What Swimwear Colors Compliment Best for Each Skin Tone

We love colors. We paint our rooms, we search for the perfect lipstick shade, and we wear our absolute favorites on our swimsuits or clothing. But did you know that not every shade may be perfectly flattering with your skin tone?

Finding a swimsuit that flatters your skin tone can make a difference in how confident you feel in your new swimwear. And we believe that confidence in yourself, your body, and your swimsuit is what truly helps a woman be beautiful in the skin she is in. But what if you don't know what swimwear colors are best for each type of skin tone? What if you don't even know what your skin tone is? Don't worry. We're here to help!

Skin Tone? What Is That?

The 'tone' of your skin is the genetically endowed amount of melanin in your epidermis (the outermost layer of your skin). Melanin is a complex polymer produced by cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes refer to a group of naturally occurring dark brown or black pigments present in human skin. When we expose our skin to damaging ultraviolet light, the melanocytes kick into overdrive to act as a natural defense, producing larger amounts of melanin to spread across the outer layer of your skin to absorb the sun's harmful rays.

For that reason, when determining your skin tone, remember that it may well vary on what season it is, how much sun you've been exposed to, and what your genetic makeup is.

Skin tone starts with three very broad categories:

• Light. Light or fair skin historically derived from Northern European countries that faced frequent snow or cloud coverage, therefore, did not need as much melanin protection. Paler people are usually much more sensitive to the sun and burn easier.
• Medium. A medium complexion is typical for those of Southern European or Northern Asian descent. You might hear this skin tone referred to as, "olive."
• Dark. Darker complexions originate from parts of the world where exposure to ultraviolet radiation is highest. Areas such as the Middle East, India, and Africa for example.

Determining Your Skin Tone

Before you can find the perfect color for your skin tone, you'll need to know what your skin tone is and its undertone. What is a skin undertone? Have you ever shopped for a beauty product or new piece of clothing and heard the terms, "cool," "warm," or, "neutral?" These are common categories for the different undertones found in skin tone. This is a subtle, muted color beneath the surface of your skin that influences how certain beauty products work and how sometimes, certain colors may wash you out or make you look sickly.

Finding the right color swimsuit to match your skin tone largely revolves around what undertone you have. The three major undertones are:

• Cool. Cool skin tones have red and pink undertones with bluish hints.
• Warm. Warm skin tones have yellow, peachy, and golden hues.
• Neutral. Neutral skin tones hint at olive or balanced mix of both above shades.

Often, we see the color of the surface of our skin before we see the undertones. You may think, for example, your skin appears ruddy, when in fact the undertone you have is golden or yellow. So it's important to know the undertone of your skin just as well as your skin tone!

Simple Tests to Determine Skin Tone:

• Gold or Silver? When you wear your favorite jewelry, which metal complements your skin more? Is it your silver jewelry or your gold jewelry? If it's silver—you more than likely have cool undertones. If gold looks amazing on you, then you will likely have warm undertones.
• Your veins. In natural light, what do your veins look like under your skin? If you see veins that appear blue or purple, you have a cool skin tone. If they look green or greenish blue, you have a warm skin tone. If you can't tell whether veins are green or blue, you probably have a neutral skin tone.

What Swimwear Colors Are Best for Each Type of Skin Tone Cool Skin Tone

For those of you with cool skin tones, the swimwear colors you'll feel you look best in will be in the matching cool end of the color spectrum.

• Emerald
• Deep purples
• Lavender
• Pink
• Ice blue
• Bright blues
• Extremely pale yellow
• Rose-red
• Ruby
• Bright white
• Gray
• Navy

Warm Skin Tone:

• Green
• Brown
• Mustard Yellow
• Warm red
• Peach
• Coral
• Amber
• Gold
• Cream
• Beige
• Taupe
• Mushroom grey
• Cappuccino

Neutral Skin Tone:

Congratulations! The world of swimwear color is your oyster! Colors that are for warm skin tones or cool skin tones work just fine on you. Feel free to pull from both sides of the color spectrum and enjoy the widest variety of swimwear colors that will all match you perfectly.

Now that you have the tools to find and know what your skin tone is, you're ready to pick what swimwear colors are best for each type of skin tone. At Lime Ricki, we're all about helping empower women to feel and look confident in the skin and swimsuit they're in! Happy swimwear shopping!