Finding Your Best Colors by Nadiyah

Finding Your Best Colors
By Nadiyah

“Do you feel okay?”

Has anyone asked you this when you were feeling fine? What were you wearing that day? Do you get this question practically every time you wear this outfit?

You wake up feeling great. Within a short time, you are feeling depressed.

Again, what were you wearing that day? Does that outfit continually bring out the blues?

These are two of the numerous clues that you may be wearing the wrong colors. Not only can the wrong colors negatively influence your ordinary day, the wrong colors could dramatically overshadow your dance performance as well. To help you make the most of your performances, here are a few questions that you may want to consider when deciding on which costume (or material for your costume) to purchase:

• What colors make you feel good inside?
• What colors lead to compliments?
• What colors make you feel depressed?
• What colors make you look washed out or pale?

I have worked as a free lance make-up artist for many cosmetic companies including the well-known Almay, Revlon, and L’oreal. The most organized coloring system that I worked with, however, is through the Color Me Beautiful Cosmetics. Drawing upon this company’s system of Winter – Spring – Summer – Autumn categories, I will provide you with a brief schematic of how to determine your best colors.

The Categories
Before the analysis begins, here is a brief overview of each category:

Winter – This color range includes the dark, crisp, and icy colors like black, red with a blue undertone, emerald green, royal blue, fuschia, white, and icy pink.

Spring – This color range includes crisp colors like those in the winter range, but is more closely with the colors found in the spring such carnation pink, tomato red, peach, purple, lavender, kelly green, and aqua.

Summer – This color range is involves a blue undertone and is more muted than those found in the winter range, such as dusty blue, pink, gray, lavender, and a muted red.

Autumn – This color range involves the colors most commonly found in the fall, such as golden brown, olive, navy, tomato red, copper, pewter, and aubergine.

The Analysis
To determine the appropriate category, the hair, eye, and skin must be assessed:

1. What is your natural hair color? Is your hair primarily black, brown, red, or blonde?
Does your hair have an ashen or golden quality to it?

If your hair is naturally brown or black, you are more apt to be a winter. If your hair is brown with golden highlights, then you may be closer to an autumn. If your hair is medium to light brown or blonde with an ashen quality, then you may be a summer. If your hair is golden blonde, then you may be a spring.

2. What is your eye color? Do you have any gold flecks in your eyes or are your eyes somewhat silvery?

If your eyes are dark brown or black, you are more apt to be a winter. If your eyes are grayish-blue, then you are more apt to be a summer. If your eyes are green or blue with gold flecks, then you may be a spring or autumn. Greenish-blue eyes tend to work with the spring range while greenish-brown eyes tend to work with the autumn range. Crisp green or crisp blue eyes could either be winter or spring.

3. What is your natural skin color? Are you dark-skinned, tan-skinned, olive-skinned, or fair-skinned?
Does your skin have a golden or rosy appearance?

Dark, tan, and olive skins tend to be in the winter range while fair skins tend to be in the spring, summer, or autumn range. If your darker skin is more golden, then you may be an autumn.

This is a general guide, not an absolute. By examining the combination of hair, eye, and skin color, you will be more successful in determining the appropriate range of colors. Furthermore, each individual has a range of colors, not being a complete absolute winter, spring, summer, or autumn. Instead, the person may be mostly winter and a small portion of spring. Or, she may be mostly summer and a tad bit of autumn. It is up to you and your most trusted friends/advisors to determine which colors wash you out and which colors tend to add warmth to your skin.

The Test
The easiest way to determine if a color is appropriate for you is to look in the mirror. Make sure you have good lighting, so you can trust the results. Take one color that makes you feel good inside and has produced compliments. Take another color that has made you feel or look ill. Drape the first color over your chest and see how your appearance responds. Does the color bring out your eyes? Does the color make your cheeks rosy? Note, how different areas of your face appear warm and healthy. Now, take the second color. How does your appearance respond? Did your skin tone change? Does your face now appear ruddy or yellow? Once you see the stark difference between complimentary colors and the harmful colors, then it will be easier to determine how new color choices could reflect your appearance.

The Color/Desire Paradox
If your favorite color is pink, but you have now seen how it makes you look ghastly, try a pink with a golden undertone, such as carnation pink. Another method of compromising is to place your favorite color away from your face and add more appropriate colors closer to your face with accessories. For make-up, you can soften the harsh edge of the wrong color by blending with a more appropriate color.

To learn more about the Color Me Beautiful color system or to locate a Color Me Beautiful consultant, visit http://www.ColorMeBeautiful.com.

To learn about the color effects on stage, visit http://www.rosco-ca.com/technotes/filters/technote_1.html.

The meaning and influences of particular colors will be discussed in "The World of Colors" by Nadiyah.

References:
Jackson, Carole. Color Me Beautiful. New York: Acropolis Books Ltd., 1980.

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	Winter – This color range includes the dark, crisp, and icy colors like black, red with a blue undertone, emerald green, royal blue, fuschia, white, and icy pink.
	Spring – This color range includes crisp colors like those in the winter range, but is more closely with the colors found in the spring such carnation pink, tomato red, peach, purple, lavender, kelly green, and aqua.
	Summer – This color range is involves a blue undertone and is more muted than those found in the winter range, such as dusty blue, pink, gray, lavender, and a muted red.
	Autumn – This color range involves the colors most commonly found in the fall, such as golden brown, olive, navy, tomato red, copper, pewter, and aubergine.