Wear Your Best Colors
Do you want to look young, healthy and glowing? Or pale, washed-out and older? Color makes the difference. It is worth knowing which colors look the best and worst on you. It will give you confidence to know that your outfit is flattering, and you are presenting your best version of yourself to friends, colleagues, customers or clients.
The process
To find your best and worst colors, you can have a professional color draping with a color specialist or wardrobe consultant, or try it yourself. There are various systems that consultants use, but here is a simple way to do it yourself. Considering first your skin, then hair and eyes, determine whether you look best in black and white, or brown and beige. Hold the swatches under your chin in natural light with little or no makeup on. If a color gives you more shadows, makes you look sallow, pale or washed out, then it’s not for you. If it makes your face look soft and glowing, it’s right for you. You should see your face first, not the color. Compare brown with black, and beige with white. If you have trouble, ask for a second opinion.
Warm or cool?
If you look better in brown and beige, then you have warm skin, which has yellow undertones. Some warm colors are tomato red, salmon, orange and yellow. Black and white means that you are cool with blue undertones. Some cool colors are blues, purples and burgundy tones.
Light or dark?
Next you will want to find out whether you look better in light or dark colors within your warm or cool spectrum. This is where your hair and eyes will come into play. Using clothing in your closet, drape different colored items against your face, watching for the same effects that you did with the neutrals. Keep examining colors when you go shopping. It’s a process, and you will start to see one or two colors that look fantastic on you, and some that look good or okay.
Mix colors for ultimate style
Once you have a start, you will find it easier and easier to know what colors work for you. Don’t get rid of all your wrong colors right away. Use your best colors near your face, and combine them with colors that are not your best. Cool and warm colors can mix well in an outfit. For example, you can wear a dark purple top (cool) with an orange print scarf (warm). These could be prints or solids, or a combination. Jewelry, jackets and cardigans can also mix with different colors or neutrals to bring your best color to your face while giving you a stylish and interesting outfit.
Have fun and keep working to find your best colors.