Chemotherapy and radiation can play havoc with your skin. You look in the mirror and go, “Ugh, how can I bring some life back into my face?”
One surefire way to brighten your look is to choose colors that are best for you. A brunette with fair skin, for example, will look washed out in pastel pinks and yellows, but deep purples will make her stand out. A blonde with hazel eyes will appear nondescript in a maroon dress, but put her in a peachy number and she’ll wow the crowd.
Why does it matter what colors you wear? When you have the right ones, your skin tone will appear more radiant, your eyes will brighten, your hair will reflect highlights, and most likely you’ll get compliments. In the wrong colors, you’ll look tired and drained, and your eyes may show dark circles.
You don’t want to accentuate those qualities when going through treatment, so use color to your best advantage!
How do you know which colors are right for you? Check out these paragraphs and choose the one that fits you best.
Warm:You look best in gold jewelry. Your hair is brown, black, red, auburn, blonde, or strawberry blonde. In natural light, the veins on the underside of your wrists are greenish. You look better in ivory than pure white, and black washes you out if you wear it close to your face. Your skin is one of the following: brown (or dark brown) with golden undertones, medium with gold undertones, or pale with peach or gold undertones. When you tan, you look golden brown. Colors that look good on you could be described as “earth” tones. Celebrity examples include Nicole Kidman, Reba McEntire, Molly Ringwald, Hillary Clinton, Kathie Lee Gifford, Jodie Foster, and Lindsay Lohan.
Cool: You look best in silver jewelry. You have brown, brunette, or darkened ash blonde hair. In natural light, the color of the veins on the underside of your wrist is bluish. You look better in pure white than in ivory, and black always looks good. Your skin is one of the following: dark brown with reddish or blue undertones, brown with pink undertones, true olive (Asians and Latinos), medium, pale with pink undertones, or ruddy-pinkish red. When you tan, you look brown or bronze. Colors that look good on you could be described as “jewel” tones. Celebrity examples include Elizabeth Taylor, Jacyln Smith, Catherine Zeta Jones, Oprah, Gloria Estefan, Cindy Crawford, Winona Ryder, Sophia Loren, Michelle Pfeiffer, Meg Ryan, Demi Moore, and Vanessa Williams.
Once you know your colors, you can watch out for them when you’re shopping for clothes and for makeup. Another hint-cool colors “feel” colder. When you look at the color, does it more closely remind you of ice or warm water? Many times you can tell the difference this way.
As for makeup, if you’re warm, look for foundation in light or dark tan (with yellowish undertones); eyeshadows in copper, golden brown, dark gray and pale yellows; and burgundy blush. For cools, choose rose or mauve blush; pearl shades of icy pink, lilac or lavender eyeshadows; and foundations with blue or pink undertones.
Do you have an easy way to determine your best colors? Let us know.
