Makeup Colors

How To Find Your WOW Factor

The makeup colors you choose, clothing color choices, your hair color, all play into your 'Wow Factor' ...
What is this?....The 'wow factor' is kind of like the sum or total in a style equation, it being the sum of all your variable style choices added together plus what is constant. How everything adds up creates the degree, or lack there of, the WOW Factor.

Constants in this beauty style equation are values in your appearance that don't change (unless you opt for cosmetic surgery) and variables are values that can change. We are interested in making the most of the variables.

One of those variables is color choice...Color is a very dramatic tool that can enhance your unique coloring, show case its special qualities and maximize their impact (a wow) OR leave you washed out. Wow colors are not necessarily bright colors....they are the right colors for you.

makeup colors So how do you pick the right makeup palette, or for that matter, the right colors from head to toe? Choosing the right makeup to suit your unique coloring (combination of feature colors; skin, hair, and eyes) isn't really complicated but it is a process of self analysis...remember though, taking that time can be the difference between mediocre and meteoric beauty impact.

Do you want the WOW FACTOR working for you?

Lets start at the very beginning... The essence of makeup is adding color to the face to enhance and bring greater defintion to features. The better the color choices, that is, colors in harmony with your own individual coloring, or even better, individual coloring enhancing, the greater the beauty aesthetic.

Photo Credit: ©istockphoto.com/Iconogenic

Choosing Makeup Colors- Part I The Big Picture

Is your overall skin tone warm, neutral or cool?

First of all, I don't think you need to be completely ruled by extremes on this matter, but an awareness will help you choose the right shade of the colors you like. A quick way to figure out your skin tone in general is by turning your wrist over and examining your veins. Do they appear to be more green or blue? If your answer is green, you are warm toned. If your answer is blue, you are cool toned. If you aren't quite sure...you are likely neutral toned.


warm red	neutral	cool red

The Red Test...

Here is another little test, red is a color most of you have attempted to wear, whether that is through clothing or lipstick. Which shade to you gravitate towards? Which shade looks best on you? If you can wear them all, you are likely neutral and maybe warm. If the red on the right is the only shade you can wear well, you are definitely cool and will likely have more limitations on the palette of colors you can wear BUT that doesn't mean you can't wear red. Just pick the cool version. Even yellow has a cool version in its hue range.

What tone of color is your hair?

Hair color, natural or dyed, is also defined by warm and cool tones. This is important because hair tone, even natural, can really wash out a complexion and create a dull factor. Also, the wrong hair dye choice can really clash with a person's natural coloring. Hair stylists rely on these guidelines to make sure the color work they do is successful. Make sure that your hair color compliments your skin tone. If you aren't sure get some feedback from some objective resources...good colorist at salon (when salon's have specialists in her color they can really understand the nuances of shades and ideal tones to match individual coloring.)

Don't forget how valuable great color choices in clothing are, for increasing the impact of your color strategy as a whole, and the role it plays in your 'wow factor'.

A great tool for picking your unique palette of colors?

A good old artists 'color wheel' can help you find the right shade of any color you like (one that shows a wide range of hues plus tinted and shaded version of hues...artists and designers use them to make the perfect choices in a color strategy). A color wheel can help direct you to the right shade of the color you would like to wear. Example with red again, to find a warm red, I moved in the direction of yellow from the neutral/ true red shade. To find a cool red, I move in the direction of blue.

Choosing Makeup Color Part II The Details...

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What is your eye color?

This is usually a strong indicator of your ideal palette. As we all have likely observed, there is a lot of eye color variation across the human race, but they are still defined by, warm and cool. Usually, a presence of gold flecks, golden undertone, yellow or green flecks will point to warm tones in general. Clear colors, without mix of other colors, usually point to cooler tones.

Pick eye makeup color and facial color that both flatters your eye color and works with your overall skin tone...warm or cold. Neutrals have a little more flex in their options but the strategy to effectively compliment neutral makeup color choices still need to be there if you want dynamic impact.

Makeup Color As A Bridge?

Luckily, makeup often can bridge some of the distance that can exist between skin tone, and hair color, allowing us to try out a larger range of looks. Introducing makeup colors that will create a sense of connection or HARMONY between color tones will often pull off a look, especially with extreme shades in hair color like black, burgandy or platinum against fair and/or cool tones.

One example of a wow strategy for anyone...

Use complimentary colors to max out the intensity of your eye color (complimentary colors are those opposite one another on a color wheel):

Blue Eyes? Try neutral eye makeup shades of light beige, taupe, warm sandy beige and apricot to daring golds, coppers, browns. You may be suprised...don't forget blush and lip color...cool tones try earthy rose and mauves and warm tones you can try peachy pinks and corals.

Green Eyes? Try light to dark shades of earthy plums and violets to make those green eyes pop. For your cheeks and lips try soft sheer pinks, earthy mauves....or skip the eye shadow and use a black or balck/brown mascara combination with a red lipstick to make those green eyes sparkle.

Brown Eyes? You can do many things but greens, golds, and browns in lighter shades can really bring light and color to your naturally dark defined eyes. Use dark shades for lash lining or crease contrast but not over large lid zones. Your skin tone will dictate cheek color (natural looking shades close to your natural flush always work well) and style will dictate lip shade choices. Nudes look fabulous with high drama eyes, and deeper lip shades will compliment low key eye makeup (as long as you have a good black mascara application to balance the lip drama).

You can also use the complimentary color strategy with clothes in relation to hair... or clothes for complexion and eye.

For example...a cool toned, red head really becomes high impact with a teal blue (slightly green blue) top. If you are green eyed with red hair, try a neutral shadow with plum liner for eyes, a sheer rose for cheeks and lips. If you have blue eyes, try neutral beige, brown shades with a rich dark brown liner, and sheer rose on cheeks and lips. If you are a brown eyed red head with cool tones, try neutral mocha beige shades with a rich dark brown or mossy green liner with sheer rose on cheeks and lips.

eye makeup Last word on makeup colors...
There is one more thing to say before I wrap it up, EXPERIMENT! You have to play, and try things out to really fine tune your unique color palette, which will ultimately help your 'wow factor'.