Start with the most useful thing to know before you read any color chart. There is no color you are not allowed to wear. Every skin tone, from the palest to the deepest, can wear red, blue, green, pink, black or gold. What changes from person to person is which version of a color looks best. A cherry red or a tomato red. An icy blue or a teal.
This page covers how to get a rough read on your undertone, why the popular home tests are only a starting point, and the one test that actually settles it. Our main guide to prom dress colors covers photos, venue lighting and trends. This page is about the color next to your face.
Skin tone and undertone are different things
Your skin tone is how light or deep your skin is. Your undertone is the subtler cast underneath it, and it does not track with depth at all. Very fair skin can be warm. Very deep skin can be cool. Any depth can be neutral.
Undertones are usually sorted into three groups.
- Warm, with a golden, peachy or yellow cast.
- Cool, with a pink, red or bluish cast.
- Neutral, somewhere in between, with no strong pull either way.
Many people also describe an olive undertone, a greenish or gray-gold cast that can make the usual tests give mixed answers. If the tests below confuse you, that may be why. It is common, and it is not a problem to solve.
Three quick home tests
Do these in daylight, near a window, with a clean face. Indoor bulbs tint everything yellow or blue and will skew the result.
The vein test
Look at the veins on the inside of your wrist. If they look mostly green, that leans warm. Mostly blue or purple leans cool. A mix, or hard to tell, leans neutral. On deeper skin, veins can be hard to see at all, which makes this the least useful of the three for a lot of people.
The jewelry test
Hold a piece of gold jewelry against your skin, then a piece of silver. If gold looks more natural and silver looks harsh, that leans warm. If silver looks brighter and gold looks a little brassy, that leans cool. If both look fine, you may be neutral. The catch is that most of us already have a favorite metal, and it is hard to judge without bias.
The white versus cream test
Hold a bright white piece of fabric under your chin, then something cream or ivory. Look at your face, not the fabric. If bright white makes your skin look even and cream makes it look a little dull, that leans cool. If cream looks softer and white looks stark, that leans warm. This one is the closest to how a dress actually works, which is why it tends to be the most helpful.
Why the tests are only a starting point
Treat these as rough tools, not rules. They often disagree. Lighting changes the answer. A recent tan, a sunburn, makeup or self-tanner can shift it. Hair color matters too, since it sits right next to your face and in every photo.
And even a confident answer only narrows things down a little. Knowing you lean warm does not tell you which of ten greens you will love. Only the mirror does that.
The test that actually decides it
Hold the color right up next to your face, in natural light, and look at your face rather than the fabric. That is it. Bring the dress, a swatch, or even a T-shirt in a similar shade to a window.
Here is what to look for.
- Your skin looks even and clear, and your eyes look bright. That color is working.
- Shadows under your eyes look darker, or your skin looks gray, sallow or blotchy. That shade is probably fighting you.
- You notice the dress before your face. Sometimes that is the goal. If it is not, try a softer or deeper version.
Then try two or three versions of the same color side by side. That comparison teaches you more than any undertone label. Ask a friend to take a photo of each with no filter, and look at them later with fresh eyes.
Warm and cool versions of popular prom colors
Almost every color comes in a warmer and a cooler version. If your undertone tests point one way, start with that column, then try one from the other column anyway. Neutral undertones can usually go either way.
| Color | Warmer versions | Cooler versions |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Tomato, brick, orange-red | Cherry, blue-red, raspberry |
| Pink | Coral, peach, salmon | Fuchsia, rose, bubblegum |
| Blue | Teal, turquoise, peacock | Sapphire, royal blue, icy blue |
| Green | Olive, moss, chartreuse | Emerald, jade, mint |
| Purple | Plum, red-violet | Lavender, lilac, violet |
| Yellow | Marigold, mustard, butter | Lemon, pale icy yellow |
| Neutrals | Champagne, gold, ivory, camel | Silver, bright white, gray |
Black and navy sit in the middle and work across the board. Texture matters more with them than undertone does, since a matte black and a beaded black read very differently in photos.
Depth and contrast
Undertone is one part of it. Contrast is the other. Some people love a dress that is close to their own skin depth, for a soft, monochrome look. Others love a strong contrast, like a deep jewel tone on fair skin or a pale pastel on deep skin. Both are a matter of taste. Neither is more correct.
Contrast also changes how a color photographs. A dress far lighter or darker than your skin can pull the camera's exposure one way, so take a quick phone photo in the fitting room to see how your face comes out next to it.
A note on nude and skin-tone dresses
A lot of prom labels sell a color called nude. Very often it means one particular beige. If you want a true skin-tone effect, look for a shade close to your own skin, whatever that is, and do not assume the color named nude is it. Labels also offer names like champagne, blush, mocha, cocoa and chocolate. Ask the shop to pull the whole range, and compare them next to your skin in daylight.
Metallics and jewelry
Metallic dresses follow the same idea. Gold, rose gold, bronze and copper tend to read warmer. Silver, gunmetal and platinum read cooler. Your jewelry does not have to match your undertone, or even your dress. Plenty of people mix metals. Our prom accessories section covers jewelry choices.
If you plan to wear makeup
Makeup changes how a color looks on you, especially lipstick and blush, which sit right beside the dress in photos. If you can, try your top colors with makeup close to what you plan to wear on prom night. A shade that seemed flat on a bare face can come alive with a lip color that echoes it. Our prom beauty section has more on planning hair and makeup.
Seeing the colors in person
Screens are unreliable with color, and product photos are often edited. The only way to know is to stand next to the actual fabric. Prom shops can usually order a style in any color the designer offers, even if the sample on the rack is a different shade, so ask to see the designer's color card or swatches. You can browse prom shops by state, or start from a designer label page if you already have a line in mind.