How to Choose the Perfect Highlight Shade for Your Skin Tone

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Published on: 2025-09-23

Highlights can completely transform your look, adding dimension, brightness, and radiance. But choosing the wrong shade can make your hair look flat, washed out, or unnatural. At Venelle Salon & Spa in Park Slope, Brooklyn, our expert colorists help clients select highlight shades that flatter their skin tone, enhance their features, and complement their overall style.

Here’s your ultimate guide to picking the perfect highlight shade for your skin tone.


1. Determine Your Skin Undertone

Before choosing a highlight shade, it’s essential to know your skin’s undertone. Undertones generally fall into three categories:

  • Cool: Skin has pink, red, or blue undertones

  • Warm: Skin has yellow, golden, or peach undertones

  • Neutral: A balanced mix of warm and cool undertones

You can determine your undertone by:

  • Checking the veins on your wrist (blue/purple = cool, green = warm)

  • Observing how your skin reacts to sun exposure (burns easily = cool, tans easily = warm)

  • Noticing which jewelry looks best (silver = cool, gold = warm)

Knowing your undertone helps your stylist select a highlight shade that enhances your natural beauty.


2. Highlight Shades for Cool Skin Tones

For cool undertones, the best highlight shades are those with ash or neutral tones:

  • Ash blonde

  • Platinum or icy blonde

  • Cool caramel

  • Soft beige

These shades prevent your hair from looking too warm or brassy and create a harmonious, natural look.


3. Highlight Shades for Warm Skin Tones

Warm undertones are complemented by golden, honey, and caramel shades:

  • Golden blonde

  • Honey or buttery tones

  • Warm caramel

  • Light copper

These shades add glow and warmth, making your complexion look radiant and balanced.


4. Highlight Shades for Neutral Skin Tones

If you have a neutral undertone, you’re lucky—you can pull off a variety of shades. The key is to choose complementary tones that match your natural hair:

  • Soft blonde

  • Beige or caramel highlights

  • Subtle warm or cool shades blended together

  • Low-contrast balayage for a natural, lived-in effect

Neutral undertones allow for creative combinations, so your stylist can design a customized, multidimensional look.


5. Consider Your Natural Hair Color

Your base hair color also affects which highlight shade will look most natural:

  • Dark brown or black hair: Caramel, honey, or warm chocolate highlights

  • Medium brown hair: Golden or beige highlights

  • Blonde hair: Ash, platinum, or golden blonde highlights

  • Red hair: Copper, strawberry blonde, or warm caramel highlights

At Venelle, we evaluate both your skin tone and natural hair color to create highlights that enhance your features and maintain a cohesive look.


6. Maintenance and Lifestyle

Finally, consider your lifestyle and maintenance preferences:

  • Low-maintenance: Choose shades closer to your natural color or subtle balayage

  • High-impact: Lighter, contrasting highlights for a bold, dimensional look

  • Hair health: Incorporate deep conditioning, gloss treatments, or keratin services to protect your color

Our stylists at Venelle guide you in choosing a shade that balances beauty and practicality.


Why Choose Venelle Salon & Spa

Selecting the perfect highlight shade requires skill, experience, and an eye for detail. At Venelle, our team:

  • Provides personalized consultations to determine your undertone and desired effect

  • Uses professional-grade color products to ensure long-lasting, vibrant results

  • Offers complementary services like keratin treatments, glosses, and blowouts for a polished finish

  • Ensures your highlights are healthy, multidimensional, and radiant


Book Your Highlight Consultation

Ready to find the perfect highlight shade for your skin tone? Trust the experts at Venelle Salon & Spa in Park Slope to create a look that enhances your natural beauty.

📞 Call us today at 718.989.9855 to schedule your highlight consultation.

With the right shade and expert application, your hair will look vibrant, dimensional, and effortlessly beautiful.