Best colours for fair 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. Fair skin is light, and it still comes in warm, cool and neutral undertones. You may see pink, peach, golden or olive. 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 fair skin usually pairs with

Fair skin spans warm and cool. Some men have a peachy or golden base and look good in olive, camel and warm teal. Others have a pink or rosy base and look sharper in navy, steel blue and wine. What most fair skin shares is lower natural contrast, so colours with depth do more for you than colours at the same lightness as your face. Very pale outfits can wash out the face, which is a fit issue, not a flaw.

• Warm-leaning: olive, camel, terracotta, warm teal, cream. Gold-toned watches suit these.
• Cool-leaning: navy, steel blue, wine, bottle green, crisp white. Silver watches suit these.
• Neutral: bottle green, navy and teal suit both sides.

Colours to buy, and the ones to retire

Buy colours with some depth, such as navy, wine and bottle green, and use lighter colours as a layer. Deep colours frame your face and give it definition. Retire very pale shades as your main colour, because they sit close to your skin lightness.

• Buy: navy, wine, bottle green, steel blue, terracotta and a clean off-white for layers.
• Upgrade: pale tees work better under a deeper overshirt or jacket.
• Retire: near-white beige, pale peach and washed yellow as main colours.
• Quick check: hold the colour at your chin in daylight. If your face looks more defined, it works.

Three outfit combinations that work

Three outfits to try. Prices are rough rupee ranges, and every brand delivers across India.

• Pick one deep colour per outfit and keep the other pieces simple.
• Gold for warm, silver for cool, either if both look right.

Questions

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