In 30 years I have never been 100% sure of my skin tone. Nothing fit me perfectly. Now I know I’m warm & delicate. This is amazing. I’m so glad I found your channel. So much makes sense now.
I think I’m also realizing that I’m warm and delicate. I obviously have a yellow undertone; when I’m a bit lighter in the winter months, my skin basically looks yellow-brown. So, I couldn’t figure out why, for the life of me, do bold warm colors make me look washed out and sickly and why foundations are always way too intense for my face. But then I straight up, don’t look good in cool colors like blue and purple. Now, it’s all making sense.
From my perspective this is the best contemporary color analysis video because it pinpoints and demonstrates the key descriptives of the four skin undertones based on cool, blue base and warm, yellow base skin tones. I feel the key to personal color analysis is knowing one's skin tone--whether cool or warm. The next determination is the degree of clarity or chroma of a hue that is harmonious with the individual's skin tone. In this video Merriam beautifully illustrates both cool or warm "radiant" and clear undertones that appear to sparkle; and cool or warm "delicate" and soft undertones that appear to glow. I appreciate that Merriam keys us into the profound effect color has on us with photos of celebrities illustrating that when we wear our best colors we shine, but when we wear inharmonious colors we can appear "ashy" and less radiant. Great, foundational information.
Couldn't have said it better myself! Other color systems over complicate things and, in my view, are usually nonsensical and self contradictory. Merriam's color system on the other hand is much simpler, and like you described, seems to be a far more apt analysis of how the colors that make up our skin interact with the colors that we wear. With the help of Merriam's videos I was finally able to figure out that I'm warm and delicate! :)
Your system is so much simpler than the 12 seasons, and easier to understand! Really inclusive for all skin tones and ethnic back grounds, as other systems simplify all brunettes to winter. You should really have a bigger following! As a dark haired Asian, I always thought I was a winter as most colors seemed okay on me (yet fuschia turns my skin yellow). When in reality I'm a delicate warm. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! PS Could you do a video on colors for delicate warm skin tones?
Brilliant video!!! It’s interesting how different stereotypes persist about depth and undertone. This was eye opening and so clever. I am Hispanic and I am immediately assumed to be warm undertoned but I am actually a cool and delicate and I determined this observing the colors that I got compliments on when wearing them. It’s a fun experiment! I never get tired of these videos😍
This explains why I've struggled to pull off high-chroma cool colors and look my best in heathered and muted colors that don't make my skin look grey by comparison
This is really helpful. I always thought I was warm and kinda muted, but I notice my skin looks AMAAAZING in blue and I look extremely red every time I wear yellow (and I have brown skin). Turns out I’m a cool undertone! I also look much better in deeper/vivid colors than muted cool undertones. Thanks so much for helping us clear this up, I love your method
This is so much better colour info than The book from the seventies. I especially love how you show light and dark skin with the same tone also who's muted and whose bright.
I can see very clearly the difference in the undertone of Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett! They're around the same skin tone, but the underlying HUE is different. Thank you for making this video!!!
Maria of Gentle Whispering ASMR recommended your video, very very interesting and informative! I made notes and feel much more confident with color choices now, thank you!
This here… this makes SO much sense. Almost everything I’ve read about skin tones, on the surface, seems like it should make sense but none of it actually sits right in my mind when I try to really think about it. I’d like to think that I’m coming at it from an above average understanding of color theory (I’ve been painting since I was a kid & my degree was in fine arts before I gave up on it) I’d also like to think I have a good eye for recognizing color, but when I tried to apply all this to skin tones it was like I couldn’t make sense of it. Until I found your videos! THIS should be the common understanding of color analysis. It’s really amazing work you do! And I’m grateful for your channel. Just had to tell you that 🙃
Your skin tone theory makes the most sense to me. I have always been interested in the Four season colour theory since high school but the more I studied scientific colour theory (which is actually more my field of profession) the more confused I became about all the skin tone colour theories out there. Especially since I started colour draping my colleagues who are all East Asian, just for fun, I found that although hair and eye colours are very similar or some have different contrast between hair and skin, when you colour drape them, the best colours seem to be categorized along the axis of warm-cool and bright-muted which doesn’t quite fit the four seasons or any other more complex systems I saw. Asians have medium to dark hair and although their skin can be very pale to medium depth to sun tanned deep, the depth of their colouring did not seem to matter as much and it makes more sense to me to categorize skin tones along the lines of hue, saturation and value because that is how a colour is defined. I have always wondered why all skin tone colour theories suddenly move away from what defines colour scientifically even though skin tone is still just another colour.
Fantastic explanation. I'm an acting/vocal coach. I teach skin tone analysis too in clients preparing for headshots, picking correct colors etc. Super important. Thanks. I have sent my students here to watch this.
As someone who was always either put in the warm box just because idk I’m brunette? Or Filipino? Or put in neutral bc rlly bright warm colors look bad on me but I still prefer gold over silver so undertone has been throwing me off lately, this acknowledgment of the spectrum was rlly eye opening for me!
This is the only resource that helped me determine what type I am, after years of reading blogs and watching videos. I am mixed so I fit the "warm" stereotype, but I was never sure - autumn colours don't look THAT good on me, and neither does gold. Looking at like 20 pictures of me in different lighting, I see I actually fit the cool and delicate type! The range of lighter and darker skin colours that you used was very helpful, thank you for sharing your expertise in such an accesible way!
Wow!! Thank you!! This is the best explanation yet. Finally after years of searching you have helped me figure out my undertone. As an African this has been difficult to decipher. You have given the answers in a very clear, respectful and gentle way. Very happy Cool and Radiant here. Great work!!
Not sure I fully agree with this. I am bright spring, very yellow undertone, but I look good in royal blue, fuchsia, tomato red - all the brightest colors, even if they are cool, and you would have me avoid these colors. Don’t forget that the primary colors compliment each other - so - being very yellow, I can contrast with blue or red that has an equal value. I can wear black too. Lighting makes a huge difference in pictures.
This isn't based on season though... under this system you are warm and radiant and warm and radiant people can wear bold colors well even cool-toned hues than vice versa. but they wouldn't be your best colors.
@@E_MZ_ makes sense... i think this is why we can get away with vibrant cool colors, even though it isn't the best. I love muted colors but can't wear them
@@ineedhoezNot only that but warm tone people can pull of cool tone then vis versa these days. When warm tone people wear cool tone colors it makes the warm tone in your skin more noticeable and for now warm tone skin is desirable. While if a cool tone person wears warm tone it brings the cool tone in our skin out and people think they look dead looking. So warm tone people have it easier to pull off other colors easier. The best way to say if warm tone people wear the right warm tone people will notice you more but if you wear cool tone people noticed your clothes then you.
I wore a bright vermillion shirt the other day and I got so many compliments, I’ve always been very pale and thus confused about my undertone. I have bright golden honey blonde hair that has a lot of red in it, yet I’ve never known whether I was warm or cool! I’m convinced I’m warm and radiant, and I feel so good about it. Thank you Merriam ❤
From my experience lipstick is also a good way to identify your undertone and brightness. Personally I can't pull off a nude lip, and prefer an apricot/orangey shade for everyday and browns make me look ill. I guess muted types are more suited to nudes.
My first hint that I was more on the cool side was observing how well cool bright pinks suited me and it was tricky because I am olive skin that tans somewhat easy so the first impression people had was that I had warm undertone but I am actually a cool and delicate. I can use nudes only if I mix them with a bright pink.
Most "nudes" on me look pale pink, and browns make me look ill too. I also tend to go for an apricot shade as a nude and blue based red lipstick looks good on me I think. But bright pink looks just weird.
andreea valdrost -I’m a cool radiant. I look terrible in warm colors of course but also any nude. Good only in bright bold opaque colors such as purple, magenta, blue based reds. But I also look so weird in any predominantly pink color - is pink supposed to be considered warm then?
@@hammypie I think bright pink could be warm if it's not blue based. I'm really confused as I certainly don't think I have a cool undertone but I look bad in bright pink also (makes me look ill) and look bad in brown shades (makes me look drained of color). I just don't know, I look good in red tho, I'm really bad for this and fining my shades.
I loved re-watching this video. Makes more sense than even before, when I saw it for the first time. I do think I'm warm and radiant (and fair) but oddly have some visible green dominance especially when I stand next to someone who is cool. It's hard to find a perfect foundation for me, even makeup artists say that to me. So Merriam's system does work for me, but I really just have to avoid wearing green, else I'll look a little like Kermit the Frog if I stand next to anyone in pictures LOL
Aaaand we're back where we started 😂 I had assumed I was dark autumn in the 12 seasons, you know, warm, high contrast, and better with muted colors. And here we are again. Warm delicate. I'm going to have to accept that I'm very generic and stop overthinking everything 😂 My skin IS very yellow. But I feel like bright colors are overly bright on me, they're just way too much.
Merriam I absolutely adore this video! Wow! Just Wow! You have done it again. I love how your mind works to overcome current group think in colour analysis and BANG, you put forth a system that you explain plainly and it makes it so simple and easy to know ones best colours. The other systems have the 12 systems, there is one that I followed and she has even added more seasons, I think she is up to 27 or 28 seasons! Talk about confusion trying to find your exact colours when shopping. It makes it almost impossible. With this system every item fits into one of the four groups and it is so easy to find something that suits! This has changed my entire approach to shopping. Thank-you so very much!
Great video! Good analysis kept simple. I could never pinpoint my season in the colour analysis but I quickly gathered my warm & delicate undertone with this video.
Man!!! I wish I found you sooner! 34 years and I could never figure out why I was cool undertones but could not do super cool colors, I am cool delicate! Thank you so much!!!! ❤️ this was an amazingly helpful video, I totally see what you are talking about! Way more helpful than looking at my veins and color wheels!
I loved this video. The hard work and love that you poured into this exceptionally well-explained and-executed piece clearly shines through. I’ve learned so much more from this than the “four seasons” analysis my mom paid for. She was nice but inexperienced with my coloring/ethnicity. 😊
I’m going to have to wrap my head around this. I have light skin and dark hair. Because of the contrast, I’ve always been put in bright colors. I thought I was a Winter. But once my hair grayed, I realized I had warmer skin. I’ve colored my hair back to dark brown. I don’t seem to fit into the 12 season system. This explains why. I’m warm and delicate. My coloring is closest to Lucy Liu. I’m going to have to test this out.
holy sheez thank you so much for this colour analysis of skin undertones! I managed to identify myself as warm and delicate. I also like how you showed pictures of various celebrities in different colours to explain why they were one and not the other. It makes your explanations a lot more clearer when u showed the side by side comparisons.
Great video. I always thought both Jennifer Anniston and Katie Holmes were soft summers (light and deep) in 12 seasons colour analysis. I can now see why this is not the case and a video on both of these ladies would be useful to understand the cool radiant and muted dichotomy.
It makes so much sense! I always wondered why some warm colours suited me but bright yellow made me look sick. I have green veins and I'm warm and delicate.
Great content, great explanations. You're so right about taking only the skin tone into account, and oddly enough, you're the only one I know of pointing that out ! Your videos are precious.
Thanks for the warm delicate palette. I tend to wear those colors but I also like to incorporate some of the delicate cold ones for a contrast. I feel like when I wear the warm delicate colors I kind of get lost in the crowd.
From my perspective it just seems that it's the lighting. Some look the same complexion whether cool radiant, cool delicate to warm radiant and warm delicate. The majority had yellow undertones and all can wear the same colors
As always it's so nice to see another video from you! I have a question though, do you really classify Cate Blanchett as warm and muted? I see her everywhere as cool coloured and rather bright and honestly she seems quite pale and sick looking in earthy tones...I'm confused now, I can't see what you see here :)
A stylist told me years ago that I was neutral to cool but didn't realise what that really meant until I tried a pink-based instead of sand/peach foundation and found it made my skin glow. I'm still unsure whether I'm radiant or delicate, but am guessing cool delicate based on that stylist's assessment of my undertone.
I found your channel this past week and I have to say you have assembled an incredible wealth of information on personal styling and it's extremely useful to have these guidelines as I assemble my wardrobe. I'd known for a few years that I am extremely pale and "olive" or "warm" toned, but I'd never made the connection before that some of the awkwardness with some of my clothes was due to the fact that I am actually a "delicate warm" or I guess neutral warm tone. I don't wear foundation but if I do start wearing it will help with that purchase as well. Thank you for all the guidance. Loved your Kibbe videos as well.
What a wonderful explanation. Great work Merriam. I am so grateful for your videos. Thank you for this one especially. I love your labels too. Thank you!!
So incredibly helpful to see the similarities in the skin hue just ranging from dark to light all together like that and all the comparisons of what colors look better than others and when you pointed all this out you made it so clear and specific it was easy to agree with which colors look best on each person from their examples… still I have no clue which one I am and related to all of the colors - I think I have a warm delicate undertone just from the beginning of the video because I do have a little bit of a faint yellow tint -at the same time -I usually wear cool radiant bright colors and feel washed out if colors are too light and dusty … at the same time the colors that look best with my skin tone/most flattering and sort of fade into my skin like you said on another video are light peachy pink- and also dark teal and also rich royal blue bc of my eyes and I dye my hair light blonde (but I think the tone of my blonde is off which is why I’ve been watching all your videos including the hair one)… I think I have some yellow and red in my skin and yet blues is one of my best colors … a bright royal blue or a light to medium blue Jean blue … also greens that look good are forest greens and emerald blue green… but the dark olives forest greens look great with my eyes (which are blue grey with mustard yellow at the center so they look green when I wear that shade) …bright organgy reds look good if they’re bright-when on shirts and dresses so it looks like warmish reds but they’re also maroon like … so a wine red dress and bright scarlet red … the lipsticks I think look best are bright / dark /rich berry reds that have purple undertones … organge red lipsticks look terrible on my face even though that color looks good on my body I think … so confusing … I’m following and loving all your videos … still unclear though -whether light pink or light peach or magenta or orange look best … the problem is I think the color that melts into my skin is a very light peach ish pink or a pinkish peach … gold jewelry looks better than silver but the gem tones look so much better than the washed out colors but after watching this I can see that the washed out colors just aren’t very pretty to me me -yet on the examples you have it’s clear to see those look best on the people you gave examples of
I think you still need to take the skin darkness into consideration. At 7:44 Cate looks really pale in the dark olive in my opinion. There are different kinds of soft and delicate colours. I think Cate looks best in colours muted with mostly white and not so much black. For example pastels and soft light tan, beige and olive look great on her.
Similarly at 14:45 I think as Nicole's skin colour is so bright it can handle the black BUT her facial features get lost with such a strong and dark colour. Other cool and bright colour look great on her so I agree with you there. I just think her best colours are lighter than black.
Fantastic video with very clear explanations. It actually helped me confirm my undertone because looking at my wrist only got me so far. Long but worth watching so thanks again!
Ok so how i determined that im a delicate warm is through Highlighter... highlighter with a Champagne yellowish undertone looks right and my cool one doesnt suite me... I think this is easier to determine your undertone through makeup than to look at yourself in different coloured Outfits if you are as pale as I am... and I noticed when i tan I get more color but Not really darker, thats when I can pull off warm and radiant colors. in Winter on the other Hand I also like to wear cool and muted Blues... But because I'm a flamboyant gamine and I look best in contrasting colors I feel like I don't need to keep this in mind for my everyday wardrobe
I'm very interested in your interpretations of Kibbe, I learned something. For the color part, I want to share my thoughts, even if I know, you don't like the 12 color system. In Kibbe's system there are not only (as an examplte) dramatic, classic and romantic, but inbetween or mixed types like soft dramatic, dramatic classic or soft classic. From one step (yang) to the next (equal mix) to the other end (yin), there are some inbetween steps. Same is true with colors. Form one step (blue, cool) to the other (yellow, warm), there are mixed types either, because nature delivers visuable steps, if colors are mixed. Chroma is automatically changed in the same process of adding colors. Cate Blanchett is in the 12 color system not warm, she is light summer. So delicate cool colors are good, but best with a little step to spring = a little bit of yellow mixed in. Therefore a little bit brighter either. She looks amazing in light pastel yellow. But never would one add a jacket in a delicate warm color like soft camel or a soft khaki. But with a light blue, that is also mixed with a tiny bit of yellow. Also: The chroma is a big point in 12 system and it is true: The chroma rises with the adding of yellow, so light summer is not as bright as spring, but brighter as another summer: soft summer. Long story short: Why cutting the mixed/ inbetween types in a color system, that is purposed to suit all humans? Thank you for your good work, but I just had to add these thoughts. I could be wrong, but I don't think so, because I was looking for years to fit in the spring/summer/autumn/winter concept. With no success, because I am a soft summer.
I agree. I think the main reason why people have issues with the 12 season system is because it's easy to get confused when you're not professionally draped in person. I admit I struggled a bit myself, but I was able to find my season after taking the time to read about it instead of taking the quiz. I do think Merriem had an interesting take on undertones and hue, it's very easy to understand and follow. But I do think there is a wider range of contrast that's being overlooked.
I agree too. I too am a soft summer. I tried too hard to fit into autumn and something just didn't look right. Turns out I had to go cooler, but not as cool as true summer. In Merriam's system, I would be overlooked. Her system is great for people with simpler colouring (true autumn, true winter, etc). But not so much for the wider range of people with mixed or tricky colouring.
Nicole Kidman was over powered by the black. I saw her picture in younger age, she had straberry blond hair with freckles. I think she is warm undertone
Thank you. Very well explained. I find it hardest to analyse my own colours. I has an aha moment when you talked about Cate Blanchett. She is fair so I wouldn’t expect her to wear that ivory/slightly creamy colour so well but she looks amazing in it. Now i understand why. I’ve just seen another of your videos (about Kibbe) and subscribed :)
OMG, thanks, this was so hard to figure me out because of my dark brown hair, now i know i am warm and delicate, i see this golden overtone in my pale skin
yay! You could also watch my video titled 'Golden Overtones with Cool Undertones' where I talk in detail about how warm and delicate is often mistyped. So happy you were able to find your undertone!
Have you observed if freckles are more common in warm or cool skin tones? I have seen more warm-toned people with freckles, not only gingers but also brunettes. But I have not actively researched this! Great video by the way I love when you upload!!
Hi Mikaela, I would say not, as frekles come from unprotected sun exposure on very light skin, and light skin can have both a cool or a warm undertone in the artistic licence color system. Personally, my skin is cool and bright and I do have freckles. ☺ I hope this helps!
@@laetitialalila7390 I am warm toned with a very light skin and I have freckles all along the year even if I don't ever get sun exposure, even on summer. Maybe warm toned skins are the only ones that don't get freckles from sun exposure.. this is only an hypothesis
@@diffsiuhgr4578 Hi Camille, with my cool toned skin, I have freckles all around the year too, and trust me, I avoid the sun like the plague, winter as well as summer, 365 days a year. They are there from previous unprotected sun exposure from childhood and adolescence, and I am willing to bet you had a similar history growing up, as sun protection didn't use to be so emphasised or understood. More here: www.yahoo.com/news/why-babies-dont-have-freckles-115982582402.html?guccounter=1
Laetitia Lalila hi. I actually never have been exposed to the sun as a child and as an adolescent. My parents always protected my skin with SPF50 total sunblock anytime I went outside, even in autumn or spring. i think I was born with it, if that’s possible!
@@diffsiuhgr4578 That's not possible, babies don't have freckles. 😊😊😊But I am happy to hear you had such educated parents, you'll enjoy beautiful skin for longer. P.S. Harmful UV rays are present year round, even in winter. Take care. ☺
The best way to see skin tones! Makes so much more sense!!! But looking at the examples I am still in doubt about my skin tone... I am an olive... Must be cool and delicate... But I don't have any pink in my skin, it looks more yellow/green.
Hi, I don't know if you'll still read this, but you may be warm & muted/ delicate, since you said you have yellow undertones. Another vlogger, Justine Leconte, suggested "draping". (Merriam also has a vid on this but I think Justine explained it better). Through draping, I've found that I'm warm, but not sure if bright (spring) or muted/ delicate (autumn). Both spring & autumn colours look (red, orange, yellow) look good on me & I've gotten compliments when I wear them. I never get compliments when I wear blue. Lol. Good luck!
@@kitty_s23456 I think I am better in cold tones, but it can't be too cold. Maybe I am more in the middle, then I can be better in warm and muted then in too cold tones... I don't know if it's possible...
@@priscillamatsumoto1Hi, I don't know if you're a light, medium or dark olive. Based on your surname, I think you have Japanese ancestry? If yes, I'll make a guess that you are warm (w/ yellow undertones) but delicate/ muted. Merriam has a vid where she said that warm & delicate can wear both W & C colors, but they look better in warm. Her example was Emilia Clark (of Game of Thrones). Maybe you can give me an example of an actress/ celebrity who is similar to you in looks & skintone? I'm similar to skintone of Kathryn Bernardo. I looked at her pics, I think she's warm & bright/ radiant. She looks great in bright red & orange. Didn't look good in emerald green.
@@priscillamatsumoto1 Merriam has a vid on light olive skin (warm). The thumbnail pic was of Mila Kunis. Maybe your skintone is similar to hers? I haven't watched the vid but it was recommended. If you're similar to Mila, maybe you can search for her pics & see which colors look good on her (and will probably look good on you too). I'm trying to change my wardrobe bit by bit & am trying to follow Merriam's suggestions. Good luck!
Yellow her best color hmm..but can you imagine oprah with bright yellow hair? Wouldn't look blended with her ,I also think that darker colors look better on her a darker version of that yellow will complement he whole aura , contrast also matters ... this is all handled in the the 12 seasons , I honestly think it's the ultimate guide to look your best Great video by the way
Thank you so much.. I have fair Indian skin ..So was always confused about cool tone as browns also looked on me…now I know with Aishwarya example.. that I m warm and delicate..
Hi, thank you- I don't know my undertone yet but I enjoyed learning from your video. You have a lovely warm voice, (I'm an actress and Voice Coach, so I'm always interested in voice qualities. I feel a bit more clear on this topic.- Do you offer a service to tell clients their undertone, perhaps by photos or videos? Best onward-
Thank you. This is very interesting. I had almost black hair and light skin. Because of the contrat, I was put in very bright cool colors. Recently, I let my hair go gray. Suddenly all those colors look hideous. My skin looks yellow next to my gray hair. (I was using purple shampoo to take away the brassiness, which doesn’t exist.) I now know that the shampoo was making my hair too cool. So I’ve gone from bright and cool colors to soft and warm. Your video explains why.
Thank you for your guidance I am sure I'm warm and delicate, too brighter warm shades overwhelm me but softer olive,cream,peachy ,honey suits me well. I thought I was cool at one stage but the cooler shades made me look sickly 😷
Merriam, I am so glad I discovered your channel. I would really love a special video on Katie Holmes. I did my own drape analysis today, but unfortunately am still puzzled, if I am a cool & bright or cool & muted...or maybe even warm & muted. I think I ruled out warm & bright. I am hoping your video on Katie will help me out. Thank you for your awesome videos! So informative!!
You could be warm and muted! You could check out my video on Cate Blanchette--she has this very muted warm undertone. You could also try rose gold vs delicate silver (an altered silver vs gold test). Rose gold in this case would be delicately warm, and delicate silver would be delicately cool.
Your videos are so thorough and informative, I appreciate it a lot 💙 I'm still confused about my undertone... I've considered myself cool & delicate (Soft Summer) for a long time, but a couple of days ago I tried some clothes on in different colours and took photos in natural lighting (because a mirror wasn't available). The worst colour of the ones I tried was a pale, muted, dusty green with yellow leanings. It made me look pale and sick, and all of the imperfections in my skin were popping out. There were two best colours. The first colour is very hard to explain, it's called "dusk" by the manufacturers, and it's this dusty, light, still bright blue, like the ocean on a cloudy winter day. It made my skin glow. Lastly, there was a white linen shirt. It's been in my family for decades, so it's not bright white anymore, time has dulled it down slightly, but it's still white. What surprised me so much was that when I wore it, my skin had a definite *golden glow* to it! All of the imperfections and redness in my face just disappeared. I almost couldn't believe it when I looked at the photo! What confuses me is that typically, white (even off-white and ivory) are not recommended for cool & delicate people, as it's said to overwhelm us. Might I actually be warm & delicate? I suddenly have no idea! What do you think?
Hi Merriam! Video request: would love to see a video done on Ellie Kemper-like the ones you've done on Charlize Theron or Gwendoline Christie. I've seen her typed as pretty much everything under the sun.
I’m cool and delicate thanks! I have struggled for years now trying to find my best colors, and I now realize why dyeing my hair a really warm auburn color years ago looked terrible on me. It also finally makes sense why blue-tone pink lipsticks and purple and navy color clothes (and just cooler colors in general) have always looked good on me. I always thought I had a warm skin tone because of how yellow/olive my skin tends to look and because of this I bought so much makeup with warm tones and dyed my hair the wrong color tones. Having said this, what hair dye colors would best suit me?
Great video! I knew I was cool-toned because my skin tans beige rather than golden. I was always told I was a "Summer," but I don't look great in pastels. I have silver hair (which I usually dye to pale cool blonde nowadays) with moss green eyes and the cool radiant colors are totally my jam! RoyaI blue is my absolute best color, and also look great in blue-reds and blue-purples. Yours is is a *much* better explanation than the "seasons."
Hi I kinda have a question, does cool-toned people normally get tanned and become brownish? I still have trouble defining my warm/cool tone. I always thought I'm warm-toned because I'm a light skin Asian but when I get tanned I just look brownish/greyish with olive tint, I have natural muted-pink blush but never really thought to myself that I'm a cool-toned.
Interesting! I believe I’m almost neutral type. I have problem with my undertone I’m very pale, kind of yellowish but also very ashy at once. It’s same with my natural hair color, it’s ashy but has golden shine to it and my eyes are green gray with a bit of yellow in the center. But overall seems like I might be cool one because I think the color that is very flattering on me is gray.
@@smartreikiandtarot nowadays I tend to dress in warmer colors and dye my hair very light copper (fades to warm blonde). I passed form high contrast color palette (auburn hair, wearing more darker and more vivid colors) to low contrast which is the way I was born (pale skin, light eyes, dark blonde) but warming it up. Idk what suits me better, I like to switch things time to time 😸.
I came back here after a year because it is the best undertone explanation in the whole internet and sent it to a MUA friend that claims to be equally flattered by purple and mustard, lol. Undertone has no relationship to skintone (assuming white people look better in whatever color is racist as fuck) or how "beautiful" someone is (which is subjective).
I think I’m that perfect neutral lol my hair is naturally cool, my eyes are naturally warm, and I’ve had the hardest time trying to find my skin out. It’s pretty close to neutral. I can tan golden but have pink in it. I look best in muted colours light pink, deep reds, burnt orange, mustard yellow, olives, emerald, navy, deep plums. Gray looks better than tans though. I can be so pale in winter but look like I’m from the south in the summer. Jewelry can be sliver rose or gold. Ugg you explain it better than anyone but I’m not quite sure what I am.
Nice to know! I always thought I was a muted autumn or a warm light olive but neither one really fit me. I believe after watching this video I am warm and delicate. I do wear dark blues because I love them but I always make sure I am wearing a peachy blush and a light golden highlighter. Thank you :)
This makes so much more sense to me than the 12 seasons color analysis. For the 12 seasons method, I couldn't be a Summer or a Spring, because I have dark hair and features with high contrasting fair skin. So I could only be a Winter or Autumn, even though I couldn't figure out if I was cool or warm... I look terrible in yellow, orange and tomato red, so it would be natural to think I'm a Winter... but I don't look good in black, bright pink or royal blue (which are part of the Winter palette). With your method, it's clearer: I do have a cool undertone, but it's muted, so I look better in cool, muted colors. When I first heard of the color analysis thing, I thought it would be impossible for me to be a "cool" person, since I don't have grey or blue eyes... at the end of the day, your skin tone is what matters!
I have skin with yellow undertones and I don't mean just warm, I mean actual, very visible, yellow undertones but I think I would have muted, rather than bright undertones because I noticed that muted colors look better on me, even cool ones, rather than warm and bright ones. I really find your system interesting especially when I already analysed the color breeze system, which is an updated and extended version of the 12 seasons system. They took chroma(soft,muted or bright,clear), value (light or deep etc) and hue(warm or cool) into consideration. I was a toasted soft autumn there and I think both that and your system are really good and kind of similar in my opinion and in combination they are even better. Personally, I will still stick to cool muted colors because I love them, but still a great video with good advice.
Hands down the best explanation of undertones I’ve seen. Much more helpful than the “four seasons” approach.
Four seasons is roughly the same. Warm and radiant - autumn, warm and delicate - spring, cool and radiant - winter, cool and delicate - summer.
Warm and radiant wouldn't be spring and cool and radiant, summer?
lcdcjal summer and spring are muted (delicate), and winter and autumn are bright (radiant)
does it have to do with how much contrast a person has?
i feel like you could use both, thats what i do
In 30 years I have never been 100% sure of my skin tone. Nothing fit me perfectly. Now I know I’m warm & delicate. This is amazing. I’m so glad I found your channel. So much makes sense now.
Me too .Wow Good job Miriam!!!!
I think I’m also realizing that I’m warm and delicate. I obviously have a yellow undertone; when I’m a bit lighter in the winter months, my skin basically looks yellow-brown. So, I couldn’t figure out why, for the life of me, do bold warm colors make me look washed out and sickly and why foundations are always way too intense for my face. But then I straight up, don’t look good in cool colors like blue and purple. Now, it’s all making sense.
From my perspective this is the best contemporary color analysis video because it pinpoints and demonstrates the key descriptives of the four skin undertones based on cool, blue base and warm, yellow base skin tones. I feel the key to personal color analysis is knowing one's skin tone--whether cool or warm. The next determination is the degree of clarity or chroma of a hue that is harmonious with the individual's skin tone. In this video Merriam beautifully illustrates both cool or warm "radiant" and clear undertones that appear to sparkle; and cool or warm "delicate" and soft undertones that appear to glow. I appreciate that Merriam keys us into the profound effect color has on us with photos of celebrities illustrating that when we wear our best colors we shine, but when we wear inharmonious colors we can appear "ashy" and less radiant. Great, foundational information.
Couldn't have said it better myself! Other color systems over complicate things and, in my view, are usually nonsensical and self contradictory. Merriam's color system on the other hand is much simpler, and like you described, seems to be a far more apt analysis of how the colors that make up our skin interact with the colors that we wear. With the help of Merriam's videos I was finally able to figure out that I'm warm and delicate! :)
Jep, same here! She is really a gem :) I'm so happy to have found her channel
Thank you Kathleen!!
Your system is so much simpler than the 12 seasons, and easier to understand! Really inclusive for all skin tones and ethnic back grounds, as other systems simplify all brunettes to winter. You should really have a bigger following! As a dark haired Asian, I always thought I was a winter as most colors seemed okay on me (yet fuschia turns my skin yellow). When in reality I'm a delicate warm. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! PS Could you do a video on colors for delicate warm skin tones?
Your voice is so warm, soft and feminine ❤
No vocal fry!!!
When I’m stressed I’ll play her videos and they relax me 😊
yes . like the girl in channel malama life ..very calm voice also
👎
Brilliant video!!! It’s interesting how different stereotypes persist about depth and undertone. This was eye opening and so clever. I am Hispanic and I am immediately assumed to be warm undertoned but I am actually a cool and delicate and I determined this observing the colors that I got compliments on when wearing them. It’s a fun experiment! I never get tired of these videos😍
I know! I am mexican and tanned, so everyone assumes I am warm but I am cool.
This explains why I've struggled to pull off high-chroma cool colors and look my best in heathered and muted colors that don't make my skin look grey by comparison
This is really helpful. I always thought I was warm and kinda muted, but I notice my skin looks AMAAAZING in blue and I look extremely red every time I wear yellow (and I have brown skin). Turns out I’m a cool undertone! I also look much better in deeper/vivid colors than muted cool undertones. Thanks so much for helping us clear this up, I love your method
That's so wonderful to hear!!!
This is so much better colour info than The book from the seventies. I especially love how you show light and dark skin with the same tone also who's muted and whose bright.
I can see very clearly the difference in the undertone of Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett! They're around the same skin tone, but the underlying HUE is different. Thank you for making this video!!!
I'd like to see how your color analysis plays a part in choosing the correct shades of makeup. Including foundation
Maria of Gentle Whispering ASMR recommended your video, very very interesting and informative! I made notes and feel much more confident with color choices now, thank you!
I love Masha!
This here… this makes SO much sense. Almost everything I’ve read about skin tones, on the surface, seems like it should make sense but none of it actually sits right in my mind when I try to really think about it.
I’d like to think that I’m coming at it from an above average understanding of color theory (I’ve been painting since I was a kid & my degree was in fine arts before I gave up on it) I’d also like to think I have a good eye for recognizing color, but when I tried to apply all this to skin tones it was like I couldn’t make sense of it.
Until I found your videos! THIS should be the common understanding of color analysis. It’s really amazing work you do! And I’m grateful for your channel.
Just had to tell you that 🙃
Thank you so much!
Your skin tone theory makes the most sense to me. I have always been interested in the Four season colour theory since high school but the more I studied scientific colour theory (which is actually more my field of profession) the more confused I became about all the skin tone colour theories out there. Especially since I started colour draping my colleagues who are all East Asian, just for fun, I found that although hair and eye colours are very similar or some have different contrast between hair and skin, when you colour drape them, the best colours seem to be categorized along the axis of warm-cool and bright-muted which doesn’t quite fit the four seasons or any other more complex systems I saw. Asians have medium to dark hair and although their skin can be very pale to medium depth to sun tanned deep, the depth of their colouring did not seem to matter as much and it makes more sense to me to categorize skin tones along the lines of hue, saturation and value because that is how a colour is defined. I have always wondered why all skin tone colour theories suddenly move away from what defines colour scientifically even though skin tone is still just another colour.
Fantastic explanation. I'm an acting/vocal coach. I teach skin tone analysis too in clients preparing for headshots, picking correct colors etc. Super important. Thanks. I have sent my students here to watch this.
That's great to hear! I can imagine colors are important for headshots especially!
As someone who was always either put in the warm box just because idk I’m brunette? Or Filipino? Or put in neutral bc rlly bright warm colors look bad on me but I still prefer gold over silver so undertone has been throwing me off lately, this acknowledgment of the spectrum was rlly eye opening for me!
Best video on our colors EVER! There it is - and perfectly demonstrated by your example photos. WOW!
This is the only resource that helped me determine what type I am, after years of reading blogs and watching videos. I am mixed so I fit the "warm" stereotype, but I was never sure - autumn colours don't look THAT good on me, and neither does gold. Looking at like 20 pictures of me in different lighting, I see I actually fit the cool and delicate type! The range of lighter and darker skin colours that you used was very helpful, thank you for sharing your expertise in such an accesible way!
Wow!! Thank you!! This is the best explanation yet.
Finally after years of searching you have helped me figure out my undertone.
As an African this has been difficult to decipher.
You have given the answers in a very clear, respectful and gentle way.
Very happy Cool and Radiant here.
Great work!!
Not sure I fully agree with this. I am bright spring, very yellow undertone, but I look good in royal blue, fuchsia, tomato red - all the brightest colors, even if they are cool, and you would have me avoid these colors.
Don’t forget that the primary colors compliment each other - so - being very yellow, I can contrast with blue or red that has an equal value. I can wear black too. Lighting makes a huge difference in pictures.
I have no ideo but tbh I find that most colors suit me(cloth wise)
You just confirmed her theory?? You’re warm and radiant (vey radiant yellow undertone) thus look good in vibrant colors.
This isn't based on season though... under this system you are warm and radiant and warm and radiant people can wear bold colors well even cool-toned hues than vice versa. but they wouldn't be your best colors.
@@E_MZ_ makes sense... i think this is why we can get away with vibrant cool colors, even though it isn't the best. I love muted colors but can't wear them
@@ineedhoezNot only that but warm tone people can pull of cool tone then vis versa these days. When warm tone people wear cool tone colors it makes the warm tone in your skin more noticeable and for now warm tone skin is desirable. While if a cool tone person wears warm tone it brings the cool tone in our skin out and people think they look dead looking.
So warm tone people have it easier to pull off other colors easier. The best way to say if warm tone people wear the right warm tone people will notice you more but if you wear cool tone people noticed your clothes then you.
I wore a bright vermillion shirt the other day and I got so many compliments, I’ve always been very pale and thus confused about my undertone. I have bright golden honey blonde hair that has a lot of red in it, yet I’ve never known whether I was warm or cool! I’m convinced I’m warm and radiant, and I feel so good about it. Thank you Merriam ❤
I can’t imagine the extensive time you put into this and other videos. Your work is impressive.
The best explanation, much more understandable than the 12-16 seasons system.
This is BEYOND brilliant! Thank you so much for your work!
From my experience lipstick is also a good way to identify your undertone and brightness. Personally I can't pull off a nude lip, and prefer an apricot/orangey shade for everyday and browns make me look ill.
I guess muted types are more suited to nudes.
NO I HATE NUDES
My first hint that I was more on the cool side was observing how well cool bright pinks suited me and it was tricky because I am olive skin that tans somewhat easy so the first impression people had was that I had warm undertone but I am actually a cool and delicate. I can use nudes only if I mix them with a bright pink.
Most "nudes" on me look pale pink, and browns make me look ill too. I also tend to go for an apricot shade as a nude and blue based red lipstick looks good on me I think. But bright pink looks just weird.
andreea valdrost -I’m a cool radiant. I look terrible in warm colors of course but also any nude. Good only in bright bold opaque colors such as purple, magenta, blue based reds.
But I also look so weird in any predominantly pink color - is pink supposed to be considered warm then?
@@hammypie I think bright pink could be warm if it's not blue based. I'm really confused as I certainly don't think I have a cool undertone but I look bad in bright pink also (makes me look ill) and look bad in brown shades (makes me look drained of color). I just don't know, I look good in red tho, I'm really bad for this and fining my shades.
I loved re-watching this video. Makes more sense than even before, when I saw it for the first time.
I do think I'm warm and radiant (and fair) but oddly have some visible green dominance especially when I stand next to someone who is cool. It's hard to find a perfect foundation for me, even makeup artists say that to me. So Merriam's system does work for me, but I really just have to avoid wearing green, else I'll look a little like Kermit the Frog if I stand next to anyone in pictures LOL
Aaaand we're back where we started 😂 I had assumed I was dark autumn in the 12 seasons, you know, warm, high contrast, and better with muted colors. And here we are again. Warm delicate. I'm going to have to accept that I'm very generic and stop overthinking everything 😂
My skin IS very yellow. But I feel like bright colors are overly bright on me, they're just way too much.
Go for the mustard yellow, rather than bright yellow.
Dark Autumn, is basically just like bright warm or muted warm, but with dark hair and eyes.
Autumn is deep not bright. So warm delicate can actually overlap quite well
Merriam I absolutely adore this video! Wow! Just Wow! You have done it again. I love how your mind works to overcome current group think in colour analysis and BANG, you put forth a system that you explain plainly and it makes it so simple and easy to know ones best colours. The other systems have the 12 systems, there is one that I followed and she has even added more seasons, I think she is up to 27 or 28 seasons! Talk about confusion trying to find your exact colours when shopping. It makes it almost impossible. With this system every item fits into one of the four groups and it is so easy to find something that suits! This has changed my entire approach to shopping. Thank-you so very much!
Great video! Good analysis kept simple. I could never pinpoint my season in the colour analysis but I quickly gathered my warm & delicate undertone with this video.
I believe I’m a warm and delicate. Thank you so much for this system, I’ve been real confused by most other color systems. This one makes sense!!!
Your explanation helped clarify these concepts for me so much!
Man!!! I wish I found you sooner! 34 years and I could never figure out why I was cool undertones but could not do super cool colors, I am cool delicate! Thank you so much!!!! ❤️ this was an amazingly helpful video, I totally see what you are talking about! Way more helpful than looking at my veins and color wheels!
I loved this video. The hard work and love that you poured into this exceptionally well-explained and-executed piece clearly shines through. I’ve learned so much more from this than the “four seasons” analysis my mom paid for. She was nice but inexperienced with my coloring/ethnicity. 😊
I’m going to have to wrap my head around this. I have light skin and dark hair. Because of the contrast, I’ve always been put in bright colors. I thought I was a Winter. But once my hair grayed, I realized I had warmer skin. I’ve colored my hair back to dark brown. I don’t seem to fit into the 12 season system. This explains why. I’m warm and delicate. My coloring is closest to Lucy Liu. I’m going to have to test this out.
Wow! Undertone theory never made so much sense until now, thankyou x
yay!
After looking 5 videos about undertones, yours is the most clear and helpful! Than you!!!
As a professional makeup artist this is extremely helpful 👏🏾👏🏾thank you 😘
Came from Maria
holy sheez thank you so much for this colour analysis of skin undertones! I managed to identify myself as warm and delicate. I also like how you showed pictures of various celebrities in different colours to explain why they were one and not the other. It makes your explanations a lot more clearer when u showed the side by side comparisons.
Great video. I always thought both Jennifer Anniston and Katie Holmes were soft summers (light and deep) in 12 seasons colour analysis. I can now see why this is not the case and a video on both of these ladies would be useful to understand the cool radiant and muted dichotomy.
It makes so much sense! I always wondered why some warm colours suited me but bright yellow made me look sick. I have green veins and I'm warm and delicate.
what a vedio 🥺 , you deserve a tight hug from clearing all my confusion , love u so much😍
I do think you are onto something here with the chroma element!
Great content, great explanations. You're so right about taking only the skin tone into account, and oddly enough, you're the only one I know of pointing that out ! Your videos are precious.
Thanks for the warm delicate palette. I tend to wear those colors but I also like to incorporate some of the delicate cold ones for a contrast. I feel like when I wear the warm delicate colors I kind of get lost in the crowd.
Great work! You've nailed it. Your Warm and Delicate video finally made sense and typed me perfectly. Thank you!
Super helpful! I'm taking screenshots watching your videos as "notes" because you lay everything out so simply 😆
From my perspective it just seems that it's the lighting. Some look the same complexion whether cool radiant, cool delicate to warm radiant and warm delicate. The majority had yellow undertones and all can wear the same colors
Bravo !!!!!!! Merriam you killed undertone explanation and in the simplest way too.👍👍👍👍👍 Good job.
As always it's so nice to see another video from you! I have a question though, do you really classify Cate Blanchett as warm and muted? I see her everywhere as cool coloured and rather bright and honestly she seems quite pale and sick looking in earthy tones...I'm confused now, I can't see what you see here :)
A stylist told me years ago that I was neutral to cool but didn't realise what that really meant until I tried a pink-based instead of sand/peach foundation and found it made my skin glow. I'm still unsure whether I'm radiant or delicate, but am guessing cool delicate based on that stylist's assessment of my undertone.
Off the charts awesome!! Thank you for sharing your expert knowledge!! 😘😘😘
I've always hated my bright blue work shirt haha and now i understand why! Cool and delicate problems...
Thank you so much ,this video is the Best I have seen in the internet good job
I found your channel this past week and I have to say you have assembled an incredible wealth of information on personal styling and it's extremely useful to have these guidelines as I assemble my wardrobe.
I'd known for a few years that I am extremely pale and "olive" or "warm" toned, but I'd never made the connection before that some of the awkwardness with some of my clothes was due to the fact that I am actually a "delicate warm" or I guess neutral warm tone. I don't wear foundation but if I do start wearing it will help with that purchase as well.
Thank you for all the guidance. Loved your Kibbe videos as well.
yay! you could also watch my video called golden overtones with cool undertones, as well as 'olive, we need to talk', and the warm olive video.
What a wonderful explanation. Great work Merriam. I am so grateful for your videos. Thank you for this one especially. I love your labels too. Thank you!!
So incredibly helpful to see the similarities in the skin hue just ranging from dark to light all together like that and all the comparisons of what colors look better than others and when you pointed all this out you made it so clear and specific it was easy to agree with which colors look best on each person from their examples… still I have no clue which one I am and related to all of the colors - I think I have a warm delicate undertone just from the beginning of the video because I do have a little bit of a faint yellow tint -at the same time -I usually wear cool radiant bright colors and feel washed out if colors are too light and dusty … at the same time the colors that look best with my skin tone/most flattering and sort of fade into my skin like you said on another video are light peachy pink- and also dark teal and also rich royal blue bc of my eyes and I dye my hair light blonde (but I think the tone of my blonde is off which is why I’ve been watching all your videos including the hair one)… I think I have some yellow and red in my skin and yet blues is one of my best colors … a bright royal blue or a light to medium blue Jean blue … also greens that look good are forest greens and emerald blue green… but the dark olives forest greens look great with my eyes (which are blue grey with mustard yellow at the center so they look green when I wear that shade) …bright organgy reds look good if they’re bright-when on shirts and dresses so it looks like warmish reds but they’re also maroon like … so a wine red dress and bright scarlet red … the lipsticks I think look best are bright / dark /rich berry reds that have purple undertones … organge red lipsticks look terrible on my face even though that color looks good on my body I think … so confusing … I’m following and loving all your videos … still unclear though -whether light pink or light peach or magenta or orange look best … the problem is I think the color that melts into my skin is a very light peach ish pink or a pinkish peach … gold jewelry looks better than silver but the gem tones look so much better than the washed out colors but after watching this I can see that the washed out colors just aren’t very pretty to me me -yet on the examples you have it’s clear to see those look best on the people you gave examples of
I think you still need to take the skin darkness into consideration. At 7:44 Cate looks really pale in the dark olive in my opinion. There are different kinds of soft and delicate colours. I think Cate looks best in colours muted with mostly white and not so much black. For example pastels and soft light tan, beige and olive look great on her.
Similarly at 14:45 I think as Nicole's skin colour is so bright it can handle the black BUT her facial features get lost with such a strong and dark colour. Other cool and bright colour look great on her so I agree with you there. I just think her best colours are lighter than black.
Fantastic video with very clear explanations. It actually helped me confirm my undertone because looking at my wrist only got me so far. Long but worth watching so thanks again!
This makes perfect sense! Much better than other systems. Thank you! ✨
Ok so how i determined that im a delicate warm is through Highlighter... highlighter with a Champagne yellowish undertone looks right and my cool one doesnt suite me... I think this is easier to determine your undertone through makeup than to look at yourself in different coloured Outfits if you are as pale as I am... and I noticed when i tan I get more color but Not really darker, thats when I can pull off warm and radiant colors. in Winter on the other Hand I also like to wear cool and muted Blues...
But because I'm a flamboyant gamine and I look best in contrasting colors I feel like I don't need to keep this in mind for my everyday wardrobe
I think both highlighters suit me
Omg! I finally know my coloring a little better. thank you!
I'm very interested in your interpretations of Kibbe, I learned something. For the color part, I want to share my thoughts, even if I know, you don't like the 12 color system.
In Kibbe's system there are not only (as an examplte) dramatic, classic and romantic, but inbetween or mixed types like soft dramatic, dramatic classic or soft classic. From one step (yang) to the next (equal mix) to the other end (yin), there are some inbetween steps.
Same is true with colors. Form one step (blue, cool) to the other (yellow, warm), there are mixed types either, because nature delivers visuable steps, if colors are mixed. Chroma is automatically changed in the same process of adding colors.
Cate Blanchett is in the 12 color system not warm, she is light summer. So delicate cool colors are good, but best with a little step to spring = a little bit of yellow mixed in. Therefore a little bit brighter either. She looks amazing in light pastel yellow. But never would one add a jacket in a delicate warm color like soft camel or a soft khaki. But with a light blue, that is also mixed with a tiny bit of yellow. Also: The chroma is a big point in 12 system and it is true: The chroma rises with the adding of yellow, so light summer is not as bright as spring, but brighter as another summer: soft summer.
Long story short: Why cutting the mixed/ inbetween types in a color system, that is purposed to suit all humans? Thank you for your good work, but I just had to add these thoughts. I could be wrong, but I don't think so, because I was looking for years to fit in the spring/summer/autumn/winter concept. With no success, because I am a soft summer.
I agree. I think the main reason why people have issues with the 12 season system is because it's easy to get confused when you're not professionally draped in person. I admit I struggled a bit myself, but I was able to find my season after taking the time to read about it instead of taking the quiz. I do think Merriem had an interesting take on undertones and hue, it's very easy to understand and follow. But I do think there is a wider range of contrast that's being overlooked.
I agree too. I too am a soft summer. I tried too hard to fit into autumn and something just didn't look right. Turns out I had to go cooler, but not as cool as true summer. In Merriam's system, I would be overlooked. Her system is great for people with simpler colouring (true autumn, true winter, etc). But not so much for the wider range of people with mixed or tricky colouring.
Wow thank you! Explains why i feel like i always need a yellower foundation but bright warm colours drowns my skin
Nicole Kidman was over powered by the black. I saw her picture in younger age, she had straberry blond hair with freckles. I think she is warm undertone
I didn't think any of these pics of Nicole were her best colors.
Agree totally. I am also unsure of Katie Holmes and other cool radiants in this video, minus Fan Bingbing.
We are looking at skin and not hair. And freckles can be cool or warm.
I agreeeeeee!!
I think that pink dress didn't flatter her at all. I don't wether she has cool or warm undertone, though.
Fantastic explanation of the undertones! Makes complete sense, as a warm and delicate myself you are dead on!!
Thank you. Very well explained. I find it hardest to analyse my own colours. I has an aha moment when you talked about Cate Blanchett. She is fair so I wouldn’t expect her to wear that ivory/slightly creamy colour so well but she looks amazing in it. Now i understand why.
I’ve just seen another of your videos (about Kibbe) and subscribed :)
OMG, thanks, this was so hard to figure me out because of my dark brown hair, now i know i am warm and delicate, i see this golden overtone in my pale skin
yay! You could also watch my video titled 'Golden Overtones with Cool Undertones' where I talk in detail about how warm and delicate is often mistyped. So happy you were able to find your undertone!
Thanks so much for your eye and your expertise. Super helpful. Life-changing actually.
This is the best color system I've ever seen
Have you observed if freckles are more common in warm or cool skin tones? I have seen more warm-toned people with freckles, not only gingers but also brunettes. But I have not actively researched this!
Great video by the way I love when you upload!!
Hi Mikaela, I would say not, as frekles come from unprotected sun exposure on very light skin, and light skin can have both a cool or a warm undertone in the artistic licence color system. Personally, my skin is cool and bright and I do have freckles. ☺ I hope this helps!
@@laetitialalila7390 I am warm toned with a very light skin and I have freckles all along the year even if I don't ever get sun exposure, even on summer. Maybe warm toned skins are the only ones that don't get freckles from sun exposure.. this is only an hypothesis
@@diffsiuhgr4578 Hi Camille, with my cool toned skin, I have freckles all around the year too, and trust me, I avoid the sun like the plague, winter as well as summer, 365 days a year. They are there from previous unprotected sun exposure from childhood and adolescence, and I am willing to bet you had a similar history growing up, as sun protection didn't use to be so emphasised or understood.
More here: www.yahoo.com/news/why-babies-dont-have-freckles-115982582402.html?guccounter=1
Laetitia Lalila hi. I actually never have been exposed to the sun as a child and as an adolescent. My parents always protected my skin with SPF50 total sunblock anytime I went outside, even in autumn or spring. i think I was born with it, if that’s possible!
@@diffsiuhgr4578 That's not possible, babies don't have freckles. 😊😊😊But I am happy to hear you had such educated parents, you'll enjoy beautiful skin for longer. P.S. Harmful UV rays are present year round, even in winter. Take care. ☺
The best way to see skin tones! Makes so much more sense!!! But looking at the examples I am still in doubt about my skin tone... I am an olive... Must be cool and delicate... But I don't have any pink in my skin, it looks more yellow/green.
Hi, I don't know if you'll still read this, but you may be warm & muted/ delicate, since you said you have yellow undertones. Another vlogger, Justine Leconte, suggested "draping". (Merriam also has a vid on this but I think Justine explained it better). Through draping, I've found that I'm warm, but not sure if bright (spring) or muted/ delicate (autumn). Both spring & autumn colours look (red, orange, yellow) look good on me & I've gotten compliments when I wear them. I never get compliments when I wear blue. Lol. Good luck!
@@kitty_s23456 I think I am better in cold tones, but it can't be too cold. Maybe I am more in the middle, then I can be better in warm and muted then in too cold tones... I don't know if it's possible...
@@priscillamatsumoto1Hi, I don't know if you're a light, medium or dark olive. Based on your surname, I think you have Japanese ancestry? If yes, I'll make a guess that you are warm (w/ yellow undertones) but delicate/ muted. Merriam has a vid where she said that warm & delicate can wear both W & C colors, but they look better in warm. Her example was Emilia Clark (of Game of Thrones). Maybe you can give me an example of an actress/ celebrity who is similar to you in looks & skintone? I'm similar to skintone of Kathryn Bernardo. I looked at her pics, I think she's warm & bright/ radiant. She looks great in bright red & orange. Didn't look good in emerald green.
@@kitty_s23456 I must be a medium olive... Now I am lighter but I get very tanned with sun. Lighter than Jessica Alba, darker than Angelina Jolie...
@@priscillamatsumoto1 Merriam has a vid on light olive skin (warm). The thumbnail pic was of Mila Kunis. Maybe your skintone is similar to hers? I haven't watched the vid but it was recommended. If you're similar to Mila, maybe you can search for her pics & see which colors look good on her (and will probably look good on you too). I'm trying to change my wardrobe bit by bit & am trying to follow Merriam's suggestions. Good luck!
Hi I really like your content. I LOVE AlyArt but to be honest your way of explaining is a lot easier for me to grasp. ThankYou🤗
Thank you for posting this video! VERY informative- and great content! 🌟
Truly one of the best videos on undertones! Thank you!
warm and delicate, yay
Yellow her best color hmm..but can you imagine oprah with bright yellow hair? Wouldn't look blended with her ,I also think that darker colors look better on her a darker version of that yellow will complement he whole aura , contrast also matters
... this is all handled in the the 12 seasons , I honestly think it's the ultimate guide to look your best
Great video by the way
amazing 👏🏾
Thank you so much.. I have fair Indian skin ..So was always confused about cool tone as browns also looked on me…now I know with Aishwarya example.. that I m warm and delicate..
Hi, thank you- I don't know my undertone yet but I enjoyed learning from your video. You have a lovely warm voice, (I'm an actress and Voice Coach, so I'm always interested in voice qualities.
I feel a bit more clear on this topic.- Do you offer a service to tell clients their undertone, perhaps by photos or videos? Best onward-
Hi Elena, thank you for your kind words, and very cool that you're a voice coach.
Thank you. This is very interesting. I had almost black hair and light skin. Because of the contrat, I was put in very bright cool colors. Recently, I let my hair go gray. Suddenly all those colors look hideous. My skin looks yellow next to my gray hair. (I was using purple shampoo to take away the brassiness, which doesn’t exist.) I now know that the shampoo was making my hair too cool. So I’ve gone from bright and cool colors to soft and warm. Your video explains why.
Thank you for your guidance I am sure I'm warm and delicate, too brighter warm shades overwhelm me but softer olive,cream,peachy ,honey suits me well. I thought I was cool at one stage but the cooler shades made me look sickly 😷
Warm understone..green ...salmon burnt oranges..yellow look great on me...on my gosh thank you..I understand so many times we focus on hues
Merriam, I am so glad I discovered your channel. I would really love a special video on Katie Holmes. I did my own drape analysis today, but unfortunately am still puzzled, if I am a cool & bright or cool & muted...or maybe even warm & muted. I think I ruled out warm & bright. I am hoping your video on Katie will help me out. Thank you for your awesome videos! So informative!!
You could be warm and muted! You could check out my video on Cate Blanchette--she has this very muted warm undertone. You could also try rose gold vs delicate silver (an altered silver vs gold test). Rose gold in this case would be delicately warm, and delicate silver would be delicately cool.
Your videos are so thorough and informative, I appreciate it a lot 💙 I'm still confused about my undertone... I've considered myself cool & delicate (Soft Summer) for a long time, but a couple of days ago I tried some clothes on in different colours and took photos in natural lighting (because a mirror wasn't available). The worst colour of the ones I tried was a pale, muted, dusty green with yellow leanings. It made me look pale and sick, and all of the imperfections in my skin were popping out. There were two best colours. The first colour is very hard to explain, it's called "dusk" by the manufacturers, and it's this dusty, light, still bright blue, like the ocean on a cloudy winter day. It made my skin glow. Lastly, there was a white linen shirt. It's been in my family for decades, so it's not bright white anymore, time has dulled it down slightly, but it's still white. What surprised me so much was that when I wore it, my skin had a definite *golden glow* to it! All of the imperfections and redness in my face just disappeared. I almost couldn't believe it when I looked at the photo! What confuses me is that typically, white (even off-white and ivory) are not recommended for cool & delicate people, as it's said to overwhelm us. Might I actually be warm & delicate? I suddenly have no idea! What do you think?
Omg Thank you! I finally get it! This is what I was missing, the hues would trip me up but you've made it crystal clear❤
Amazing analysis! This is complex topic and the examples you provide are extremely helpful.
Hi Merriam! Video request: would love to see a video done on Ellie Kemper-like the ones you've done on Charlize Theron or Gwendoline Christie. I've seen her typed as pretty much everything under the sun.
I come back every now again to remind me
Cool and muted people seem kind of mystical in their colors for some reason
The best colour analysis to date in my opinion! This makes finally sense! Thank you Merriem! 🙏🏼🎉🎉
I’m cool and delicate thanks! I have struggled for years now trying to find my best colors, and I now realize why dyeing my hair a really warm auburn color years ago looked terrible on me. It also finally makes sense why blue-tone pink lipsticks and purple and navy color clothes (and just cooler colors in general) have always looked good on me. I always thought I had a warm skin tone because of how yellow/olive my skin tends to look and because of this I bought so much makeup with warm tones and dyed my hair the wrong color tones. Having said this, what hair dye colors would best suit me?
Great video! I knew I was cool-toned because my skin tans beige rather than golden. I was always told I was a "Summer," but I don't look great in pastels. I have silver hair (which I usually dye to pale cool blonde nowadays) with moss green eyes and the cool radiant colors are totally my jam! RoyaI blue is my absolute best color, and also look great in blue-reds and blue-purples. Yours is is a *much* better explanation than the "seasons."
Hi I kinda have a question, does cool-toned people normally get tanned and become brownish? I still have trouble defining my warm/cool tone. I always thought I'm warm-toned because I'm a light skin Asian but when I get tanned I just look brownish/greyish with olive tint, I have natural muted-pink blush but never really thought to myself that I'm a cool-toned.
Interesting! I believe I’m almost neutral type. I have problem with my undertone I’m very pale, kind of yellowish but also very ashy at once. It’s same with my natural hair color, it’s ashy but has golden shine to it and my eyes are green gray with a bit of yellow in the center. But overall seems like I might be cool one because I think the color that is very flattering on me is gray.
Omg it's like you're describing me! I'm exactly the same
You sound more like a warm and delicate.
@@smartreikiandtarot nowadays I tend to dress in warmer colors and dye my hair very light copper (fades to warm blonde). I passed form high contrast color palette (auburn hair, wearing more darker and more vivid colors) to low contrast which is the way I was born (pale skin, light eyes, dark blonde) but warming it up. Idk what suits me better, I like to switch things time to time 😸.
I came back here after a year because it is the best undertone explanation in the whole internet and sent it to a MUA friend that claims to be equally flattered by purple and mustard, lol. Undertone has no relationship to skintone (assuming white people look better in whatever color is racist as fuck) or how "beautiful" someone is (which is subjective).
I think I’m that perfect neutral lol my hair is naturally cool, my eyes are naturally warm, and I’ve had the hardest time trying to find my skin out. It’s pretty close to neutral. I can tan golden but have pink in it. I look best in muted colours light pink, deep reds, burnt orange, mustard yellow, olives, emerald, navy, deep plums. Gray looks better than tans though. I can be so pale in winter but look like I’m from the south in the summer. Jewelry can be sliver rose or gold. Ugg you explain it better than anyone but I’m not quite sure what I am.
Literally me.
Nice to know! I always thought I was a muted autumn or a warm light olive but neither one really fit me. I believe after watching this video I am warm and delicate. I do wear dark blues because I love them but I always make sure I am wearing a peachy blush and a light golden highlighter. Thank you :)
This makes so much more sense to me than the 12 seasons color analysis. For the 12 seasons method, I couldn't be a Summer or a Spring, because I have dark hair and features with high contrasting fair skin. So I could only be a Winter or Autumn, even though I couldn't figure out if I was cool or warm... I look terrible in yellow, orange and tomato red, so it would be natural to think I'm a Winter... but I don't look good in black, bright pink or royal blue (which are part of the Winter palette). With your method, it's clearer: I do have a cool undertone, but it's muted, so I look better in cool, muted colors. When I first heard of the color analysis thing, I thought it would be impossible for me to be a "cool" person, since I don't have grey or blue eyes... at the end of the day, your skin tone is what matters!
I have skin with yellow undertones and I don't mean just warm, I mean actual, very visible, yellow undertones but I think I would have muted, rather than bright undertones because I noticed that muted colors look better on me, even cool ones, rather than warm and bright ones. I really find your system interesting especially when I already analysed the color breeze system, which is an updated and extended version of the 12 seasons system. They took chroma(soft,muted or bright,clear), value (light or deep etc) and hue(warm or cool) into consideration. I was a toasted soft autumn there and I think both that and your system are really good and kind of similar in my opinion and in combination they are even better. Personally, I will still stick to cool muted colors because I love them, but still a great video with good advice.