Colour analysis
Colours for olive skin
This is your palette
Olive is one of only two skin words in our quiz that name an undertone rather than a depth: olive skin can be light or deep, but it always has a muted green or golden cast. That cast is why bright, clear colours so often look harsh on it, and why every palette it leads to is a soft one.
What it says about your colouring
On its own, it leans warm.
It softens the colours that suit you.
It reads mid-depth.
The palettes it leads to most often
Soft Autumnwarm, mid-toned and mutedSoft Summercool, mid-toned and mutedLight Springwarm, light and muted
Colours to try first
- Warm Terracotta
- Soft Ochre
- Dusty Blue
- Soft Periwinkle
- Peach Bloom
- Warm Apricot
Tips
- Choose colours with a little grey or brown in them – sage, khaki, terracotta, dusty teal. They pick up the cast in your skin instead of fighting it.
- Optic white and pastel pink often make olive skin look sallow. Ivory, cream and oatmeal do the same job as white without the grey cast.
- Gold usually sits better than bright silver against olive skin; if you prefer a pale metal, try a warm pewter or antiqued silver.
- Olive skin can be light or deep, so look at your hair and eyes too: dark hair and dark eyes can carry deeper, richer versions of the same muted colours.
How to find your palette
Colour analysis reads three things in your colouring: warm or cool, light or deep, clear or soft. The quiz asks about your eyes, hair and skin, looked at in a mirror by a window in daylight. It never photographs or scans your face, and the palette it finds is yours to keep.