Understanding Color

For our simple makeup purposes, we only need to understand the basics of the color wheel.

Primary colors: as we should remember from dipping our hands into messy pots of paints as kids, are the most basic colors from which all other colors are created: red, yellow, blue.

Secondary colors: are derived from mixing the primary colors together: orange, green and purple.

Tertiary colors: are the colors you get from mixing the primary and the tertiary colors (next to each other) on the color wheel...

In looking at the outermost circle containing all colors, we can choose one color and go across the midpoint of the circle to the other side, where we can find it's color opposite and complementary color. For example, green and red, purple and yellow. These colors tell can often bring out other colors simply by being its striking opposite.. * think how awesome the color green looks on a redhead and you'll catch my drift...

Taking the information from these color wheels, we can learn about a variety of other clues including our *undertones and how to balance them, *what it means to be cool or warm hued, * what shadows look great together.

Now we can try to tackle these questions with the help of the color wheel.



Now you've all seen these strange color coded things whether they are in a tube, paste or powder form, our faces aren't lilac colored so what are these candy inspired creations for?? Well, you don't have lilac skin, but have you breakouts, ruddy skin, and dark under eye areas?

-Acne, breakouts and other blemishes are usually a shade of red... therefor the green concealor will work to cancel out the red to a neutral.

-Dark eye circles are usually a shade of blue or purple, choose the yellow tinged concealor to cancel out the violet undertone.

** Always match concealors to skintone not the color of discoloration.



Ever wonder if you were a cool tone vs. a warm tone person?? Simply strap on a siver and gold necklace and see which precious metal looks the best with your skin. Usually the silver tone indicate cool tone which means you look wonderful in
colors (both makeup and clothing)that exist on the right side of the color wheel. For the gold: warm tone lovelies you look best in warm tones or colors on the left side of the color wheel. For the red lipstick test: try wearing red lipstick in shades that flatter either the cool/warm undertone I guarantee you'll look awesome!!



Wearing eyeshadow can get pretty tricky given the myriad of colors available to us... using the color wheel as a hint, a general rule (that was made to be broken, as there ARE NO rules in makeup)can be created: colors next to each other on the color wheel fade nicely from one to the next. I like to place darker colors on the bottom and trick the eyes into seeing lighter and lighter as you go up. For example, choose a dark purple hue close to the lash line a mid purple or lilac as a mid color and blend upwards into a pale baby pink. so pretty!!

Until next time, have fun with makeup!