Colour can be your best friend or worst enemy. Understanding colour and which are most flattering on you is at the heart of looking your best.
Colour affects you a lot more than you may realise. It influences your choices, what you trust and are suspicious of and what you find attractive and off-putting.
But can you imagine a world without colour.
Colour can affect your mood, trigger old memories, stir strong emotions and be symbolic of cultural and religious traditions.
Your personality also influences the colours you are attracted to.
Of course colour plays a huge part in how you look and this is where you can get into trouble.
Have you had the experience of shopping with a friend and you both try on the same lime green jacket. She looks amazing in it you look like you came from mars.
Not all colours look good on you.
The wrong colours can make you look tired, washed out even unwell. They may appear to reflect in your face. All you can see is the colour of your clothing, not you.
Whereas the right colour will brighten your eyes, clear your skin and make you look healthy. People will see an attractive you, not just your clothes.
Your skin’s undertone whether golden or blue, and your general colouring will determine what looks best on you. If you have golden undertones in your skin, you need to wear colours with golden undertones. Warm browns, yellows, yellow greens, oranges and warm reds.
If your undertones are blue, then you have a cool palette and need to wear blue based colours. Cool reds, pinks, blues, greens and even browns.
There are other influences too, but colour is your best starting point.
Keep within your palette in hair colour, makeup and accessories too to create a harmonious and flattering look. If your hair is fighting against your clothing it won’t be easy to create the look you want.
If you have cool colouring then your hair colour needs to have ash tones or black if that works for you.
If your colouring is warm then add the golden tones to your hair whether blonde, brown or red.
Your makeup also needs to have the cool or warm base that compliments your skin tone.
The more you embrace your colour palette the better you will look and feel.
Once you know what to wear, don’t deviate. Why settle for ho hum when you can have Wow.
It isn’t limiting, there are lots of colours you can wear successfully and they will look great together too.
When you know you look great, you feel attractive, inspired, confident and more excited about your life.
Going Shopping for clothes needn’t be a chore anymore. Now you know what you are looking for you can save time by going straight to the colours that are in your palette.
You will also save money making unnecessary purchases that are a mistake.
It can be hard to resist the new season’s fashions, but if they don’t add to your look, then why bother. Hold out for clothes that will look flattering and complement your existing wardrobe.
One of the great benefits of shopping with your palette in mind is that you end up with a much more expansive wardrobe with lots of mix and match options. When you come home from the shops with a new top that goes with 3 or more of your skirts and pants, and also a jacket you will get a lot more satisfaction from the purchase.
Sometimes you will find that there doesn’t seem to be anything in the shops that is in your colour palette. Don’t despair, you can usually find neutrals, and may need to wait for the next season.
As you experiment more with your colour palette, you will find there are going to be favourites, which are probably your absolute best choices anyway. Work with them. Develop your own look and collection by repeating these same colours. This can save you money too as it limits the number of accessories you require.
You will have neutrals and accent colours within your palette. Use both, don’t be afraid to try the accents. If you have always lived in neutrals experiment with accents in small ways at first, in jewellery, scarves, bags and shoes.
Sometimes you may have a colour that you love, but isn’t really good on you. You can incorporate it in a print and wear it away from your face, to get away with it. This also applies to items you currently have and need to wear until you can replace them. A shirt that isn’t right but that you need to wear for now can be corrected with a scarf next to your face that is flattering
A note about black. Not everyone can wear it, but everyone seems to love it.
If it is too overpowering for you, wear it on the bottom in skirts and pants, and then top it with a colour that is you.
Another plus to shopping and dressing in a co-ordinated palette is that when it comes time to travel, you can easily pack a minimalist wardrobe with maximum flexibility.
Can you picture yourself, standing in front of a wardrobe full of clothing items that all look great on you and work together. What a difference that will make each day when getting dressed and to your shopping outings. You can go along with a plan that will enhance the collection you already have.
You are now on your way to developing your own personal style. A look that is uniquely you, and that will set you apart.
Give it a try, and have fun doing it. Start small, identify what you already have that works and build on it as your budget allows.
You may have a favourite item already that you can build around. For instance a printed top or skirt that you love. Pick out 1 or 2 of the colours in it to add bottoms or a top in a solid colour. You can then add accessories.
Think of your body as the canvas, and you are the artist creating a beautiful work of art.
Have you had your colour analysed?