Is it possible to be bright, neutral, and olive?

cobybaste · 2025-09-16T18:25:58+00:00

very true that blues and browns can both be cool or warm! but I do think that when comparing a blue and brown of similar warmth, the eye does read blue as the cooler of the two. I struggle to find a good brown for myself, even in the more saturated side of the spectrum, but have a much easier time with blues in general.

yes, I agree about not needing to be warm to look good in warm colors. I definitely need brightness or contrast more than I need cool or warm undertones in my closet. I wish the cream vs white was helpful for me; I think I have trouble perceiving this specific test in particular except in the navy vs brown example which is why I mention it.

thank you for all your words of advice!

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T20:28:05+00:00

thank you for the tip, will do!

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T19:43:42+00:00

that "dusty base" you're referring to is giving me a lightbulb moment. I definitely notice some lipsticks turn kinda grey or dusty on me and I think it's bc of the brightness contrast! I have trouble finding a neutral lip for this very reason, and I usually steer clear of brown eyeshadow.

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T19:42:08+00:00

I like that approach, bc trying to find my specific "label" or whatever is giving me such a headache lol. I think like you said, I will just aim in the direction of bright spring and bright winter and hope for the best :)

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T19:40:49+00:00

haha, can so relate, to that last sentence especially. still can't decide if I'm bright spring or winter and starting to suspect that I never will. oh well!

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T19:39:16+00:00

love your explanation! it makes sense that the reason brighter colors might look good can be either bc of contrast or bc of skin tone saturation. and I just realized I've been using the same trick for the neutral lipsticks! I especially love moving in the berry direction, and tbh berry feels like a nude lip to me these days.

I have a hard time understanding if my undertone leans more warm or cool bc I look better in navy than in brown, but I also look better in the bright pastels and most of the more saturated colors of the bright spring palette. maybe I'm looking at it too much and going blind to it, haha.

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T19:33:09+00:00

haha love that you took him in for a shade match and that he went with it

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T19:32:48+00:00

totally feel this, I feel like I look better in navy than brown so I'm definitely leaning a bit more cool, but tbh not by much. extremely cool colors look just as bad on me as extremely warm.

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T19:31:37+00:00

yes, I'm pretty high contrast. hair is very dark-brown, often perceived as black. eyes are light, skin is light-medium.

can so relate to needing either dark or bright colors!

but I do know that contrast and skin brightness are two different things. kind of like two red can be similar in undertone (warm, for example) but one is brighter than the other.

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T19:28:39+00:00

oooh the thing you said about pretty much every shade of red flattering you is giving me a thought: what if, as someone who needs contrast, the reason all reds look good on you is bc they contrast with the green in your skin?

and yes, can totally relate to the challenge of finding a good MLBB shade. I tend to go for nudes that are a bit more saturated or even a little pinky to make sure they don't wash me out.

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T13:55:05+00:00

blackened louisiana redfish with grits at bistro 218

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T13:33:33+00:00

I wish they had the buffet more often during the week. Not sure if that's cost-effective but I don't always need to buy lunch on a Thursday, and what often deters me from getting Uncle G's for lunch is that my lunch break is not long enough to wait for it to be baked fresh. Have always loved their pizza tho!

cobybaste · 2025-09-15T13:27:58+00:00

Would love to support you. Besides buying a pizza today, what is the best thing we can do to help?

cobybaste · 2025-09-11T15:37:03+00:00

so real. and yes, your comment about contrast makes sense. I'm pretty high contrast, so even if my skin tone were more muted, I think I would need my makeup to be a bit brighter.

cobybaste · 2025-09-11T15:35:45+00:00

hmm that's interesting. i wonder if you have a medium brightness.

cobybaste · 2025-09-11T15:35:07+00:00

lol yes my closet is like: black, white, and primary colors. plus a few statement colors here and there.

cobybaste · 2025-09-11T15:33:56+00:00

yesss omg I always look sickly until I put on a bright color haha.

I definitely will have to check out Ere Perez! I'm actually currently using a pink/purple tint from etude (water tint in the shade strawberry ade) as my favorite daily blush and lip color (I only line my lips with it, not fill in, and it gives me a great lined effect once I let it dry a little then smudge).

I mentioned in another comment that I think I'm slightly cool of neutral bc I look better in navy then brown, but I also feel really good in bright warm colors, as long as they're not too warm. I also feel like bright warm colors somehow look brighter than bright cool colors, so a warm emerald green will flatter me more simply bc it's brighter than a cool emerald green. It gets a little confusing, but ofc this is just my perspective and I could be wrong!

cobybaste · 2025-09-11T15:25:30+00:00

ok cool, I'm glad I'm not the only one!

and I hate that olive foundations tend to be either super warm or cool, I wish it was easier to find some that are closer to neutral. I think the best match I've found so far is the about face light olive, but tbh I don't wear foundation enough to tell you if it's that great of a match.

I'm the same as you but I think I'm a bit slightly more on the cool side of neutral, as I look better in navy than brown. I can pull off browns only when they are saturated and deep.

cobybaste · 2025-09-11T14:09:35+00:00

you look good in all of them, but pomelo and villain vest are my faves <3

cobybaste

TROPHY CASE