Day 10, Colour Your World!

Day 10. Colour Your World
Every woman understands the difference between beige, ecru, cream, ivory, off white and eggshell!
Uncover your colours
We’re all born with an intrinsic inclination towards particular colours so the chances are that at least 50% of your clothes are in the most flattering colours for you. You’ll know which garments they are; they’re the clothes you feel attractive and confident in and they’re probably the pieces you receive compliments on when you wear them.

Wearing your best colours empowers you with self confidence that’s revealed by the radiance on your face and the spring in your step!
As the clock ticks, our natural colouring changes - hair goes grey, eyes become paler and lose their intensity and skin can often have a muted looking surface. We need to adjust the colours we wear, take them down a notch or two in strength, especially when brighter colours have been preferred.

Everyone has a unique skin tone. When you’ve established your skin tone and then wear the colours that complement it you are more than half-way to gorgeous!
Although we can tinker with our eye colour by wearing tinted contact lenses and we can play with the colour of our hair, we can’t do much about our skin because skin colouring is genetic. We’re stuck with what we’ve got!
Skin tone is derived from three pigments, carotene (yellow), hemoglobin (red) and melanin (brown). The proportions of these three pigments beneath the skin’s surface determine the undertone. It doesn’t matter what ethnic background or ancestry you have, there are just two skin undertones. There’s warm and there’s cool. Yours will be one or the other.
Warm toned skin has a golden undertone.
Cool toned skin has a blue or blue-pink undertone.
When you’ve established whether you are cool or warm toned you’ll find it easy to determine your most flattering shades - blue based colours or yellow based colours.

Try these tests to work out your skin tone.
The Metal Detector
Put a gold bracelet on one wrist and a silver bracelet on the other wrist.
Which looks best?
If the gold bracelet looks better against your skin then you are warm toned.
If the silver bracelet looks best, then you are cool toned.
Blue Blood?
The veins on the inside of your wrist are a good indicator of whether your skin tone is cool or warm.
Place your hand, fingernails side down, on a piece of white paper with your palm and inner wrist facing you.
Look at the veins in your wrist.
If they are blue or blue-pink then your skin tone is cool.
If they have a greenish tinge then you’re warm.
If you have freckles, do they look golden brown (warm) or are they more charcoal brown (cool)?
The Top Test.
Pull on a solid white tee shirt and stand in front of the mirror. Drape a cream coloured garment over the top of your tee shirt.
Focus solely on the light reflecting on your facial skin and not the garment.
Drape the cream garment on top of the white tee shirt. Quickly whip it off the white tee shirt. (You will probably need to do this a couple of times).
Which colour softens your features, outlines your lips and clears and smoothes your complexion?
Does the white do it for you? Then you’re cool.
If the cream most enhances your skin then you are warm.
The Towel Test
Drape a piece of orange fabric (towel, scarf, etc.) across your chest right up to the base of your neck so the orange colour reflects on your face.
Looking at your face and not watching the fabric, quickly replace the orange fabric with a pink fabric.
One colour will accentuate the lines and wrinkles on your face, emphasize shadows below the eyes or harden your features.
The other colour will add radiance to your complexion, diminish deep wrinkles and make your teeth and the whites of your eyes appear brighter.
If the pink does you the most favours then your skin tone is cool.
If the orange colour makes your skin look best, then you’re warm skin toned

Here’s what to look for when you hold colour to your face:
The right colour:

• Smoothes and clears your complexion


• Minimizes facial lines and wrinkles


• Reduces shadows


• Diminishes circles


• Brings colour and radiance to your face


• Brings attention to you, making your face pop and pushing the colour to the background

The incorrect colour:

• Makes your complexion pale, sallow, muddy or sickly


• Deepens lines and shadows


• Accentuates circles


• Emphasizes blotches


• Can look stronger or weaker than it really is


• Brings attention to the colour making it pop and pushing your face to the background
  

There will always be shades and tones within each and every colour family (red, violet, blue, green, yellow, etc.) to suit you. It is just a matter of working them out.
If your skin tone is warm your most flattering colours are those that are gold or yellow-based. When you select clothing think of the glorious colours of the setting sun - ivory, teal blue, orange, apricot and the peaches, salmon and all the caramels. Golden sunset hues such as rich browns, creamy beiges and the orange-reds will all be good for you.
Aqua, light royal blue and the periwinkles look good on you. Interestingly, people with warm skin tone usually don’t have very many blue coloured garments in their wardrobe.
Avoid wearing clear cold colours near your face. Steer away from frosty colours - icy yellow, icy pink, icy blue, taupe, the blue-based pinks such as hot pink, and black.

If your skin tone is cool your most flattering colours are the blue-based colours of a painterly sunrise. Think of the sun’s cool morning rays as they touch a brand new day. Most pinks and blues will suit you. You’ll look great in blue-greens, blue-grey, icy lemon, plum and crimson, plus all the greys and frosty silvers. Your worst colours are those in the really warm colour range – orange, scarlet, pumpkin, and clear citrus colours such as lime green etc.
Most people manage their colours without getting too lost once they know their skin tone. A personal colour analysis professionally done by a trained consultant will establish your skin tone and identify the exact colours to enhance your appearance.

Here’s the thing: The colour you wear nearest your face matters the most!
Colour carries light that is reflected onto the face. So it’s important that the colours worn on the upper torso and around the face are in the correct shade for you.
Colours worn below the waist do not reflect light onto the face and therefore do not impact on your skin. But it’s not quite plain sailing – the colours worn below your waist do matter when it comes to style:

• Dark colours diminish size so they are slimming to wear.


• Medium colours have little or no effect on your apparent size.


• Light colours can make you appear bigger.
  

Central colours
The right colours imbue your skin with a healthy glow, your eyes with a lively sparkle and your hair with lustre and depth. Everyone can wear shade and tonal variances within each colour family, but a wardrobe anchored with a few central coloured garments provides maximum flexibility to build in other colours.
You don’t need me to tell you what you already know - the most versatile central colours are in the neutral range.
Basic garments – skirts, pants and jackets in beige, white, grey, navy, camel, mahogany, coffee, or black and chocolate coloured fabrics are the most useful. Accessories and accents from more vibrant palettes will add visual interest to your appearance.

Colour confidence
Colour is a marvellous tool. Used to advantage, it hides flaws and imperfections and can enhance one area while drawing attention away from another area. Utilise colour to create clever illusions.

• Dark colours are the most dominant colours.


• A dark colour worn over an area of the body you consider large will make the area appear smaller.


• When dark colours are worn below the waist (for example black pants) and a light or bright coloured garment is worn above the waist, attention will be attracted upwards, making you appear taller and slimmer.


• If you want to appear shorter and heavier (well, some women do!) then reverse the above and wear light pants beneath a dark top to attract attention downwards. This strategy can be used to deflect attention from the bust or midriff.


• Light colours worn over an area you consider small will make that area appear larger. For example wear a light colour to visually enlarge a small bust. If a light colour is silhouetted against a dark background the area will appear even more dominant and bigger.

Six quick ways to use colour to appear taller and slimmer:

1. Wear just one dark colour right through your body


2. Wear a dark-coloured outfit in a smooth fabric.


3. Blend pantyhose with your skirt hemline and footwear.


4. Flow one dark colour up the centre of your body.


5. Wear a bright colour or a light colour on the top half of your body.


6. Attract attention as far up as possible with eye-catching necklaces, earrings, neckwear, eyewear, lipstick and hair colour.

Six ways to appear shorter and heavier:

1. Break your height with horizontal bands of colour.


2. Wear a dark colour above your waist and a light colour below.


3. Wear light colours and bright colours all over.


4. Wear large bright patterns.


5. Wear a brighter colour below the waist.


6. Attract attention downward with borders on skirts and details on footwear.
   

Universal Colours
Universal colours are colours that contain equal amounts of cool and warm elements.
They flatter everyone. There are dozens of universal colours and they’re found in the stores every season.

The most common universal colours are denim blue, aqua, chocolate, warm pink, watermelon red, silk white, medium charcoal, plum and teal blue.

Aqua is by far the most useful universal colour for those of us in our summer years. (Well, no one wants to be in their autumn years do they?)
Aqua is perceived as youthful, it’s the best friend we have on the colour wheel! It’s the colour that suits all skin tones and complexions; it complements and coordinates with most other colours and it tones with everything else. Aqua looks amazing when teamed with russet or chocolate and makes a zingy and youthful statement when it is teamed with orange accessories. Aqua evokes feelings of freshness and vigour, and when we wear aqua we actually feel vital and healthy.
Wear aqua with white, amethyst or mint for a soft and refreshing affect.

Don’t confuse aqua and turquoise, aqua is bluey/green (more blue than green), turquoise is green/blue (70% green, 30% blue) and tends to give off elderly vibes!
In corporate or professional situations tone down aqua a notch or two by using neutral colours such as stone, cream or chocolate to complement it and thus enabling you to still wear it successfully.

Menopausal colours
They are Doomsday aren’t they? But how do we recognise them? It’s easy actually - menopausal colours are dusty and greyed colours. They have names like dusty rose, soft lilac and eau de nil, colour names we traditionally associate with elderly women. Every season they make the rounds and can present themselves as the bain of our lives.
However, musty and dusty colours can be useful, so don’t disregard them all together. They can be successfully used to soften and tone down colours that have become too bright for mature complexions. When combined in a pattern with other clearer colours, provided it is not the dominant colour, the menopausal colour is often barely noticeable. If it is solid, and in a very trendy, not too young, not too old, current style (a big ask!) a muted, dusty or greyed menopausal colour can be very wearable. Having said that, in the interests of our youthful persona it’s better to steer away from these stereotypical colours when given the choice!
Some of us gravitate naturally toward muted colours because these are the colours that suit us best. If this is you, that’s fine, wear the muted colours in current styles with confidence and panache. There is a difference between muted colours and dusty/greyed colours.
Try teaming muted colours with strong, clear accent colours for a youthful look.
Here’s how:
Wear a stone coloured jacket (muted colour) over a watermelon coloured top (accent colour) with a pair of rich chocolate pants (universal basic colour) and accessorize with a multi-toned scarf in stone, chocolate and watermelon (stronger, accent colours) to blend all the shades together.
Or take the same stone coloured jacket, throw it over a gorgeous classic periwinkle blue sweater, pull on a pair of dark pants (black, charcoal or dark blue denim) and add a funky, chunky metallic necklace. Youthful and polished!
In the navy
How often do we read in the fashion magazines that “Navy is the new black”? Well, I have to tell you that navy is not the new black! And it won’t be for a long time. Navy is the new menopausal colour. Yes, navy! That old faithful dark blue garment we trot out when we’re in doubt what to wear is actually on the top of the menopausal colour list! Younger people perceive navy as old fashioned and dated; it’s the colour they associate with their parents, grandparents, teachers and the elderly.

There was a column in The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper written by journalist Lisa Pryor who had observed an altercation on a bus. While the nature of the encounter was trivial – someone made calls on his mobile phone thereby irritating another passenger - the stereotypical descriptions are interesting:
“One of the nattering women, in navy cardigan and reading glasses, looked at the guy and started berating him.”
And there we have it, a triple menopausal whammy! The navy colour, the cardigan and the reading glasses all place the protagonist in the mature age group. We know what was happening! And it definitely was not youthful!

Dark blue (navy) denim jeans are seen as timeless, which is just as well as dark blue denim is the most flattering coloured jeans we can put on!
Apart from being a strong universal colour and suiting most people, navy coordinates with most other colours and this is the reason that universally it is the most prevalent uniform colour.
Update the navy garments kicking around in your wardrobe and wear them in a modern way.

Here’s some ideas:

• Navy works well with other dark colours.


• Uplift and intensify a navy skirt with a pair of burgundy coloured boots or highlight a navy summer dress with a pair of blue sandals in a bright shade.


• Avoid the cliché of navy and white unless you are a sailor.


• Avoid the next cliché of navy, white and red unless you are a French sailor!


• Could you slip a slim tan coloured woven leather belt around the waistband of a navy skirt?


• A gorgeous garnet coloured top gives navy pants understated, low contrast elegance and a new lease on life.


• How about wearing a shiny emerald shirt beneath a classic navy jacket? If the old rhyme ‘Blue and green should never be seen, except upon a fairy queen’ rings true for you, then remember you are The Fairy Queen!

Black Magic
Black is the most misused, misunderstood colour of all. It is not considered to be a universal colour nor is it known as a menopausal colour. In fact black is not actually a colour, like white, it is the absence of colour!
Black makes us feel slimmer, taller and more chic, but as we mature black also has the power to drain our faces of colour and throw cruel shadows that emphasize our lines. This is because black reflects little, if any light.
Black is proclaimed to be the king of the fashion industry. It is a perennial favourite and seen everywhere every fashion season. Black does not suit everybody, and it does few favours to women over 35.
Black has made us lazy; we throw on a black garment when we can’t decide what to wear. We’ve fallen into the habit of considering black to be a ‘safe option’. It’s not.
Black is not our friend, and it should not be treated lightly.
If you must wear black there are some strategies to help you pull it off successfully:

• Any garment worn below the waistline does not reflect its colour onto your face and will therefore be ok. That’s good news when you consider how slimming a pair of black pants is compared with a pair of light coloured pants!


• The lower the neck line, the less impact black will have on your face. Showing some décolletage and baring your arms detracts from the harshness of black. The more body shrouded in black, the more scary the appearance.


• A soft shade worn near your face counteracts black’s severe effect. Wear a necklace, a metal chain, pearls, a coloured scarf or wear a collared shirt in a light colour beneath a black Vee-neck pullover.


• Introduce a strong vertical line. Team a pair of black pants with a black camisole that skims your bust, and then add a great jacket in a colour that flatters your skin tone. Leave the jacket open. Stylists use this trick over and over again to visually slim female and male clients.


• Take fabric into consideration. Choose garments made from fabric with a fibre, texture, weave and surface that you know suits you. Soft draping fabrics such as medium woven knits, smooth fine silks or matte crepe wool suit most people.


• Brighten your lips. Ramp up your lipstick colour a notch or two more than you’d normally wear (pink of course!) or slick pink lip gloss over your usual lipstick when you are wearing black clothes.


• Wear a scarf or a wrap in colours that enhance your skin tone.

Laundering black garments
To get longevity from black clothes (or any dark coloured clothing) turn the garment inside out and wash in liquid fabric softener instead of soap powder or soap liquid.
Peg them inside out to dry in the shade and iron them inside out too.

Colour strategies
Pink is the colour most associated with youth and beauty; it flatters the mature complexion and looks great with black. The exception is baby pink – it’s just too pale for most mature women and looks best on soft little babies and soft little old ladies. If your skin tone is cool wear hues from the sunrise spectrum of infinite pinks – pastel pink, pale cameo, lolly pink and deep rose pink. If your skin tone is warm then the golden sunset pinks are for you – coral, warm pink, pale peach and light salmon pink.
White is subtly sexy. If all else fails throw on something white – a shirt, tee shirt or a white top and blast up the colour with a bright scarf or necklace.
Team colours that you haven’t worn together before. Chocolate and black convey a feeling of understated elegance. Wear aqua and orange with white accessories for a fashion-forward and youthful appearance, or try putting together a warm and earthy red and russet combination.
Black and navy are another subtle, low contrast combination that is great for casual wear.
Recharge navy and ramp it up a couple of notches with purple. This works even better when there is a high percentage of blue in the purple.
There is no rule that says you can’t wear black in the summer, keep it below the waist for a sophisticated look.
Wear white in the winter. Why shouldn’t you be a snow queen or an ice princess? Mix and blend ivory, cream and white with patterns and textures.
Mixing patterns works best when the patterns contain similar, the same or have related colours. The easiest combination to pull off is two patterns- for example a thin stripe and a delicate paisley, mixed with a third, solid unifying colour. Alternatively mix two solid colours with one pattern containing the two solid colours. Bring textures into play as patterns.
Colour Impact
Colour associations influence our feelings, moods, impressions and well being. Each colour family contains a range of temperature elements and a spectrum of shades from light to dark. For example if we take orange we can start at the light end of the spectrum with pale, icy orange which has a cool temperature and a light shade. When we travel the gamut to the other end of the spectrum we find deep pumpkin with a warm temperature and dark shade.
There will be a colour in each family that you like and look good in.
Yellow
It’s the colour of sunshine and always associated with youth and happiness!
Yellow garments look best when they are made from natural fibres – cotton, linen and silk. Yellow man-made fabrics tend to look cheap – the exception is the universally popular bright yellow plastic mackintosh!
The most flattering yellows are pale and slightly muted – maize, butter, and banana, and when these yellows are teamed with aqua and ivory, or soft apricot and pale pink they have a shimmery gelato effect.
Choice of shade is important when it comes to yellow; it works really well as a companion colour when it is coordinated with lilac, black, taupe, white, orange or grey. Yellow is a great casual colour.
Stronger yellows – gold and buttercup demand hot intense coordinates such as tobacco, burnt orange or lipstick red.
Yellow and black are by far the strongest attention attracting combination you can wear, but if you wear yellow and black stripes you’ll look like a bumble bee!
Green
Considered to be a healing colour, green is the colour that is easiest on the eye. We instinctively turn to green if we are stressed or suffering from emotional trauma,
It is the colour known to ground (or anchor) our feelings and emotions.
Green elicits feelings of youthfulness, relaxation and balance.
The most attractive green garments are made from natural fibres – wool, cotton, linen and silk.
Dark green garments can successfully replace black garments in your wardrobe.
Try switching up your wardrobe and wearing some unusual combinations for a change– dark racing green with sea green, purple and mustard, or go for big impact and team emerald green with lime, turquoise and purple! Looks fabulous, and why not?
Blue
The most loved and most worn of all the colours, versatile blue flits effortlessly from day to night and from casual to formal.
Think of the colours of the sea when you are coordinating several blues. Recall images of a warm tropical lagoon - turquoise, periwinkle, sky blue and navy, to the chilly waters of Antarctica – dove grey, white, pewter and ice blue.
Blue is the colour of loyalty, faithfulness, top prizes (blue ribbon), and love; which is why the traditional bride carries ‘something blue’ on her wedding day.
Blues look clean and fresh when they are coordinated with white; they look rich when they are combined with cream.
Pale to mid blues do not look as good when they are teamed with black.
Purple
Purple is the colour we associate with people we consider to be sexy, powerful, passionate, wealthy, sophisticated and spiritual.
Purple is the regal colour of bishops and kings.
Find the purple that is yours and work it into your wardrobe.
Purple is more rare and royal than navy although the two colours together form an elegant alliance. It has great feminine appeal when it’s coordinated with garments in the pink family.
Purple takes on a mystical air when it is teamed with neutral, conservative colours such as stone.
Purple stands alone well – a solid purple dress for example looks fantastic on its own. Carefully chosen accessories in olive, burgundy or deep green bring an earthy sexiness to this most royal of colours.
A dash of black, or green-turquoise, grey or khaki dresses purple up.
Fuchsia, orange and strong pinks add zing.
Brown
Bringing warmth to every colour it is combined with, brown relies on fabulous fabrics and textures to reveal its beauty; otherwise it can be bland and boring.
Use dark brown (chocolate) to replace black in your wardrobe.
Brown has a more casual and more comfortable feel than black, and it is kinder to the mature complexion.
Brown and black are a subtle combination. Brown coordinates and pulls together all the earthy colours, plus the orangey autumn colours, and purple, raspberry and beige.
When it’s mixed with green, grey or tomato red brown takes on a smart appearance.
Red
Red is the strongest, most radiant and dynamic of all the colours, a little red in clothing can go a long way. It is considered the most energetic colour; red demands attention.
Not surprisingly red is the preferred colour of the economically stable, the secure and the risk takers!
Red harmonizes surprisingly beautifully with light pink and light yellow and it adds a touch of sophistication to pink and grey combinations.
Wear it at full blast with pink, orange, tobacco and fuchsia.
Pink
Universally symbolizing love and beauty, pink elicits feelings of calm, relaxation, kindness, consideration, acceptance and contentment.
Pink is used as an appetite suppressant in diet therapy.
Navy and brown garments take on a sophisticated edge when they are teamed with pink.
A combination of pink and magenta, fuchsia or aqua looks fantastic; pink can be overpowering when it is worn alone, but when pink is teamed with orange-red and watermelon it fires hot and sexy!
Orange
Orange is always considered a young colour, and is usually associated with youth, energy and fun.
If your skin tone is cool and you love orange try the tamarillo shades, or wear pale apricot or peach accessories to add orangey hints to your outfit.
If your skin is warm toned, if you are olive or sun-bronzed, any orange will totally be your colour so go for it!

That's it for colour! Coming next is Day 11. Define Your Style. There is a lengthy piece on Jeans Genius - how to identify the perfect pair of jeans and five suggestions to wear a denim jacket. We look at mixing styles up - it's so easy to be stylishly presented when you know what to put with what (and what not to!), how not to look too polished and 10 hot ways to switch your look from up to down.
I hope you've enjoyed colour, if you have any comments or questions I'll try to answer them, I'd love to hear from you. Kisses, Dawn