Cool Undertone Colors: The Shades That Make Your Complexion Come Alive
Finding out you have a cool undertone can explain a lot.
Maybe that gorgeous camel sweater never looks quite as good once you put it on. Maybe a peach blush somehow becomes orange on your cheeks.
Or perhaps you’ve noticed that certain blues, pinks, and berry shades seem to make your entire complexion come alive.
Your undertone can influence how colors look against your skin, and once you know what you're working with, choosing makeup, clothes, jewelry, and even hair color gets much easier.
The good news is that having a cool undertone gives you an absolutely gorgeous range of colors to play with. Think icy pastels, rich jewel tones, crisp neutrals, rosy pinks, berries, blue-based reds, and silvery metallics.
My entire life leading up until 2022, I had been wearing colors that were all wrong for me. I rocked lots of pastels: because I love them. Way too much orange and yellow, and neon colors: ALL WRONG. I am as cool-toned as one gets, so I was working against my natural coloring.
I still wear pastels sometimes, because I am a sucker for baby blues and pinks...this is guide. It's not something you have to adhere to. Wear what you love, what makes you happy. But it doesn't hurt to wear a color that's in your season when you want to really shine!
Here’s how to find the colors that flatter a cool undertone and, more importantly, how to actually use them.
What Is a Cool Undertone?
Your undertone is the subtle coloring underneath the surface of your skin. It isn't the same thing as how light or deep your complexion is.
Someone with very fair skin can have a cool undertone, and so can someone with medium, tan, brown, or deep skin.
Cool undertones generally have hints of pink, red, rosy, or blue beneath the skin. You may also notice that silver jewelry looks particularly flattering or that blue and purple veins are more noticeable through your skin.
Your surface skin tone can change throughout the year, especially if you tan, but your underlying undertone generally remains the same.
If you're still figuring yours out, start with our guide to how to tell if you have cool-toned skin.
The Best Colors for a Cool Undertone
Once you know you have a cool undertone, start looking toward colors that have a blue, pink, purple, or cool base.
Some especially flattering choices include:
Cobalt and royal blue
Navy
Lavender
Lilac
Plum
Cool pink
Fuchsia
Raspberry
Cranberry
Burgundy
Blue-based red
Emerald
Blue-green
Charcoal
Cool gray
Crisp white
Black
You certainly don't have to restrict yourself to this list. Think of it as a starting palette you can pull from when you're standing in a dressing room or staring at 30 nearly identical lipstick shades.
DID YOU KNOW
Your undertone and your color season aren't exactly the same thing. A cool undertone can point you toward certain seasonal palettes, but your hair, eyes, contrast level, and overall coloring also help determine your season.
Best Clothing Colors for a Cool Undertone
Clothing is one of the easiest places to see what flattering color can do.
Try holding a cobalt, berry, or cool pink shirt underneath your face in natural light. A flattering color can make your complexion appear clearer and your eyes more noticeable without you having to do anything else.
Blues are particularly easy to wear. Navy makes a great everyday neutral, while cobalt, sapphire, and royal blue can add more impact.
For pinks and reds, look for rose, cool pink, raspberry, cranberry, cherry, and blue-based red.
Purple lovers have plenty of options too, including lavender, violet, plum, and cool mauve.
Green can absolutely work with a cool undertone. Look for cooler greens with a noticeable blue influence, such as emerald, pine, blue-green, and some shades of teal.
And don't underestimate the basics. Black, crisp white, charcoal, cool gray, and navy can form the backbone of an incredibly wearable wardrobe.
What About Your Color Season?
Having a cool undertone doesn't automatically tell you your complete color season. S
easonal color analysis considers several parts of your coloring together, which is why two people with cool skin may look best in very different versions of blue or pink.
Winter palettes, for example, tend to include crisp, saturated colors and striking contrast. If that sounds like you, our Winter Color Season Guide: How to Tell If You're a Winter & the Best Colors and Makeup goes much deeper into the palette.
Knowing your season can help you narrow a huge cool-toned color family down to the particular shades that make your coloring shine.
The Best Makeup Colors for a Cool Undertone
This is where knowing your undertone can save you from a lot of disappointing makeup purchases.
A product can look perfectly pink, brown, or nude in the package and change dramatically once it's against your skin. Looking at the color base before buying can help you predict what it's going to do.
Foundation
Foundation is one place where undertone matters enormously.
Look for shades described as cool, rosy, pink, or red, depending on your complexion and the brand's shade system.
Don't rely solely on a letter like C, though. Foundation naming systems aren't standardized, so always check the brand's actual description.
Swatching along your jawline and looking at the shade in natural daylight can give you a much better idea of whether you've found your match.
Blush
Cool undertones have some seriously pretty blush options.
Try:
Cool pink
Rose
Mauve
Berry
Plum
Lilac
Soft lavender
Purple blush can look intimidating in the pan, but it can translate into a gorgeous pink or berry flush on cool skin.
If your blush frequently turns peach after you apply it, take a closer look at its base color. A pink-looking blush can still contain quite a bit of warmth.
Lipstick Colors for a Cool Undertone
Lipstick is another area where blue-based colors really shine.
Some gorgeous options include mauve, berry, raspberry, plum, wine, cool rose, fuchsia, and blue-based red.
Nudes can be trickier. Beige and caramel nudes may look warmer on the lips than they did in the tube. Look for pinky nude, rosy beige, cool mauve, and muted rose shades instead.
You don't necessarily need a lipstick marketed as "cool." Pay attention to what you actually see in the color.
Eyeshadow Colors That Work With Cool Undertones
You have plenty of options beyond gray and silver.
Try taupe, mushroom, mauve, dusty rose, plum, lavender, charcoal, pewter, navy, slate, and cool brown.
For something brighter, jewel tones can be stunning. Sapphire, amethyst, emerald, and icy metallics give you color without introducing a lot of golden warmth.
Your eye color matters here too. A cool-toned shade that contrasts with your eyes can sometimes be even more striking than one chosen purely according to undertone.
Bronzer and Contour for a Cool Undertone
Bronzer can be one of the hardest products to shop for when you have cool skin.
Many bronzers contain noticeable orange, golden, or red pigments. On a cool undertone, that warmth can become much more obvious after application.
For bronzer, look for neutral-to-cool brown shades that add a little warmth without becoming orange. For contour, cooler taupe and gray-brown shades usually create a more believable shadow.
You don't need to eliminate warmth from your makeup entirely. The goal is simply to find products that sit naturally alongside your coloring.
The Best Jewelry Colors for Cool Undertones
Silver is the classic recommendation for cool skin for good reason. Its icy finish tends to harmonize beautifully with cooler coloring.
Try:
Silver
White gold
Platinum
Gunmetal
Cool-colored gemstones can also be gorgeous. Sapphire, amethyst, emerald, aquamarine, and cool pink stones all fit beautifully into a cool palette.
That doesn't mean you're forbidden from wearing yellow or rose gold. If you love it, wear it. Undertone guides are tools for choosing color, not rules for getting dressed.
Hair Colors for a Cool Undertone
Hair color sits directly beside your face, so changing its tone can have a surprisingly big effect on how your complexion looks.
Cool options include ash blonde, icy blonde, mushroom brown, ash brown, cool brunette, blue-black, burgundy, cherry red, and wine-toned red.
Words such as ash, pearl, violet, and cool can be helpful when you're reading hair color labels. Golden, honey, copper, and caramel usually indicate more warmth.
If you're coloring at home, beauty supply stores can also give you more control over the undertone and developer than a standard box dye.
Can You Wear Warm Colors With a Cool Undertone?
Absolutely.
Having a cool undertone does not mean you need to throw every warm-colored item you own into a donation bag.
If you love a warmer shade, there are easy ways to incorporate it. You can wear it farther from your face, use it as an accessory, or pair it with one of your more flattering cool colors.
There are also enormous differences within a color family.
One red may be tomato-orange, another may be a true neutral red, and another may have a strong blue base. Learning to notice those subtle differences is far more useful than simply deciding that you "can't wear red."
This is also why seasonal analysis gets interesting. Some palettes contain substantially more warmth than others.
If you're curious about how the other side of the spectrum works, our Autumn Color Season Guide: How to Tell If You're an Autumn & the Best Colors and Makeup shows how beautifully warm, earthy coloring works within an Autumn palette.
Cool Undertone Colors to Be Careful With
There aren't any colors you are banned from wearing, but certain shades may be harder to work with close to your face.
These often include mustard yellow, camel, rust, terracotta, orange, peach, golden beige, warm olive, and yellow-heavy browns.
If one of these happens to look amazing on you, keep wearing it. Your individual coloring matters more than a generic chart.
That's especially important if you're using color analysis as a beauty tool. It should make shopping easier and more fun, not leave you worrying that you're wearing the "wrong" sweater.
An Easy Cool Undertone Color Palette to Remember
If remembering dozens of individual shades feels like homework, simplify it.
Think:
Icy + rosy + berry + jewel-toned + blue-based + crisp neutrals.
That one little formula covers a surprising amount of your wardrobe and makeup bag.
For neutrals, start with black, white, navy, charcoal, and cool gray. Add pink, berry, blue, purple, emerald, and blue-red when you want color. Then adjust the brightness and depth depending on your own coloring.
Finding Your Best Cool Undertone Colors
Knowing you have a cool undertone isn't about shrinking your color choices. It's actually a shortcut to understanding why some colors seem to instantly work.
Start with a few shades you already know you love. Pay attention to whether they share a blue, pink, rosy, or purple base. From there, you can start experimenting with neighboring colors and build a palette that feels like you.
And if you adore a color that isn't technically part of your ideal palette? Wear it anyway.
The best color advice should help you recognize what makes you glow while leaving plenty of room to have fun with beauty and style.
Which cool-toned color always gets you compliments? Tell us in the comments. We may just have to add it to our next color guide.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cool Undertones
What colors look best on a cool undertone?
Some of the most flattering colors for a cool undertone include cobalt blue, navy, lavender, plum, cool pink, berry, burgundy, emerald, charcoal, crisp white, and black. Colors with blue, pink, purple, or cool bases are a good place to start.
How do I know if I have a cool undertone?
Cool undertones often have pink, rosy, red, or blue tones beneath the skin. Blue or purple-looking veins and a preference for silver jewelry can also be clues, although no single test works for everyone.
Can cool undertones wear warm colors?
Yes. Having a cool undertone doesn't mean you have to avoid warm colors. If you love a warmer shade, try wearing it away from your face, using it as an accessory, or pairing it with cooler colors that flatter your complexion.
What makeup colors look best on cool undertones?
Cool pink, rose, mauve, berry, plum, blue-based red, taupe, lavender, pewter, and cool brown are all great makeup colors to try. Your exact best shades will also depend on your skin depth, eye color, hair color, and overall coloring.
What neutral colors are best for a cool undertone?
Black, crisp white, navy, charcoal, and cool gray are easy neutrals for cool undertones. Cool taupes and gray-browns can also work beautifully, especially in clothing and makeup.
Is a cool undertone the same as being a Winter?
No. Undertone is only one part of seasonal color analysis. Winters generally have cool coloring, but your overall color season also considers factors such as contrast, depth, and the coloring of your hair and eyes.
Comments