The Cool-Toned Guide
If warm florals and sandy pinks aren't your favorite to wear, you may be a cool-toned beauty, and in the right place here at Her in Blue. Most fashion collections favor warm tones to highlight sun-kissed skin, but cool tones can illuminate a soft, radiant glow. Discover how to embrace your unique tones with confidence.
What is a cool color?
We learned how to divide colors into warm and cool categories in primary school. But to dive deeper, actually every color has both warm and cool versions. For example, ivory is a warm white. Many people naturally gravitate towards ivory when shopping for white. Lilac is a warm purple, while periwinkle (our brand color!) is a cool purple. The warmth of a color is determined by a red or yellow base, while coolness is determined by a blue base.
What is a cool undertone?
In seasonal color analysis, people in the Summer and Winter seasons are said to have cool undertones, while Autumn and Spring seasons have warm undertones. A cool undertone makes cool, blue-based colors like periwinkle and purple especially flattering.
A cool undertone in light skin shows hints of pink or red beneath the surface of the skin. A warm undertone shows hints of gold or peach. And not everyone is exactly a “warm” or “cool”. Some people are neutral and lucky enough to wear just about anything.
But matching your season is harder than it looks because our eyes (and AI apps) see your overtone—the surface color of your skin—rather than your undertone, which is the underlying hue that remains the same even if you tan.
If you already reach for blues and periwinkles at the store, we’re the brand for you. If you are unsure and not ready to invest in a full color analysis, we're here to make it simpler.
Blue is a magic color for olive skin.
Olive skin might be the latest buzzword, but it’s still the most misunderstood complexion. Many people with olive skin are told they’re warm because of their yellow overtone when in reality, their undertone may be neutral or cool, often a mix of green and gray. Blue is absolute magic on olive skin: it softly neutralizes the green or gray of the undertone while contrasting the yellow overtone, revealing the clearest, brightest version of you.
Of course, anyone can wear any colors they love. We just happen to love blue at Her in Blue. Shop Her Dress.
Blue celebrates fiery redheads!
Redheads (and many blondes) are the opposite. Natural redheads produce pheomelanin, the reddish-yellow pigment responsible for red and blonde hair. Most redheads have a warm undertone, while their overtone is rosy pink. Cooler shades can complement them beautifully. Blue creates a striking contrast with red hair, acting like a frame for your natural vibrance.
We reject the myth that deeper skin is always warm-toned.
Traditional color analysis oversimplifies deeper complexions to the “deep autumn” category. But deeper skin can carry cool undertones, appearing plum, espresso, or mahogany rather than golden bronze. These undertones are often overlooked, even though they respond beautifully to soft, blue-based colors. Pairing that rich depth with lighter, blue-based colors adds a layer of elegance that doesn't overpower you.
We believe blue can be the most flattering color for everyone.
We favor cool-toned beauty at Her in Blue, and we believe even people with warm undertones can just as beautifully explore cooler shades. Fashion is about expression, not rules. Mixing warm and cool tones can open up new possibilities to highlight your natural beauty in unexpected, captivating ways.
We intentionally select a diverse range of models for our products to showcase this. Blue creates a beautiful contrast with everyone, and that contrast is what makes blue so universally flattering: it brings out clear, bright, and soft beauty all at once.
Have questions about cool tones? DM us on Instagram @her.inblue — we’d love to help.