“You have your brush, you have your colours, you paint the paradise, then in you go.” Nikos Kazantzakis
COLOUR ME BEAUTIFUL
Colour plays a bigger role in our lives than many people realize. A colour that compliments your skin tone, can make you look healthy and radiant. The wrong colour close to your face, can make you look tired at best and worse, “like death warmed up”. Research has shown that colour also has a psychological influence not only on us, but how we are perceived by other people.
Emotions associated with the different colours:
BLACK and CHARCOAL: Powerful, sophisticated, mysterious, sensitive, meticulous.
BROWN: Stable, reliable, connected, earthy, organic, natural.
WHITE: Pure, innocent, good, clean, sterile, peaceful.
BEIGES: (Include STONE, CAMEL, PEWTER, COCOA and NATURAL): Great substitutes in summer for dark neutrals such as Black and Brown. All these tones are friendly, approachable, and non-threatening.
BLUE: Tranquil, peaceful, calm, orderly, harmonious, reliable, serene.
PINK: Feminine, affectionate, caring, soft, gentle, compassionate.
PURPLE: Rich, vibrant, royal, artistic, eccentric, unique.
RED: Dramatic, determined, energetic, optimistic, brave, dangerous.
GREEN: Fresh, calming, organic, loyal, gentle, aware, earthy, secure, restful.
YELLOW: Sunny, cheerful, joyous, happy, exited, inspired, creative.
GRAY: Calming, organic, loyal, gentle, aware, earthy, secure, restful.
You can use this knowledge of colour to give you the advantage in a job interview, addressing a group of people or choosing colours for your company. A word of caution: Colours have negative connotations as well. Red, for example, can come across as overpowering or aggressive. A touch of red will work better than a full red suit if you just want to harness its positive traits. Feeling sad or a bit fragile emotionally? Wear pink.
To help you choose a few flattering colours for you, COLOUR ME BEAUTIFUL identifies six DOMINANTS: DEEP, LIGHT, WARM, COOL, CLEAR and SOFT (Muted). Which dominant are you?
DEEP: Dark brown or black hair; dark eyes and brows. Skin tone from porcelain to black. Your natural overall look is dark and strong. Deeper colours look great on you.
LIGHT: Blonde or very light hair. Pale blue, grey or very light green eyes; delicate, porcelain skin. Your overall look is light and delicate.
COOL: Ash tones in your hair, blonde, white or grey. Grey, blue, green, or clear brown eyes. Skin tones from light to deep. Your look is cool, no warm colours.
WARM: Red toned hair; any shade from strawberry blonde to auburn. Green, blue, or brown eyes. Porcelain skin, sometimes with freckles. Your most flattering look is warm and golden.
CLEAR: Dark hair. Bright eyes: blue, green or topaz (your most striking feature). Dark eyebrows and lashes; Shows contrast between hair and skin. Your look is contrasting, fresh and clear. Bright colours flatter you.
SOFT/MUTED: Dark blonde or light brown hair. Eyes are soft and muted whether blue, brown, hazel or green. Little contrast between hair, eyes, and skin. Overall colouring is medium; bright colours will wash you out. Your best look is soft/ muted colours; tone-on-tone, rather than contrast.
Colour me Beautiful uses the widely accepted Munsell system of colour measurement. When describing a colour, the following aspects can be referred to: Hue (Undertone) warm or cool; Value (Depth) lightness or darkness; and Chroma (Clarity) brightness. The colour red, for example, can be a warm red when adding some yellow to the colour, but when adding a little blue to red, it will make the colour a cool red.
The right colour can give you a confidence boost or light up your mood, so why not make use of this fact? Enjoy playing and experimenting with colour; with your clothes, in your home and in your business.
Picture credits:
1.Colour me Younger; Veronique Henderson & Pat Henshaw with colourmebeautiful
2. Colour me Slimmer; Pat Henshaw & Veronique Henderson with colourmebeautiful