Have you ever wondered why some colours look better on you than others? 

Well there is a reason why and I’m here to explain it in today’s blog.

Colour can be broken down into two main groups, warm and cool colours.  Warm colours have a Yellow undertone, whereas cool colours have a Blue undertone.  When you look at a colour, do you see more Yellow (warm) or Blue (cool) in the colour?  An example of this can be seen in the pictures above – Gold consists of more Yellow (warm) and Silver consists of more Blue (cool).

Likewise, our skin tone has either a warm or cool undertone and that is why some colours work better for us than others.  Some people have a neutral undertone, meaning they can wear both warm and cool colours, however it is not that common.

A quick way to check if you are suited to warm or cool colours, is to find swatches of Gold and Silver fabric and then hold one swatch at a time near your face.  Let’s try Gold first – do you look radiant or does your complexion appear “muddy”?  If radiant, it’s likely you are best suited to warm colours.  Now try Silver – do you look radiant or washed out?  If radiant, it is likely you are best suited to cool colours.  NB:  It is very important that you are in natural day light when trying this colour test, as artificial lighting can give you a false reading.  Look at the pictures above of Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Aniston.  Nicole appears very pale and washed out in the Silver dress and radiant in Gold.  Jennifer’s skin appears “muddy Yellow” in Gold, however clear and radiant in Silver.  Therefore, warm colours are more flattering on Nicole, whereas cool colours are stunning on Jennifer.

We can all wear many colours, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, etc however it is really important that we choose a hue with an undertone that compliments our skin tone ie. warm or cool.  Just as you did the test with Silver and Gold fabric swatches, try comparing other coloured fabrics, to see whether warm or cool colours suit you.  These little tests will help guide you towards colours that are flattering for your complexion.  Try testing the following colours:-

WARM COLOURS                     VS                          COOL COLOURS

Orange Red                                                                     Cherry Red

Aqua                                                                                 Cobalt Blue

Grass Green                                                                     Jade Green

Mustard                                                                            Sunshine Yellow

There are so many benefits to knowing your ideal colours – Shopping becomes easier as you can save time and money by only trying on the colours that work for you.  Compliments will often come your way, when you are wearing colours that flatter your complexion and as you build your wardrobe (around your perfect colours), you will notice that they work really well together and therefore you can create more versatile outfits.

If you would like more information and a professional consultation, then please click on the link below:  www.biddyandjean.com.au/personal-colour-consultation