I'm personally a light olive, leaning cool and I've been very curious about colour theory in the context of understanding skin tones for more than 10 years and this is my subjective observation about myself: colours that accentuate the green on my skin are the absolute worse, and these are oranges, yellows and olive greens and other warm greens because they are too close to my skin tone and accentuate it. "Pure/neutral" green looks good because it competes with the green hue on my skin, and the former wins, making my green tone less visible to the eye, as in, there's this optic illusion where it brings out more of the yellow and tiniest red in my skin which makes me look healthier. Medium to dark value cool greens to warm blues are the absolute best, then cool blues start to accentuate the yellow on my skin (still better than warmer colours that bring out the green hue) Some purples though are where I'm quite torn because as you have shown with the colour wheel, these colours are opposite to green, and I think they bring out the olive on the skin. (That's why purple eye shadow makes green eyes pop). Warmer purples, pinks to pure red look great (if medium to dark value), pastels look dreadful. I think there should be a specific season for olive skin tone people to be honest, my theory is that we differ from other winters and summers at the level of the coolest blues and some purples, which may not the best colour for us, and warmer olives can handle warmer reds too, due to the having yellow on the skin. I look good mostly with dark winter colours and with some dark autumn and a few from the bright winter and bright spring pallet.
This is what I’ve been missing! I have never been able to definitively put myself in the warm or cool category and contradict traditional palettes. Why can I wear magenta and periwinkle but not lemon or greens like a “winter” can! “Autumn” pumpkins and golds make me sallow but eggplant and espresso is amazing. Because I’m a light yellow olive with dark hair and dark hazel eyes. I feel like the whole world just opened up! 🤯
Lady you're a blessing. Seriously, I've watched so mamy videos and looked everywhere. I could never find my "season" I always get stuck between deep Autumn (because my skin has a yellow tone, so I figured I'm warm) and deep winter (cause my hair and eyes are very dark, almost black, and veins are a mix of green and blue). I figured out that I have olive skin tone which doesn't really fits in any category. So now I finally understand why. I can wear colours of both deep Autumn and deep winter, however, there are colors on bith of them that I cant wear. Yellow for example, doesn't matter if it's a cool or warm yellow, I look awful, and now I finally know why. I frel like "deep" yellows like a muted mostard would work, but it's very specific. I always thought that I looked good on black, white, dark pinks and purples and blues. Everything is finally so much more clear. Thank you!
I find your approach really useful! The central thesis of color analysis, "reflect the attributes of your complexion in the colors you wear", doesn't always apply to people who have a particularly dominant color in their skin. I have prominent yellow, and just enough blue to make the yellow appear green-ish, although I am warm overall. Using traditional seasonal color analysis, I am always typed as a soft autumn. That color palette has lots of soft khaki and olive green in it. If I have warm olive skin I should look good in warm olive tones, right? Nope! The colors too close to yellow-greens, creams, beiges etc-all look horrible on me because they just enhance the greeny-yellowness of my skin. You can't really "bring out" greeny-yellowness in a flattering way, it's just not an attractive color for skin to be!🤷♀
You might actually be a winter! Most people with olive skin (like me) are winters. Most of my autumn friends have very peachy skin tones, not olive. I learned that olive skin usually has a cool blue undertone and a warm yellow overtone, but color analysis goes by the undertone, not the overtone.
When we say yellow we mean yellow in a sallow or olive green way not a yellow-orange/peachy way. I have a dominant yellow coloring to my skin but it leans in an apricot direction instead of toward sallow or olive. Yellow is fantastic on me and I am definitely warm in undertones. Cool colors drain me of all color and make me look a bit gray especially in the lip and cheek area. Warm colors make me glow from within and my lips are a natural salmon pink color in them. My skin naturally blushes in them. I look healthy, young, and vibrant.
That's how the right colors should look on you: a glow from within! If you look grayish in cool colors, you're definitely warm. I'm the opposite, cool with olive skin; cool colors make me glow but warm colors, especially autumn ones, make me look sickly.
Every color on my pale ass skin brings out the ugly lifeless grey corpse look to my otherwise atrocious complexion. The only color visible in my face are my dark circles, which enhance the sleep deprivation in my eyes 😂😂😂
Make sure that the color vibrancy matches your contrast. She’s right , but as someone w very yellowish skin, black hair and eyes, wearing cool colors can sometimes make me look darker if it isn’t as saturated as I am. When I say contrast I mean take a pic of urself where ur face is clear, turn it to black and white, if ur features r clearly defined u have high contrast, if it’s muddled u have low, anywhere in the middle will suit mid tone shades. Hope this was helpful.
@@Tree-ni1xp I’ll try my best, but what I mean is that people with features that are lighter or closer in color, like light skin, blonde and light eyes would suit light pastel colors, or any light color no matter what they’re color palette is, more than any dark color that can overpower their features.
Me, for example, I’m light skinned but have very dark features, hair, eyes are black and lips are very pink. So for me, colors need to match the intensity to pop on my features. This rule of course does have exceptions. If there’s exposed skin around the chest, like a v neck or sth the color can still look good but u can get away w not wearing sth that matches ur contrast. Mid tone colors usually work pretty well but can overpower someone w light features and contrast. To check ur contrast, just take a pic of urself, put it to the black and white filter and if ur features really pop out, u have high contrast, if it looks more muddled together, it’s lower contrast. Hoped this helped
I have a light olive complexion and my seasonal color analysis revealed that I'm a winter. I agree with Jen that cool colors like magenta and cobalt look fabulous on anyone with olive skin; some of my best colors are fuchsia, indigo, and sapphire. Warm colors like mustard and olive make me look sickly!
Hi Jen, I agree with 99% of what you said in this video. The only thing I might take issue with is your statement that those who have olive skin know it. I suspect that there are a few people who have been told that they are olive, but actually have a warm, golden skin. I am 69 and definitely bright, warm, medium. My mother has insisted for my entire life that I have olive skin. I adamantly disagree. She has blue eyes and fair, cool skin. Some of my 5 siblings are also cool. One brother and I have pale, yellow ivory skin, hazel-green eyes, and medium, golden brown hair with red and gold highlights. We both had golden blonde hair as children. We tanned very quickly and easily as children. I think the fact that we didn't have the rosy cheeks and fair skin that some of our siblings did is why our mother insisted we both have olive skin. I can see someone who does not have a good eye for color, especially in human skin, eyes, and hair, might be confused by being told repeatedly that they are olive. I have known since I was a teen that my best colors are tomato red, golden yellow, light golden orange, Kelly green, and warm camels and light chocolate browns. No one with olive skin would shine in those colors.
Could we wear cooler yellows and oranges? I have olive skin and some yellows do look nice one me 🤔🤔 although I still can't pinpoint what's in common between those yellows 😅
I am a very pale olive with a greenish/yellow tint. My hair is warm dark brown and I have light brown eyes. I get freckles in Summer. I think I am warm leaning. White tops look detached. Ivory and beige ones look more harmonious. Black near my face makes me look like a corpse. Dark, cool brown dyed hair and nude, pale lipsticks make me look sickly. I noticed that medium peach looks really good as a blush and lipstick. Light, cool, pastel pink looks horrendous on me as lipstick, blush or in clothing. I feel I really fit in well the dark autumn/ warm autumn color palette. I have noticed that magenta looks great near my face and as lipstick. Orange near my face makes me look very yellow. Anyone else identifies?
Thanks for your comment! Since your hair is dark brown, your color palette is medium to deep. This means that light pastels may wash you out and black may be too harsh on you. The fact that magenta looks great holds up to the theory of wearing the complementary color to your skin will make you shine! If you lean warm, then the warm colors like golden yellows would look good, which I'm going to guess don't on you. Peach doesn't surprise me especially if it's leaning more towards red, like a coral more than an orangey pink. Still, everyone is different and it's not a one palette fits all situation. That's why we customize the color palette for each individual.
Oh lord this is so me! So helpful! I've been so confused if I'm winter or autumn (heck even spring.) Cool Summer/Soft Summer has too cool of greens for me, I need more foresty/slight emerald green/hunter greens, etc. It's been rough to find a season but I've been focusing on just building up a palette of colors that work don't work and will worry about the season later. I have bright gray eyes too so I just kind of morph to colors that surround me moreso than others may. I think I need some bright colors with a slight autumn cast to it so I wear many autumn blues/greens, bright winter yellow, bw pinks/ spring crossover reds. I think my bright colors I wear well from BW/BS and my deeper colors, blues, and greens from DA/DW.
Can anyone advise on what dewy foundation shade would be worth trying for light olive skin with neutral undertone? Most foundations are either too yellow, orange or beige and my face then doesn't match my neck which is a definite green hue. I don't like the lack of choice out there. I am in the UK so would need a foundation available here. Thanks!
Hi Annie, take a look at Lisa Eldridge shade 9. I’m light-med olive neutral and it’s perfect for me. She also has a true olive shade (9.5) if you are very green. HTH!
I'm personally a light olive, leaning cool and I've been very curious about colour theory in the context of understanding skin tones for more than 10 years and this is my subjective observation about myself: colours that accentuate the green on my skin are the absolute worse, and these are oranges, yellows and olive greens and other warm greens because they are too close to my skin tone and accentuate it. "Pure/neutral" green looks good because it competes with the green hue on my skin, and the former wins, making my green tone less visible to the eye, as in, there's this optic illusion where it brings out more of the yellow and tiniest red in my skin which makes me look healthier. Medium to dark value cool greens to warm blues are the absolute best, then cool blues start to accentuate the yellow on my skin (still better than warmer colours that bring out the green hue)
Some purples though are where I'm quite torn because as you have shown with the colour wheel, these colours are opposite to green, and I think they bring out the olive on the skin. (That's why purple eye shadow makes green eyes pop). Warmer purples, pinks to pure red look great (if medium to dark value), pastels look dreadful.
I think there should be a specific season for olive skin tone people to be honest, my theory is that we differ from other winters and summers at the level of the coolest blues and some purples, which may not the best colour for us, and warmer olives can handle warmer reds too, due to the having yellow on the skin.
I look good mostly with dark winter colours and with some dark autumn and a few from the bright winter and bright spring pallet.
good news, we don't do seasons here. We help you find your best color palette within your color style that can be customized to your tones.
This is what I’ve been missing! I have never been able to definitively put myself in the warm or cool category and contradict traditional palettes. Why can I wear magenta and periwinkle but not lemon or greens like a “winter” can! “Autumn” pumpkins and golds make me sallow but eggplant and espresso is amazing. Because I’m a light yellow olive with dark hair and dark hazel eyes. I feel like the whole world just opened up! 🤯
Lady you're a blessing. Seriously, I've watched so mamy videos and looked everywhere. I could never find my "season" I always get stuck between deep Autumn (because my skin has a yellow tone, so I figured I'm warm) and deep winter (cause my hair and eyes are very dark, almost black, and veins are a mix of green and blue). I figured out that I have olive skin tone which doesn't really fits in any category. So now I finally understand why. I can wear colours of both deep Autumn and deep winter, however, there are colors on bith of them that I cant wear. Yellow for example, doesn't matter if it's a cool or warm yellow, I look awful, and now I finally know why. I frel like "deep" yellows like a muted mostard would work, but it's very specific. I always thought that I looked good on black, white, dark pinks and purples and blues. Everything is finally so much more clear. Thank you!
I find your approach really useful! The central thesis of color analysis, "reflect the attributes of your complexion in the colors you wear", doesn't always apply to people who have a particularly dominant color in their skin. I have prominent yellow, and just enough blue to make the yellow appear green-ish, although I am warm overall. Using traditional seasonal color analysis, I am always typed as a soft autumn. That color palette has lots of soft khaki and olive green in it. If I have warm olive skin I should look good in warm olive tones, right? Nope! The colors too close to yellow-greens, creams, beiges etc-all look horrible on me because they just enhance the greeny-yellowness of my skin. You can't really "bring out" greeny-yellowness in a flattering way, it's just not an attractive color for skin to be!🤷♀
You might actually be a winter! Most people with olive skin (like me) are winters. Most of my autumn friends have very peachy skin tones, not olive. I learned that olive skin usually has a cool blue undertone and a warm yellow overtone, but color analysis goes by the undertone, not the overtone.
When we say yellow we mean yellow in a sallow or olive green way not a yellow-orange/peachy way. I have a dominant yellow coloring to my skin but it leans in an apricot direction instead of toward sallow or olive. Yellow is fantastic on me and I am definitely warm in undertones. Cool colors drain me of all color and make me look a bit gray especially in the lip and cheek area. Warm colors make me glow from within and my lips are a natural salmon pink color in them. My skin naturally blushes in them. I look healthy, young, and vibrant.
That's how the right colors should look on you: a glow from within! If you look grayish in cool colors, you're definitely warm. I'm the opposite, cool with olive skin; cool colors make me glow but warm colors, especially autumn ones, make me look sickly.
Cool colors make me look more sallow, like I'm ultra fair yet they bring out the saturation in my skin in a particularly ugly way.
Every color on my pale ass skin brings out the ugly lifeless grey corpse look to my otherwise atrocious complexion. The only color visible in my face are my dark circles, which enhance the sleep deprivation in my eyes 😂😂😂
Make sure that the color vibrancy matches your contrast. She’s right , but as someone w very yellowish skin, black hair and eyes, wearing cool colors can sometimes make me look darker if it isn’t as saturated as I am. When I say contrast I mean take a pic of urself where ur face is clear, turn it to black and white, if ur features r clearly defined u have high contrast, if it’s muddled u have low, anywhere in the middle will suit mid tone shades. Hope this was helpful.
Can you explain what is the contrast we should look for ?
@@Tree-ni1xp I’ll try my best, but what I mean is that people with features that are lighter or closer in color, like light skin, blonde and light eyes would suit light pastel colors, or any light color no matter what they’re color palette is, more than any dark color that can overpower their features.
Me, for example, I’m light skinned but have very dark features, hair, eyes are black and lips are very pink. So for me, colors need to match the intensity to pop on my features. This rule of course does have exceptions. If there’s exposed skin around the chest, like a v neck or sth the color can still look good but u can get away w not wearing sth that matches ur contrast. Mid tone colors usually work pretty well but can overpower someone w light features and contrast. To check ur contrast, just take a pic of urself, put it to the black and white filter and if ur features really pop out, u have high contrast, if it looks more muddled together, it’s lower contrast. Hoped this helped
This is true .. magenta is quite dramatic on olive complexion.
I have a light olive complexion and my seasonal color analysis revealed that I'm a winter. I agree with Jen that cool colors like magenta and cobalt look fabulous on anyone with olive skin; some of my best colors are fuchsia, indigo, and sapphire. Warm colors like mustard and olive make me look sickly!
Hi Jen,
I agree with 99% of what you said in this video. The only thing I might take issue with is your statement that those who have olive skin know it. I suspect that there are a few people who have been told that they are olive, but actually have a warm, golden skin. I am 69 and definitely bright, warm, medium. My mother has insisted for my entire life that I have olive skin. I adamantly disagree. She has blue eyes and fair, cool skin. Some of my 5 siblings are also cool. One brother and I have pale, yellow ivory skin, hazel-green eyes, and medium, golden brown hair with red and gold highlights. We both had golden blonde hair as children. We tanned very quickly and easily as children. I think the fact that we didn't have the rosy cheeks and fair skin that some of our siblings did is why our mother insisted we both have olive skin. I can see someone who does not have a good eye for color, especially in human skin, eyes, and hair, might be confused by being told repeatedly that they are olive. I have known since I was a teen that my best colors are tomato red, golden yellow, light golden orange, Kelly green, and warm camels and light chocolate browns. No one with olive skin would shine in those colors.
Makes so much sense! I’m an olive soft cool medium and wondered why the greens don’t look as good as the purples
What a great resource!
One of the best videos I’ve seen on this!! Thank you!!
Could we wear cooler yellows and oranges?
I have olive skin and some yellows do look nice one me 🤔🤔 although I still can't pinpoint what's in common between those yellows 😅
I was wonder 💭… Where were you ? As I would like to take some courses, and I wasn’t able to remember the name of your school 🏫… I am happy 😊, thanks.
I am a very pale olive with a greenish/yellow tint. My hair is warm dark brown and I have light brown eyes. I get freckles in Summer. I think I am warm leaning. White tops look detached. Ivory and beige ones look more harmonious. Black near my face makes me look like a corpse. Dark, cool brown dyed hair and nude, pale lipsticks make me look sickly. I noticed that medium peach looks really good as a blush and lipstick. Light, cool, pastel pink looks horrendous on me as lipstick, blush or in clothing. I feel I really fit in well the dark autumn/ warm autumn color palette. I have noticed that magenta looks great near my face and as lipstick. Orange near my face makes me look very yellow. Anyone else identifies?
Thanks for your comment! Since your hair is dark brown, your color palette is medium to deep. This means that light pastels may wash you out and black may be too harsh on you. The fact that magenta looks great holds up to the theory of wearing the complementary color to your skin will make you shine! If you lean warm, then the warm colors like golden yellows would look good, which I'm going to guess don't on you. Peach doesn't surprise me especially if it's leaning more towards red, like a coral more than an orangey pink. Still, everyone is different and it's not a one palette fits all situation. That's why we customize the color palette for each individual.
@@YourColorStyle Thank you for weighing in with your expertise! 🙂
Wow I relate to this so much!
Oh lord this is so me! So helpful! I've been so confused if I'm winter or autumn (heck even spring.) Cool Summer/Soft Summer has too cool of greens for me, I need more foresty/slight emerald green/hunter greens, etc. It's been rough to find a season but I've been focusing on just building up a palette of colors that work don't work and will worry about the season later. I have bright gray eyes too so I just kind of morph to colors that surround me moreso than others may. I think I need some bright colors with a slight autumn cast to it so I wear many autumn blues/greens, bright winter yellow, bw pinks/ spring crossover reds. I think my bright colors I wear well from BW/BS and my deeper colors, blues, and greens from DA/DW.
Can anyone advise on what dewy foundation shade would be worth trying for light olive skin with neutral undertone? Most foundations are either too yellow, orange or beige and my face then doesn't match my neck which is a definite green hue. I don't like the lack of choice out there. I am in the UK so would need a foundation available here. Thanks!
Hi Annie, take a look at Lisa Eldridge shade 9. I’m light-med olive neutral and it’s perfect for me. She also has a true olive shade (9.5) if you are very green. HTH!
@@pburns4481 Hi there - thanks! I'm v light olive so 9+ will be too dark for me unfortunately