, maintaining an overall cool color palette with your hair can create a stylish put-together look. Here are some of the most popular hair colors for those fabulous cool undertones:

Blonde Hair Colors for Cool Skin

Platinum and buttery blondes pair beautifully with fair cool skin tones, while golden ash blondes complement medium cool complexions. To avoid looking overly washed out or sallow, those with very fair cool skin should avoid blonde shades lighter than a medium blonde.

Fantastic cool blonde hair colors include:

• Beige blonde
• Baby blonde
• Sandy blonde
• Golden ash blonde
• Rose gold blonde
• Silver blonde

Brunette Hair Colors for Cool Complexions

Rich chocolate browns, espresso blacks, and ash brown hues make amazing brunette hair color options. Black cherry cola, candied almond, and truffle are some luscious cool-toned brown shades that could work.

Ideal cool-toned brunette hair colors include:

• Chestnut brown
• Black coffee brown
• Espresso black
• Ash brown
• Mocha brown

Red Hair Color Ideas

Whether you opt for vibrant ruby red or muted auburn locks, red hair makes a dramatic statement. Choosing red tones with blue, violet or burgundy bases will provide the most natural looking color for cool complexions.

Stunning red hair colors for cool undertones include:

• Black cherry red
• Crimson red
• Burgundy red
• Mahogany red
• Plum red
• Ruby red

Avoid orangey tomato reds, as these warmer shades tend to clash with cool skin. When in doubt, opt for red tones on the darker side like merlot or garnet reds over fire engine shades.

Additional Colour and Style Tips for Cool Skin Tones

Clothing Color Recommendations

From tops to accessories, clothing colors impact the harmony of your complete look. Some additional cool-toned color options that pair perfectly include:

• Greens - sage, forest, emerald, and muted olive
• Blues - steel, periwinkle, navy, and royal
• Purples - eggplant, lilac, plum, mauve
• Grays - charcoal, steel, silver
• Neutrals - mauve-toned nudes and sand
• Blacks and whites

Metal Jewelry Shades

When it comes to fine metals against your cool skin, stick with white gold, sterling silver, platinum, titanium, stainless steel, and other silver hued metals. Yellow gold and copper tones tend to look mismatched.

Seasonal Color Analysis

Your best makeup, hair, and wardrobe colors may also shift marginally depending on the seasons. In the fall/winter when sunlight fades, embracing deeper cool tones helps prevent a washed-out appearance. Lighter pastel cool shades can provide a spring-like luminescence during summer months.

In Summary

Finding colors that complement your cool skin undertones comes down to opting for shades with pink, red, and blue bases while avoiding warm yellow, orange, or olive tones. With the cool color recommendations above for clothing, makeup, hair, and metals, you can rock your cool complexion with confidence and style!

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.