If you remember your art classes from school you should remember the color wheel. It mapped out the different colors when mixed together. We learned about primary and secondary colors and everything in between. Primary colors, if you remember, are red, blue and yellow. Secondary colors are orange, green and purple. So far that makes six different colors to work with. Secondary colors are produced by mixing any combination of the primary colors. Example: When you mix red and blue together you come out with purple. When Mixing red and yellow you get orange and when mixing blue and yellow you come out with green. When the secondary colors are mixed with their primary neighboring colors we have what is called the 6 tertiary colors. This is where the color wheel comes into play with all the different combinations of colors.
We also learned about colors being warm, cool or natural. Warm colors are red, orange and yellow. Cool colors are blue, purple and violet. Even white is considered a cool color. Neutral/natural colors are tan, beige, taupe and off white. Even brown is considered a neutral/natural color. Now how does this translate into finding our undertone colors and rating our skin tones? Many ethnic women fall into the yellow base undertones which is considered warm. Some will fall into the exotic blue to violet undertones meaning that your skin tone is very dark almost ebony in color. Some will fall into the red/reddish orange or reddish brown, mostly of Native American descent. Not many ethnic women fall into the orange category. For multi-ethnic and biracial women they will most likely fall into yellow/greenish undertones better known as olive in complexion. You are more likely to be able to wear any color because your undertone determines that you are a neutral person. Almost any color will look good on you.
So as you can see there are many colors and variations to colors to choose from. Again, this is why it is important to know what your undertone color is and understand what it means to achieving your unique beauty. There are many colors to choose from in cosmetics. For this reason ethnic women should be careful of what color base is being used to create the different colors in a specific cosmetic palette. Every cosmetic color has to start with a base color especially foundations, concealers, blushes and powders.
Next week we will explore the seasonal colors as compared to being warm, cool, or natural. What season are you? Are you autumn, winter, spring or summer? We will see what colors we should look for with our specific skin tones and undertones. We will also touch on how color affects moods. Even make-up and cosmetics can invoke a certain mood or emotion in someone. It depends on what kind of emotion or atmosphere you want to create in yourself and the people around you.
There is much to address in the concept of color. It's like being your own make-up artist. You choose. You blend. You create. You create a look and beauty that is truly unique. Whether you want a natural, subtle or dramatic look, you are the only one to make that decision. Have fun with your beauty and don't be afraid to try new colors as long as you stay within your color range.
