Best colours for dusky skin: a guide for men in India

Find your undertone at home in five minutes

Undertone is the quiet colour under your skin. It is not the same as how light or dark you are. Dusky skin runs from medium brown to deep brown, and it carries warm and cool undertones just as lighter skin does. Veins are harder to see on deeper skin, so the other two tests matter more. Do the three tests below in daylight, near a window, with no filter and no coloured light. Then trust the answer that shows up twice.

• Vein test. Look at the inside of your wrist. Mostly green veins point to a warm undertone. Mostly blue or purple veins point to a cool one. A mix of both usually means neutral. On deeper skin the veins are harder to see, so skip this test if you cannot tell and lean on the other two.
• White versus cream test. Hold a plain white shirt under your chin, then a cream or ivory one. If cream makes your face look healthier and stark white looks harsh, you lean warm. If crisp white looks clean and cream looks a little yellow or flat, you lean cool. If both look fine, you are likely neutral.
• Jewellery test. Try a gold chain and a silver chain against your neck. If gold makes your skin glow, you lean warm. If silver does the same, you lean cool. If both work, you are neutral, and you get to wear both.

What dusky skin usually pairs with

Dusky skin spans warm and cool, so check your undertone before you shop. What most dusky skin shares is depth. Depth lets your skin carry saturated colour and strong contrast with ease. A rich cobalt, a burnt orange or a crisp off-white shirt will often look striking, because the colour and the skin both hold their own. The trap is colour at the same depth as your skin. Dark brown on dark brown can read as flat.

• Warm-leaning: burnt orange, golden yellow, olive, rust, warm teal, cream. Gold-toned watches suit these.
• Cool-leaning: cobalt, emerald, raspberry, royal blue, crisp white, cool grey. Silver or steel watches suit these.
• Neutral: emerald, cobalt and off-white work on both sides.

Colours to buy, and the ones to retire

Buy colours that stand apart from your skin. A crisp off-white shirt, a cobalt overshirt or a burnt orange tee gives you clear contrast, and contrast is your strongest tool. Keep a few deep neutrals for balance. Retire the muddy mid-tones that sit near your skin depth, such as dull brown and dull olive-grey.

• Buy: crisp off-white, cobalt, emerald, burnt orange, golden yellow and raspberry-red.
• Upgrade: dark-on-dark outfits look better with one light piece, such as a stone or cream layer.
• Retire: muddy brown tees, dull taupe and grey-brown trousers as your main block. They blur your shape.
• Quick check: hold the colour at your collarbone in daylight. If you see an edge between the colour and your skin, it is working.

Three outfit combinations that work

Three outfits to try. Every price is a rough range in rupees, and every brand ships across India.

• Aim for one visible edge between each outfit colour and your skin.
• Gold for warm, silver for cool, and either if both look good.

Questions

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