Tone, Undertone, and Overtone: The Key Differences You Need to Know

We’ve explored skin, hair, and more in our Colour Analysis Series to find your perfect colours. Now, let’s dive into three important terms: tone, undertone, and overtone. These words can be confusing, but they’re key to understanding how colours work for you.

Tone, undertone, and overtone help us figure out which colours make you look your best. Mixing them up is easy, but knowing the difference helps you choose clothes, makeup, and even hair dye that glow with your natural beauty. Let’s break them down step by step!

Tone: How Light or Dark a Colour Is

Tone is all about how light or dark a colour looks. It’s like turning up or down the brightness on a picture. Whether it’s your skin, hair, or a shirt, tone tells us the depth of the colour. For example:

• Light blue is a light tone.

• Navy is a dark tone.

Your skin tone might be light, medium, or dark, and your hair could be a light blonde or a dark brown. Tone helps us match the intensity of colours, but it’s not the whole story—let’s move to the next piece!

Undertone: The Colour’s Temperature

Undertone is like the hidden warmth or coolness in a colour. It shows whether a colour leans warm (think yellow, orange, or red) or cool (like blue, pink, or violet). This is the secret colour under your skin, hair, and eyes, and it’s the big boss of your colour palette. Why? Because it decides which shades make you shine.

• Warm Undertones: If your skin has a warm undertone, colours like gold, orange, and coral will light up your face. They match your natural radiance.

• Cool Undertones: If your skin is cool-toned, shades like silver, blue, and lavender will bring out your best features.

Undertone is the foundation because it’s always there, guiding us to colours that feel right for you.

Overtone: The Surface Tint of Your Skin

Overtone is the little tint you see on the surface of your skin. It’s not the same as undertone, and it can trick you! Overtone might look yellowish or reddish, making you think you have a warm undertone when you don’t. Here’s the catch:

• A warm-toned person with red hair might have a pinkish overtone on their skin, but their undertone is still warm underneath.

• A cool-toned person might have a yellowish overtone from the sun, but their true undertone could be cool.

This is why overtone can be confusing. It’s just the top layer, not the deep truth of your colour story.

How Drapes Help Us Find Your True Undertone

So, how do we sort out undertone from overtone and tone? That’s where drapes come in! In Colour Analysis, we use special fabric drapes to test colours on your skin. They cover distractions like hair or makeup and show how your skin reacts. Does a warm gold drape make you glow, or does a cool blue bring out your sparkle? Drapes help us see past the overtone’s yellowish or reddish hints and focus on your true undertone.

This method is like a magic trick—it takes away the surface confusion and reveals the real temperature of your skin. That’s how we pick colours that work best for you, every time.

Here’s how these three work as a team:

• Tone sets the light or dark level (e.g., a light pink shirt).

• Undertone picks the warmth or coolness (e.g., a warm peach or cool lavender).

• Overtone is the surface hint (e.g., a reddish flush), but we don’t let it lead.

By focusing on undertone with drapes, you can choose colours that match your skin’s true nature. For example, a warm-toned person might pick a golden top, while a cool-toned person might go for a soft blue scarf.

Start Your Colour Adventure Today

Tone, undertone, and overtone can mix things up, especially if your hair is dyed or your skin has a tan. That’s why draping is our go-to tool. It cuts through the noise and gives us a clear picture. Working with a colour analyst can make this even easier, ensuring your choices are spot-on.

Book a Colour Analysis with us! Our experts will use drapes to find your perfect colours. Visit our website to book your session and step into a world of style that’s just right for you!