What colors suit me? Here is how to find out

You put on a sweater and someone immediately asks if you have been on holiday. Another day you look tired and grey in the mirror, even though you slept perfectly well. The difference often lies in the color you are wearing. “What colors suit me?” is the question we hear most often.

Which colors suit you is not a matter of taste but of your natural coloring: your skin, hair and eyes. Below you can read how to find out, and what the right colors do for your appearance.

What colors suit me? Three questions

Whether a color suits you depends on three characteristics. Ask yourself these three questions:

1. Am I warm or cool? Does gold suit you better than silver, and cream better than pure white? Then you are probably warm. If it is the other way around, more likely cool. You will find more tests in our blog about warm or cool undertone.
2. Am I light or deep? Look at your hair, skin and eyes together. Is everything light, or is there a lot of depth and contrast?
3. Am I clear or soft? Do you look better in fresh, clear colors, or in soft, muted shades?

Light, deep, clear and soft: what does that mean?

These terms may sound vague. In clothing you see the difference like this:

• Light: colors with a lot of white in them, such as powder pink, light blue and vanilla. They look airy and fresh.
• Deep: dark, rich colors, such as burgundy, bottle green and chocolate brown.
• Clear: pure, vivid colors without grey in them, such as fuchsia, royal blue and turquoise.
• Soft: muted colors with a grey haze, such as dusty rose, sage green and taupe.

Someone who is light often disappears in very dark colors. Someone who is soft is overpowered by bright shades. That is why it is so useful to know where you are on the scale.

Colors that often suit warm or cool

Without knowing your exact seasonal type, you can already make a first selection. These are examples, not fixed rules:

What is your most striking feature?

Often one characteristic clearly stands out. That characteristic already points towards two of the 12 seasonal types:

Which of the two it will be depends on your other features. That is why people often get it slightly wrong in self-tests: it is all about the combination.

What the right colors do for you

The right colors work like a natural highlighter. Your skin looks more even and fresher, your eyes light up and your hair gets more shine and depth. People see you first, and only then your clothes.

The wrong colors do the opposite. Your skin looks sallow or red, dark circles and fine lines stand out more and you look more tired than you are.

Three mistakes we often see

Choosing based on your favorite color

A color that makes you happy is not automatically a color that brings your face to life. You can of course keep wearing it, for example in a bag or trousers, further away from your face.

Going by dyed hair

Your seasonal type is linked to your natural coloring. So when determining it, go by your own hair color, not the color from the hairdresser.

Testing under artificial light

Lamps at home and in shops make everything look warmer or brighter. So always test colors in daylight, ideally by a window.

Why it is worth it

You feel more confident

When you know a color suits you, you no longer have to change outfits ten times. You put something on and it is right.

Your wardrobe becomes easier

Colors from the same palette go together. You need fewer clothes and can combine more. Also read how to build a wardrobe you love.

You buy more consciously

From now on you leave colors that make you look washed out on the rack. That saves bad buys, and therefore money. You can read how that works in color analysis cost.

What colors suit me? Know for sure

The questions above give you a direction. If you want to be sure, we look at the whole picture in an online color analysis and determine your seasonal type and personal color palette. Take the free color test first, or view the packages.

Looking for inspiration? On our Pinterest page we collect outfits and color combinations for each seasonal type.

Frequently asked questions

Read also: Are you wearing the wrong colors? and Your personal contrast level