Best colors for brown skin

Why these shades suit brown skin

Brown skin carries depth naturally. In color analysis, depth describes how light or dark your overall coloring is, taking in your skin, hair and eyes together. Deep shades have a similar weight to your skin, which means your clothes won't dominate you, and they won't disappear on you either.

Contrast matters here as well. It measures how much your skin differs from your hair and eyes. When that gap is big, strong, clear colors like sapphire, cobalt and crimson make your features stand out. When it's gentler, warm earthy tones like terracotta and copper feel right at home.

Why does undertone change the advice?

Two people can share the same brown skin shade and still look better in different colors. Undertone is usually the reason. It's the warm or cool cast hiding just under your skin's surface. Your skin shade alone doesn't decide your season.

If you run warm, Warm Autumn or Deep Autumn is your likely season, with mustard, copper and terracotta bringing that warmth out. If you run cool, the winter side (Deep or Bright) will probably suit you best, and cool picks like sapphire, cobalt, crimson and plum appear at their sharpest on you.

Emerald, deep teal and burgundy all sit near the middle, which makes them a safe place to start while you're still learning your undertone.

Shades that don't help brown skin

The ones to pass on are light and muted. They carry lots of white or grey, so they rest on top of deep skin rather than joining in with it.

• Pale Stone (#e6e4df): so light that it can leave the skin around your face looking chalky.
• Dove Grey (#b4b7bd): that grey can drain the warmth from your cheeks.
• Pale Coral (#ffc4b5): too light next to your depth, so it can look like it isn't yours.
• Pale Khaki (#d5ceb5): its dusty quality can leave rich skin looking tired.

You don't need to drop these colors entirely. Down in trousers, skirts or shoes, well away from your face, they draw far less attention.

Wearing your best colors

Color counts most near your face, since that's where eyes go and where fabric reflects light onto your skin. A whole new wardrobe isn't necessary to see a change. Shifting your best shades closer to your face usually does the job.

• Near your neck: cobalt, emerald or deep teal placed just under the chin give your face the biggest lift.
• Makeup for cool undertones: burgundy or plum lipstick fits the cooler end of the palette.
• Makeup for warm undertones: terracotta or copper lips, plus warm eyeshadow, echo the golden side.
• Lighter items: pale stone, pale khaki and similar washed-out neutrals belong toward the bottom of your outfit.

Finding your full season

What you have here is a solid starting set. Your exact season brings in the neutral, main and accent shades that truly work as a set on you. Each of the 4 seasons that brown skin often falls into comes with its own set of 60 named shades and their HEX codes. Every palette breaks into neutrals, main colors and accents, and flags the shades to steer clear of.

The quiz runs 3 questions, one on each screen. You pick gold or silver, whichever suits you more, then say if your coloring reads light, medium or deep, and finish by choosing between bright and soft colors near your face. Your answer will name 1 of the 12 seasons. These fall under 4 groups (spring, summer, autumn and winter) and each group divides into 3.

No photo, upload, camera, email or account is involved. Your answers never leave your browser. We use questions rather than a selfie because phone cameras and indoor lighting both distort how skin color reads.