We all need to own neutral.
By: Karen M.
Tags: Foundation, Colors, Personal Shopper, Fashion, Wear

Photo by Alex Jackman on Unsplash

Even if you tend to wear a lot of colors. If you think of black as a foundation rather than a defining color, you will expand the number of outfits you can create on your own. So, if you are ready to make the break from black (or blue or gray or any predominant color in your closet), break outfits too, mix and swap the pieces around and you will skip a shopping trip.

Black sweater with khakis, sexy blouse with pants, jackets and hills for the evening. Invest in a sweater in the hottest season color and mix it with black. Wear black pants with a bright color t-shirt and sneakers for weekends. Try red shoes or leopard printed belt with black pants.

Color your world and start thinking of colors as an accessory. Many different colors can mix together, they don’t need to be of the same color, they need to tone! Harmony shades and tones work really good together. Use it as an accessory, as a way to add color to all your neutrals.

My favorite combos:

Gray with neutrals (black, brown, other shade of gray…)

Navy with red and white.

Pink, coral and peach are good for your skin complexion and go beautiful with navy, light gray, brown or beige.

Heather blue, lavender and lilac with light gray or brown.

Burgundy with light gray or dark charcoal, and if you are adventurous, try it with skin toned pink.

Black, goes with everything.

Most gray-haired woman hate gray colors, I kind of agree, but you can wear it with flashes of red, purple or yellow. I don’t like gray right up your face, I’ve never seen anyone popping out their complexion with it.

Black women, whose skin brightens when wearing luxurious jewel toned colors and with rich textures like velvet.

To know what colors flatter you, go to a mirror with natural light (or white) and hold various shades up to your face without any makeup on, and compare:

Black vs. Brown

White vs. Beige

Fuchsia vs. Orange

And see what colors make you look more alive, which ones make you notice your dark circles around your eyes and you will know if your skin tone is cold or hot.

If you look best in black, white and fuchsia, you are prone to cold colors, mostly based in primary colors with a blue base: royal blue, navies, black, white, red, fuchsia or gray. Even if your facial features are not a 90% cold, in this case you will look best in soft cold tones with an ash base: pastel colors, lavender, prune, brown-rose…

On the contrary, if you see your colors pop in brown, beige and orange, then you will look best in warm colors with 90% yellow: mustard, gold, dark brown, camel, beige, orange or green musk. But if your facial features tend to be less strong, you will look best in colors with a 65% yellow base: soft and delicate colors with a gold base like gold brown, ivory, camel, warm pink, peach, soft blue and golden yellow.

Now that you know which colors light up your complexion and which others seem to drain the life out of it, please know that you don’t need to match your clothing to your eyes or hair, just be aware of what shades complement you and help stand out more beautifully.

There is nothing wrong with having a signature color, but don’t get bored and locked on a shade, like only wearing black or neutrals. And just so you know, I’ve never seen anybody who didn’t look good in pink or red, you just need to find the right amount of yellow and blue in its tone.

And if you are really unsure about what colors goes with your new skirt, next time shopping, bring it with you or cut a small snip of fabric form the inside seam. This way you will know for sure.

Do you have a crazy color mix, that totally ruled?