Are your color choices in wardrobe, hair and makeup flattering you or working against you? Colors have certain effects on our appearance. To better understand how beauty and color are interrelated, read Beauty and Color; an Intimate Connection first. Then, if you're ready to find out whether the colors you're wearing are "your" colors, follow this guide on how to determine your best colors at home.

Before you begin your "color testing" at home, here are some pointers that will dramatically improve your results:

- Do the comparison in natural sunlight or under "true light" light bulbs that mimic sunlight. Artificial light will throw off results.

- Don't wear makeup. You want to see your natural skin tone and you want to see how colors affect your complexion.

- If you color your hair, tie it back and wrap a plain white towel around it. This will remove any influence the "wrong" hair color might have.

- Cover your clothing and remove jewelry so their colors won't influence what you see. A plain white top is best, or cover your clothes with a white sheet.

- If you have a suntan, let if fade. If you smoke, quit! (Just kidding, but it sure would be a boon to your health and beauty!). Both mask the effects of color on your skin.

Ready to begin?

First, hold unflattering colors up to your face. Here's what you (and others) will see**:

- The gaze will be drawn downward toward your nose and mouth, and away from your eyes

- Your skin color and texture will tend to appear uneven, and blemishes will "pop out" (unless you have flawless skin, in which case you don't have to worry!)

- Dark circles and shadows show up on your face. If you naturally have circles under your eyes, they'll be accentuated.

- Overall, you'll look tired and washed out.

1.These women are wearing colors that don't flatter them.

Now, try to find a flattering color. Here's what people see when you drape yourself in colors that flatter you**:

- The gaze is drawn directly to your eyes.

- Your skin color and texture tends to become more even, and blemishes "blend in".

- Dark circles and shadows are minimized or don't appear at all.

- Ruddy complexions look less red and blotchiness blends in, while sallow complexions take on a healthier, pinker tone, instead of looking yellow.

- Overall, you look healthy and vibrant.

2. Here, I've given them a "virtual makeover". With the real women, the difference would be more dramatic, because their skin would "react" to the new colors!

**Note: If you're a heavy smoker or have a suntan, these effects will be harder to see.



It's easiest to see these changes happening if you overlap a "bad" and "good" color and then rapidly switch them. Do this by draping one piece of fabric over the left shoulder, the other over the right. Then pull the fabric that hangs in front to the opposite shoulder, so the pieces are crossing over each other in front, under your face. Have one cover the other completely, so your only viewing one color at a time. Then switch, so the other color is now on top. Do this a few times,
and as you switch back and forth, you'll see your face alternate between looking "lit up" and looking dull and drab.

If you want to be absolutely sure about which colors are best for you, search for a color consultant or image consultant in your area. These people have become harder to find since the 1980's , when "Color Me Beautiful" was a best-selling book. But they're still out there, and they're worth paying a reasonable fee. Once you know your personal best colors, it makes decisions about wardrobe, hair and makeup so much easier!

Related Articles:

Beauty and Color; an Intimate Connection Explains in detail how your appearance changes with the colors you wear -- both positive and negative effects are outlined.

Beauty and Color: are you "Warm" or "Cool?" Explains the difference between these basic color groups and gives more pointers on how to do your own "color test" at home.

Color Therapy (Chromotherapy) Describes the effects that color has on our moods, health, and ways of thinking

Hair Color Impressions Does your hair color affect the way other's react to you? Find the answers here.