“What colour makeup suits me?” is one of the most frequent questions we receive from customers. This applies to a number of beauty products, including foundation, blush, eyeshadow, lipstick and eyeliner. Most consumers are unsure of which colours would compliment their skin tone or facial characteristics the best.
The fact that there are now more colour selections than ever before makes it even harder to decide than ever before. Have you considered taking a makeup and beauty course? Videos of bloggers and web celebrities applying makeup using multicoloured eyeshadows and blushes can be seen all over the internet.
It makes sense that you would feel overwhelmed. But before you give up your search, we will explain different colour theories and the cosmetics colour wheel to hopefully make things easier.
Understanding the basics
Saturation
Saturation is the intensity of the colour. Low saturation colours appear softer, while highly saturated colours work well for dramatic looks. For example, you want a blush that is not overly saturated if you’re going for a natural-looking, daytime pink glow. While red lipstick or eyeshadow applied in the evening should typically have a vast amount of saturation. Remember that a colour does not always have to be dark just because it is highly saturated. In contrast to the colour of your skin, it can look bold or vibrant.
Colour & Hue
Colour & Hue is the true colour selected from a colour pallet, which for example could be red, green, blue and many more. You should first think about the colours of your existing complexion. Hair and eyes can give a great starting point when deciding on the perfect hue. For instance, gold and brown makeup usually looks good on individuals with blonde hair and brighter eyes. People with brown hair and eyes look best in greyish, silver, and blue. While those with cool or pink hair colours will usually look best using softer colours that contrast their vibrant hair colour.
Depth
Typically, depth refers to how bright or dark a colour is. When selecting the depth of your cosmetic colours, it’s crucial to take your skin’s depth into account. Because a colour that is too light might not be visible and a colour that is too dark could appear more dramatic than you intended.
It is important to consider the colour of your skin, eyes and hair when deciding on colours that compliment your features. You can either use colours that are identical to the colour of your features. Which is known as monochromatic, or colours that are the opposite of those characteristics’ colours. Which is known as contrasting. We advise that you look at a colour wheel to help in getting a better understanding of the different colours. On the other hand, a quick google search of “complimentary colours” can be beneficial when trying to match colours up.
Complimentary colours and how to match them
Taking a closer look at complimentary colours, we determined that contrasting colours like orange, yellow and gold work best for enhancing the blueness of either eyes or hair. Similarly, purple can make green eyes really stand out. Given that blue is the closest colour to brown on the colour wheel, it’s safe to assume that these two colours contrast really well with each other. Brown is also enhanced when using lighter colours such as silver and grey.
You should choose colour combinations that are monochromatic, complimentary, analogous or split. Depending on the intended aesthetic you wish to achieve, these various colour schemes let you choose between combining opposing colours and harmonising colours. On the colour wheel, opposite colours are said to be complementary. These colours offer a lot of contrast and could help you achieve the strong appearance you want. However, if utilised incorrectly, they may be visually unpleasant.
Generally speaking, you don’t want to combine complimentary colours equally when applying them. Choose one of the colours to serve as your main accent colour, then use the contrasting colour to highlight and make specific important features stand out.
Correction before Enhancing
You might wish to start experimenting with different colours now that you’re aware of the wide range of options. However, you must first take a close look at your face and ensure you’re correctly addressing any discolouration. Individuals will often say they can’t use purple eyeshadow because it makes their dark circles more noticeable. Concealer should fix this. Before applying any type of eye makeup, it’s important that your dark circles and areas are appropriately corrected. This is yet another critical element of colour matching.
You don’t need thick concealer or theatrical makeup to cover discoloration. A yellow-based concealer or foundation will assist in balancing out redness, whether that be on your eyes or on your cheeks. Use a peach concealer to balance out the darkness if you have any areas that appear grey, purple or blueish. This can also be effective for hyperpigmentation. You’ll be surprised at how simple it is to hide discoloration.
You can choose any blush or eyeshadow colour after your complexion is evenly toned and your dark circles are concealed without fearing that you’ll highlight these problems.
Apply a bronzer with a gold base if your face is naturally quite red and you want to cover it up. Similarly, if your complexion is very golden or sallow, consider a bronzer with a peach or pink base. These contradictory colours should improve your complexion by balancing your undertone.
Be confident in your own choices
At the end of the day, it is up to you to decide on the perfect makeup colour. It is important to remember that this is just a guide, offering potential suggestions. This shouldn’t be strictly followed as you are the one that will be wearing the makeup. Feel free to experiment and try new combinations, picking a look that is unique to you and that matches your personality. You might want to try something more striking or outlandish. Mix it up, explore new combinations and remember to have fun!
