Colour Me Younger

Are you in need of a colour consultant? Have you ever had one of those moments where someone has thought you were older than you really are? At a 40th birthday party recently a woman asked my friend, “So when did you have your 40th?” At 36 my friend wasn’t exactly thrilled at the question! Another friend of mine was on an evening out with someone 6 years her junior when a man she vaguely recognised came over and shrieked, “Don’t tell me, this must be your daughter!”

Tactless strangers are one thing but sometimes we do need to take a fresh look at ourselves and see if we can do something to turn back the clock a few years. Sometimes the colours we are wearing don’t work with our natural colouring and if this is the case they can put in shadows across our faces and under our chins making us look older than we really are. The wrong shades of make-up can also work against us.

Sometimes the colours we wear aren’t too bad for our own colouring but we have put them together in a dated way which can also be aging. A more current combination would make us look more youthful. For example, turquoise worn with navy often gives an old-fashioned air stewardess kind of feel but turquoise worn with chocolate brown gives a much more contemporary feel. Navy can be worn with light grey this season for a current look.

If you struggle to know which colours suit you best, why not book a session with a colour consultant. A colour consultant will be able to show you which colours flatter your own colouring, making you look younger, and how to wear your colours. Colour consultations make great Christmas presents for women but if you can’t wait until then, here are a few tips to get you started.

Lights

The lights are the natural blondes. These women look great in pastels and light, bright colours. Most deep colours over-power them and put in aging shadows especially if worn together so any dark colours should be teamed with lighter ones.

Good colours: sky blue, dove grey, light red, periwinkle, light pinks, mint green, turquoise.

Colours to avoid: burgundy, bottle green, fuchsia, deep mustard, black.

Deeps

The deeps have very dark hair and dark brown eyes. Pastel shades can make them look older, drained and tired. Deep, bold shades will be much more flattering, balancing their look and keeping them young.  Any light shades should be worn with deeper ones.

Good colours: black, red, aubergine, dark brown, royal blue, pine green, deep purple.

Colours to avoid: light blue, baby pink, icy violet, light grey.

Warms

The warms are the red-heads. They have a golden or fair freckly skin-tone. The warms need to choose colours with warm (yellowy) undertones.  Cool, bluey undertones will wash them out and add on the years!

Good colours: camel, mustard, lime, orange, rust, chocolate, olive and coral.

Colours to avoid: cool pinks will clash dreadfully with the warms colouring and need to be avoided at all costs! Icy blues, violets and greys should also be avoided.

Cools

The cools have silver, white or ash-blonde hair and pink skin-tones. Warm colours can make them look older and unhealthy and they should stick to colours with a cool (bluey) undertone to look younger and more vibrant.

Good colours: grey, navy, shocking pink, purples, cool reds, blues.

Colours to avoid: yellows, browns, orange, lime and camel.

Clears

Clears have bright colouring – deep hair, lighter skin and clear or bright eyes. They will look older and more drab in soft, muted tones. They need to choose bright, jewel-like colours to enhance their colouring and keep their look young.

Good colours: ruby red, sapphire blue, emerald blue, bright teal, combinations of black and white.

Colours to avoid: camel, soft browns, muted jade, mustard, rust.

Softs

The softs have dark blonde to medium brown hair colouring and little contrast between hair, skin and eyes. Their worst combination is black and white as this is a harsh contrast and doesn’t complement their own soft colouring. Deep bold shades will also over-power them and make them look older. Soft-muted shades work best along with some medium depth brights.

Good colours: Soft teals and purples, charcoal, air-force blue, beige, jade and turquoise.

Colours to avoid: royal blue, black, bright orange, canary yellow, emerald green.

A colour consultant can also advise you on your best shades of make-up, on hairstyles and clothing styles to make sure there is nothing spoiling the new, younger you!