University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment FCS2-844 Cooperative Extension Service Reali e ty S e - r t ie h s g i e W Becoming Body Wise Color Is Key Each person has unique skin, hair, and eye coloring. Clothing and cosmetics that compliment an individual’s coloring make a person appear healthier and more attractive. Cooperative Extension Service | Agriculture and Natural Resources | Family and Consumer Sciences | 4-H Youth Development | Community and Economic Development Color plays an important role draws. Shade refers to how in communications, psychology, much black is added to a hue. and health. Think about mes- Darker colors tend to absorb sages communicated by color. more light and create an illu- Color has symbolic meaning in sion to reduce size. Tint refers different cultures. For example, to white being added to create in the old western television a pastel color. Lighter colors re- shows and movies the good guy flect light and create an illusion wore white and the bad guy of added dimension. Intensity, wore black. Purple is the color or brightness verses dullness, is representing royalty, and white changed by combining colors. symbolizes purity. For example, the intensity of Each person has unique skin, red changes when grey is added hair, and eye coloring. Selecting to create burgundy. Yellow Orange- clothing and cosmetics that Yellow Determining the Yellow- compliment an individual’s Green Orange coloring makes a person Best Colors to Wear appear healthier and To identify the colors that more attractive. The are the most flattering, a per- Green Red-Orange color of clothing worn son should consider skin tone, can create an illusion natural hair color, and eye color. of size that helps cre- Think of your skin tone and hair Blue-Green Red ate visual balance for color as the canvas or back- the body. Selecting the ground of a painting and your right value and inten- Violet- eye color as the accessory. Blue Red sity of a hue can smooth What are the undertones in Blue- your complexion and your skin pigment? Is it warm Violet Violet add a healthy glow to your yellow or cool blue? It may help face. Although each individual to hold your wrist over a piece of has unique personal coloring, white paper to determine skin categorizing yourself into one of undertones. Keep in mind that The primary colors four groups can help you build a tanned skin is a darker version wardrobe that mixes and match- of your natural skin tone. are red, blue and es on a budget. Consider your natural hair yellow. All other color when determining your Color Terms color palette. If your hair color colors are a Consider some basic color has been altered, concentrate on theory terms. The primary col- your skin tone. combination or a ors are red, blue and yellow. All Try holding fabric or clothing variation of the other colors are a combination next to your face while standing or a variation of the primary in natural light. Does the white primary colors colors. Pure color is referred to (cool) or the beige (warm) look as hue, with the exception of better next to your face? Does white and black (neutrals). Val- brown (warm) or black (cool) ue is the lightness or darkness compliment your skin and hair? of a hue. The higher the value What about yellow (warm) com- the more attention the color pared to pink (cool)? 2 Warm Colors Winter colors look best on Warm colors remind us of people with blue or blue-pink daylight. They include: red, yel- undertones; dark hair, including low, and orange. Warm colors black or grey hair; and deep col- have longer wavelengths of light ored eyes. Vivid primary colors and are thought to arouse the and sharply contrasting black viewer and standout in a photo- and white are suggested. Winter graph or painting. Fair skinned colors include: pine green, red, people with yellow or orange navy, hot pink, and true red. undertones look best in warm Summer category includes colors. Color analysts categorize people with blue undertones people with warm undertones with visible pink in their skin. as Spring or Autumn. They may have been blonde as Spring colors look best on children but hair darkens as people with delicate golden they age, turning grey grace- undertones. Their hair color fully. Their color palette includes tends to be golden brown, soft, muted colors and pastels golden blonde or strawberry with green and blue tones. The blonde. The colors that look best Summer palette includes: laven- on them give a bright, fresh, der, aqua, blue-gray, pastel blue, Your color palette is clear feeling. Their color palette and pastel pink. includes: camel, golden brown, Creating an individual color determined by skin apricot, turquoise, yellow-green, palette is not about coordinat- light yellow, orange red. ing your favorite colors. It refers tone, natural hair Autumn colors look best on to identifying the colors that color, and eye color. people with golden undertones compliment your natural color- and brown or green eyes. Au- ing. By establishing an individu- tumns tend to be red-haired al color palette, you can begin to people or have auburn under- coordinate clothing purchases tones in their hair. Rich, warm, to build a wardrobe that mixes earthly colors look best on and matches. As a result, you them. The Autumn color palette will look your best all the time! includes: dark brown, beige, gold, rust, orange, and olive Individual Color Survey green. What color palette best de- scribes you? Your color palette Cool Colors is determined by skin tone, The blue greens to blue vio- natural hair color, and eye color. lets are reminiscent of the polar Professional consultants often areas and therefore considered break color theory into four to cool colors. Cool colors have twelve different groupings us- shorter light wavelengths and ing warm undertones (yellows) tend to recede and calm or relax verses cool undertones (blues). the viewer. People with a blue or Keep in mind that every per- blue pink undertone look best son’s coloration is unique. in cool colors. Color analysts cat- egorize people with cool under- tones as Winter or Summer. 3 Skin Tone Hair Color Skin tone is the background Consider your natural hair for an individual’s color palette. color. Although tints, highlights, Most people have uneven skin or low-lights can compliment coloring (i.e. darker under the appearance, base your color eyes or freckles). When deter- analysis on natural color. Like mining your skin tone, analyze your skin, hair color tends to your face or skin without make- change due to sun exposure. up and consider the effects of Hair is often lighter in the sum- the sun. Use the chart below to mer and darker in the winter. assist in determining your skin Choose your shade from the list tone. below. • Ash blonde (no yellow or Determining Your Skin Tone golden tones) Skin Tone Effects of the Sun • Golden blonde, strawberry blonde, or red Porcelain Can’t be in the sun. • Light to medium brown (may Ivory Burns easily in the sun, skin may freckle; turn golden in the sun) any change in skin tone from sun fades • Mousy brown (no natural quickly. highlights) Pink beige Tans quickly to a pink tone. • Medium brown Neutral beige, Oriental Easily tans to a brown tone. • Medium to dark auburn Warm beige, Oriental, May freckle but develops a golden • Chestnut to dark brown Asian brown tone in the sun. • Warm grey (hint of yellow) • Soft grey, ash grey Golden brown, Asian, Skin turns to a bronze shade when ex- Latin, Black posed to sun. • Salt and pepper, silver Cool brown, Asian, Color becomes deeper with blue black Eye Color Latin, Black tone when in the sun. Consider your eye color. Eyes Olive, Asian, Latin, Black Darkens or becomes bronze in the sun. can be bright and clear, or dull and soft in color. Choose your eye color from the following list. • Clear blue, green, turquoise, or bright hazel • Grey or soft blue • Hazel, topaz, golden brown, or warm turquoise • Soft hazel or turquoise • Dark brown or rich hazel You can wear any hue. It is the value and intensity of the hue that varies with individuals. 4 Undertones Warm undertones give the References Consider the undertones of skin a yellow base. People with Adler, L. R. (2008). Color Basics your skin. Hold your wrist over yellow undertones are consid- (HR-LRA.148). University of a white piece of paper. Are there ered warm. Those with golden Kentucky Cooperative Exten- pink or blue skin tones? Or is blonde to auburn hair color look sion Service. there a yellow or orange skin best in oranges, yellow gold, or- Davis, M.L. (1980). Visual design tone? Match your undertones ange-reds, browns, earth greens in dress, third edition. Prentice with the following descriptions. (olive, jade, forest), beiges, and Hall: Upper Saddle River, New Cool undertones give skin a off-whites. Those with warm un- Jersey. pink or blue base. Those with dertones and ash blonde or yel- Fiore, A. M. and P. A. Kimie. cool undertones and very dark low blonde to golden brown hair (1997). Understanding Aes- (i.e black or brown), silver, or look best in ivory, golden brown, thetics for Merchandising and soft gray hair are complimented turquoise, salmon pink, peachy Design Professionals. Fairchild by true hues, black, white, pinks, and golds. They should Publishing: New York. and gray. They should avoid avoid burgundy, black, and col- Jackson, C. (1984). Color Me browns, tan, oranges and gold.