When I was a full-time Beauty Consultant, the two most common questions I was asked about color cosmetics were: "How do I know which colors to choose?" and "Why don't colors that look good on me sometimes, look good on me all the time?" The answer is the same for both questions: What is Color Harmony? Why should I care about Color Harmony? How do I achieve Color Harmony? The dictionary defines "harmony" as "agreement". That's what Color Harmony is ... agreement between the colors you wear on your body and the colors you wear on your face. When you're OUT of Color Harmony, the small facial imperfections we all have are more noticeable. These are the days people are more likely to ask if you're tired or ill. When you're IN Color Harmony, those same imperfections seem to fade and become less noticeable. These are the days you're more likely to get compliments. Just remember three things: Warm colors Cool colors Neutral colors When you wear warm-colored clothing, you want to use warm colors on your face as well. When you wear cool-colored clothing, you want to use cool colors on your face. Neutral-colored clothing and neutral color cosmetics can be worn alone or mixed and matched with either warm or cool. GO DIRECTLY TO: [WARM] [COOL] [NEUTRAL] [FAQ] WARM COLORS HAVE A YELLOW UNDERTONE. Remember them by association with the Warm, Yellow Sun. Warm colors range from ivory and peach, to orange and chartreuse, to rust and brown. The depth of color isn't the issue. What's important is the yellow undertone of the color. The strip above shows examples of warm colors, and the graphic to the left shows examples of clothing in warm colors. With warm-colored clothing, wear color cosmetics in shades of ivory, peach, taupe, brown, rust, olive, etc. Or mix these shades with neutral colors (see below). COOL COLORS HAVE A BLUE UNDERTONE. Remember them by association with Cool, Blue Ice. Cool colors range from soft pink and blue, to lilac and mauve, to wine and purple. The depth of color isn't the issue. What's important is the blue undertone of the color. The strip above shows examples of cool colors, and the graphic to the right shows examples of clothing in cool colors. With cool-colored clothing, wear color cosmetics in shades of pink, mauve, lavendar, blue, fuschia, wine, etc. Or mix these shades with neutral colors (see below). NEUTRAL COLORS HAVE NO PERCEPTIBLE UNDERTONE. Neutral colors range from white, through shades of gray, to black. They also include the "true" red of the color wheel and very dark shades of forest green, wine, navy blue, and brown. Some teals are considered neutral since it's difficult to determine which base color is predominant. Once again, the depth of color isn't the issue. What's important is the fact that the color has no preceptible undertone. With neutral-colored clothing, wear color cosmetics in shades of grey, charcoal, or "true" red. You can also wear either warm OR cool colored cosmetics, or mix either warm OR cool with neutral colors. Q - What if I can't tell whether a color is warm or cool? A - Take a piece of fabric or paper in definite yellow and one in definite blue. Put the color you're trying to determine between the two. It should "lean toward" one or the other. If it's closer to the yellow, it's a warm color; if it's closer to the blue, it's cool. Q - Are there any colors that are exceptions to the rules? A - Very dark (almost black) shades of wine, navy blue, forest green, and brown can be treated as neutral colors. Q - Do my color cosmetics have to actually match the colors of my clothes? A - No. Just keep them in the same color family: warms with warms and cools with cools. Neutrals can be used alone or mixed and matched with either warm or cool. If you have a Color Harmony question you'd like to ask, just e-mail me here. Be sure to put "Color Harmony" in the subject line. BACK TO [It's a Colorful Life] VISIT LIPSTICK'S WEB GROUP!