If you have always wanted to experiment with color but are afraid of looking like a complete clown, keep reading! A basic knowledge of the color wheel will allow you to select the color combinations that will enhance your unique coloring. Familiarizing yourself with a bit of color theory will also help you pick out the perfect foundation color; fake great lighting through contouring; and color correct like a pro!
The Basics
The color wheel consists of 12 hues: red; red-violet; violet; blue-violet; blue; blue-green; green; yellow-green; yellow; yellow-orange; orange; and red-orange
Hue: The purest form of a color (red, green, blue, orange, etc.)
Saturation: The intensity of a color
Primary Colors: Red, blue, yellow
Secondary Colors: Two primary colors mixed together (green, orange, violet)
Tertiary Colors: A primary color mixed with a secondary color (red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet)
Neutral Colors: Brown can be created by blending two complementary colors or all three primary colors. Black and white blended together will produce gray.
Complementary Colors: Opposites on the color wheel (Example: red+green, blue+orange, yellow+violet)
- If you really want to emphasize a specific color, try using its complement to create contrast.
Split-Complementary Colors: A base color and the two colors adjacent to its complement (Example: red+blue-green+yellow-green)
- Split-Complementary colors are also visually contrasting.
Triadic Colors: Three colors equally spaced around the color wheel (Example: green+orange+violet)
- Triadic colors are known for being vibrant and bold.
Analogous Colors: Three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel (Example: blue-green+green+yellow-green)
- Analogous colors are generally considered pleasing to they eye and can often be found in nature.
Value refers to the brightness of any given hue in terms of the amount of light reflected. The term tint refers to a hue that is high in value due to the addition of white. On the other hand, the term shade is used to describe a hue that is low in value due to the addition of black. When gray is added to a hue, each gradation results in a different tone.
- Tints tend to stand out to the eye and catch our attention more quickly than shades. For instance, cherry red lipstick is more striking than burgundy lipstick and light colors are used to highlight because they advance toward the eye. Keep in mind, however, that this also makes the features that you highlight appear larger.
- Shades tend to recede from the eye and make features appear smaller. Dark colors are used to contour because they create a sense of depth.
In general, warm colors, such as red, orange, and yellow are also thought to advance toward the eye. Cool colors, such as blue, green, and violet, are said to recede.
Color Theory in Practice
Foundation
Regardless of you skin color, its undertones will generally fall into one of three categories: warm, cool, or neutral. To determine your undertone, try the vein test. In natural lighting, take a look at the veins on the underside of your wrist. If your veins look blue/purple, you have a cool undertone and your skin likely appears pinkish. Are your veins green/olive? Your undertone is warm and your skin likely appears slightly yellowish. If you seem to have a mixture of these vein colors, then you have a neutral undertone.
Now that you know your undertone, the next time that you shop for foundation you can quickly eliminate the colors that won't match your undertone. Some brands use a lettering scheme (C, W, or N) to designate the undertones of their foundations. Even when brands don’t make it that easy, the name of the foundation will often gives you a clue about the undertone. Shades like golden tan and beige often have warm undertones; porcelain, rose, and cocoa generally have cool undertones; while ivory, buff, and nude are usually neutral.
Concealer
Just as you should select a foundation that matches your skin’s undertone, the same strategy should be put to use with concealer. However, if you are really looking to amp up your concealing power, try out the color correcting trend. Correcting entails using a complementary color, opposites on the color wheel, to cancel out the unwanted color. For instance, to make my blueish-purple undereye circles vanish, I would apply an orangey-yellow corrector. For a red blemish, try a green corrector underneath your concealer.
Blush
To achieve a natural flush, stick to blush colors that have the same undertone as your skin. If you’re cool toned, blueish pinks will look wonderful on you. If have a warm undertone, you will look stunning in peach or coral shades. Neutral? Choose whatever your heart desires!
Bronzer/Contour
As the goal of bronzer is to fake a natural tan, stick to warm-toned shades. On the other hand, contouring is about creating depth by mimicking natural shadows. Therefore, cool-toned colors are best.
Eyes
Complementary colors that contrast with your eye color will make them pop! A rich, coppery bronze looks breathtaking against blue eyes. Purples and rose hues make a statement against green and hazel eyes. Because brown is a neutral color, the possibilities are endless for brown-eyed beauties. However, by taking a close look at the flecks of color dispersed throughout the iris, you can pinpoint the perfect complement: for golden flecks, try a purple; for amber flecks, try a turquoise; and for garnet flecks, go for a green.
Lip Color
In general, wearing a lip color that has the same undertone as your skin will be the most flattering. If you have a cool undertone, try blue-based pinks and reds. Warmer skin tones will look great in corals and peaches. If you have a neutral undertone, again, your options are endless!
Keep an eye out for upcoming posts that put color theory to use!
Have fun experimenting with color!
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