How To Choose Sunglasses That Go Well With Your Skin Tone

Similar to other fashion items, skin tone is one important factor to consider when shopping for new sunglasses. With numerous shades to choose from, it may seem complicated. But what if you could have the perfect pair of sunglasses that suit your skin tone? 

Why Does Skin Tone Matter When Choosing Sunglasses?

Skin tone is key when deciding on a pair of sunglasses; it’s not just about which shades will suit your clothes best. We often take our skin tone for granted, focusing on just trying our best to have an even skin tone, but it plays a huge role in the type of sunglasses that are right for us. 

Whether you’re someone who wants to avoid looking washed out in photos, or you want to impress others with your overall look, it’s worth considering what color sunglasses will work best with your skin tone before making a purchase. 

Whether it’s summer heat or the winter glare, eye protection is essential to keep ourselves safe from any possible damage. Your skin color also determines what color lenses you should wear because it affects how light reflects from your skin since sunglass tints have different degrees of protection from UV. So, choosing sunglasses that match your skin tone can also ensure proper protection from UV rays. 

What Are the Various Skin Tones?

Skin tone is your natural skin color, including aspects like hair color, eye color, and skin color. The range of skin tones can be classified into cool, fair, wheatish, peach, and dark, with the determining factor in skin color being melanin or skin pigment. Different people have varying degrees of melanin, which determines how dark or light their skin is. 

Skin tone varies from person to person since it’s a factor of ethnicity (i.e., Asian, African American, Caucasian, mixed race, etc.), location (different parts of the world mean different levels of sun exposure), and amount of melanin or pigment in your skin (people have different amounts of pigment, but someone with darker skin will have more).

No matter what ethnicity or culture you belong to, you will find a variety of skin tones in your community. Despite the skin tone color categories mentioned above, there is not a ‘fixed’ category but a diverse color spectrum that’s inclusive of each individual. 

How To Determine Your Skin Tone

An individual’s skin tone is determined by the balance of cool and warm colors in their skin. When it comes to skin color, three main types cover a wide range of skin tones: light, medium, and dark. 

However, we also need to consider undertones, which are a little more complicated. Undertone concerns the reflection of red, yellow, green, or blue hues under the surface of your skin, and they’re generally classified into three main categories: 

• Warm undertones have a pink or yellowish hue, giving off a warmer feel.

• Cool undertones have more green and blue tones, giving off a pale or cold-hued appearance.

• Neutral undertones are warm and cool tones, resulting in an olive-like glow.

The easiest way to determine skin tone is through visual analysis. First, clean your face of any makeup and ensure you’re in a natural-lit room, then look at your skin in the light. What does it look like?

• Peach skin tone – If you have a light complexion with warm undertones and a cool, pinky-red undertone.

• Wheatish skin tone – If you have a light complexion with an olive or golden undertone.

• Cool skin tone – If you have a yellow or pink undertone and usually burn easily under the sun. 

• Fair skin tone – If you’re pale with very little pigmentation and notice that your face turns red with prolonged exposure to the sun.

• Dark skin tone – If you have a deeper complexion with rich pigment ranging from medium to dark brown. 

To select the perfect sunglasses that complement your skin tone, find a color that flatters your complexion instead of contrasting it. You want something that blends in just enough with your skin tone but is also, in a sense, strikingly interesting to highlight your features. 

Not quite sure how to achieve this? No worries, as we have detailed the best colors that suit your unique skin tone!

Sunglasses for Cool Skin Tones

Cool skin tones usually carry blue-based undertones like pink, purple, or blue. Cool skin-toned individuals don’t have to worry too much about matching their skin tone with their frames, but some shades stand out.

For example, gray is a neutral color that goes with any type of complexion, and it will work for any season and look good with many different clothing colors. Blue, pink, green, and purple frames also complement cool skin tones and can be mixed and matched with various clothing items.

Sunglasses for Fair Skin Tones

People with fair skin tone have little or no melanin in their skin cells and are on the lighter end of the spectrum. This tone typically ranges from a light peach to pale gold in color. The best sunglasses frames that suit fair skin tones are gold frame sunglasses. They’re light in color and have a deep brown tint that matches light-colored hair well. Soft or pastel colors like rose pink can bring warmth to fair skin tones, especially if you have a cool undertone.

Sunglasses for Wheatish Skin Tones

Wheatish skin describes a light brown skin tone with moderate yellow pigment. If you have a wheatish skin tone, brown or gold frames are the most stylish shades of frames you could select. This frame will contrast with your warm complexion and draw attention to your features. Cool colors such as lavender, lilac, light pink, ice blue, and darker shades of blue tend to look sallow in people with a wheatish skin tone. 

Sunglasses for Peach Skin Tones

Peach skin tone is created through a mix of white and a dash of yellow, resulting in cool and warm undertones. The best colors for peach skin tone are coordinated with a light hue and neutral base, making your complexion pop while still blending in with your skin color. 

For example, a dark brown frame can create an illusion that you’re not wearing glasses due to its organic look, which blends in well with the natural tones of your skin. Lighter shades of blue, orange, yellow, and white are perfect for a peachy skin tone, and darker shades of brown, green, and black also work well.

Sunglasses for Dark Skin Tones

A dark skin tone is a skin color with a deep brown pigmentation, and hues can vary from light brown to vibrant black. The best sunglasses colors for dark skin tones tend to be brown or black frames since these shades bring out the complexion’s natural beauty. However, if you don’t like wearing black-frame sunglasses but still want your face to look more appealing, try a tortoiseshell frame instead.

Closing Thoughts

Choosing the right sunglasses for your skin tone can be daunting, with seemingly endless choices. However, it’s smooth sailing once you determine your skin tone, and sunglasses will no longer be a mere accessory but will accentuate your features and beauty. 

At the end of the day, the variety of our beautiful complexions allows us to experiment with different colors, so remember that you can always strut any colors or styles that inspire self-confidence.

Love Evie? Sign up for our newsletter and get curated content weekly!