Tag Archives: colour schemes

Blog, Business casual, Business Dress, Casual dress, Colour, Dress for Success, Professional business attire, Professional Business Image

Why Wear Navy this Spring?

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This Spring Navy is overtaking Black as a neutral Colour to wear for casual, dressy and business activities.  Here are 4 great reasons to wear Navy:

  1. Navy is an easy colour to wear. Most people look great in at least one version of Navy.
  2. Navy say’s, “success” – making it one of the best colours for business. Why?? Psychologically blue is trustworthy colour. When darkened to Navy it inspires confidence and commands attention.
  3. Navy brings out most eye colours. Navy harmonizes with blue in your eyes, making you appear approachable and friendly. It also draws attention to most eye colours either as a contrasting or harmonizing colour.
  4. It’s here! It’s there! It’s everywhere! Making it modern for every occasion.
Business casual, Business Dress, Casual dress, Colour, Dress for Success, Make up, Make Up Tools, Professional business attire, Professional Business Image, Wardrobe, Women

How to Look Older and More Serious at Work

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I remember when I was in my 20’s and 30’s all I could think about was how to look older. It seemed that my friends and colleagues who looked older were taken more seriously… especially at work. If this is a challenge for you I would suggest the following:

Wear darker colours – Darker colours come across more mature and authoritative. By wearing them you might not look older but you will come across more experienced and will look like you know what you are talking about.

Wear make-up tastefully – For those of us women who look young, we tend to look even younger when we don’t wear make-up. Make-up will not only make you look older, but is the finishing touch in the wardrobe package. When worn tastefully, it draws attention to your face and will increase your look of authority.

Tame the mane – Big hair or long distracting hair will make you look less mature, less serious and less polished. To focus attention on your abilities rather than your hair, keep it neat and away from your face. This can be done by cutting or tying it back.

Don’t be a walking bill-board – Although we do want our clothing and accessories to appear up-to-date and current at work; we don’t want to be a walking bill-board for all of the latest in fashion styles and accessories. When choosing accessories for the workplace… less is better – less quantity; fewer details and smaller scale.

Etiquette, Women

Is it Really a Bargain?

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If you’re like me and most women I know, it is really hard to resist a sale. But how many times have you purchased a garment or accessory on sale thinking you got a great deal; brought it home; hung it in your closet; and realized a year later that it was still in your closet, on the same hanger, with the tags still attached and never worn? Sound familiar?

As a certified image consultant for more than 12 years, I see this time-and-time again.

My message to you today is… if you don’t wear it, it is actually costing you money, not saving you money. And that’s money you could have used to purchase something you love and would wear.

In other words – it’s only a bargain if you wear it and love it. Don’t be seduced by the price-tag.

Business casual, Business Dress, Colour, Etiquette, Look Younger, Make up, Women

Why Use Shiny or Frosted Make-up Finishes?

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Shiny and frosted cosmetics have a similar affect to light coloured make-up. They enhance or bring out the area on which they are applied. To maximize this effect, combine the two qualities – light and shine. Light make-up colours that are frosted or shiny will make an area appear even more pronounced.  The facial feature where it is applied will appear larger and visually push out more than when applying a light matte cosmetic colour. This maximum effect will also cause the area around it to appear flat or sunken in comparison. This can work wonders to enhance the lips, cheek bones, eye lids or brow bones.

Colour, Make up, Women

Use Colour to Harmonize or Dramatize

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When applying make-up, colour can be combined in various ways to create different results. Color can create a harmonizing effect by enhancing an individual’s natural colouring. It can also create drama.

  • Similar colours harmonize
  • Contrasting colours next to each other emphasize one another and add dramatize
  • Applying a colour on top of its complementary colour (opposite colours on the colour wheel) will neutralize both colours.
  • Light and dark colour worn side by side will dramatize the facial features making them appear more pronounced.
Business casual, Colour, Etiquette, Look Younger, Make up, Women

Highlight Your Facial Features

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Make-up application relates to the actual structure of the head and face.

The natural hills and valleys of the face can be recreated or enhanced with optical illusions created by using light and dark cosmetics.

Highlighting is the application of a make-up colour that is lighter than the surrounding area. This area will appear more pronounced than the area next to it.

Colour, Make up, Women

Choosing Between Warm and Cool Make-up Colours?

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Approaching the make-up counter can be confusing with the wide array of colours to choose from. Make-up colours that are in the same undertone as your skin, eye and hair colour will make you look healthy and beautiful.

If your features are naturally warm you will notice ivory, yellow, peach or golden tones in the skin. The hair will likely have yellow, golden or orange undertones. The colours in the eyes will have some or all warm colours.

  • Examples of warm colours – peach, golden yellow, camel, rust, russet, gold, olive, golden brown, sea green, bronze, spices, etc.

If your features are naturally cool you will notice porcelain, pinks, rose, blues, violet or olive tones in the skin. The hair will likely have ash, taupe, coco, or black tones. The colours in the eyes will have some or all cool colours.

  • Examples of cool colours – coco brown, taupe, black, pink, rose, true blue, burgundy, berry colours, black, etc.

With some of us it’s difficult to tell if our colouring is warm or cool. Some of us have both warm and cool colouring. If this is the case, you have more options. Experimenting is the easiest way to find what works. If still in doubt, I would recommend a professional colour consultation with an image or colour consultant.

Business casual, Business Dress, Colour, Look Younger, Make up, Women

Choosing Your Colours

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The easiest way to achieve natural looking results is to choose your make-up in light tints, dark shades, and muted tones rather than clear, bright hues. The more muted the colour, the more neutral it becomes.

  • Neutral colours are the most versatile and work well with most skin tones and eye colours unless you are very fair or very dark. e.g. browns, black, greys, tints (off whites), etc.colour wheel
  • For more drama, when working with eyes, choose a tone from the colours opposite your eye colour on the colour wheel. e.g. Blue eyes – coral, peach, pink and yellow tones.

Colour, Look Younger, Make up, Women

Why Wear Matte Make-up

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Matte cosmetics appear flat on the skin. A dark matte product will absorb more light than a dark frosted colour, making the area appear more receded. A matte light colour will appear flat on the skin compared to a shiny, light colour.

Use medium to deep make-up colours with a matte finish on facial areas that you which to look pushed back. This application applied under the cheek bones, in the crease above the eye lid and other areas will add definition to your facial features.

Business casual, Business Dress, Colour, Dress for Success, Wardrobe, Women

Are You Into Orange?

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Orange is one of the popular fashion colours for Spring 2012. But most of us either love it or hate it. If you love orange or love the idea of orange in your wardrobe right now, you may be in an orange phase.

The ORANGE PHASE is a social phase. Bright orange is the colour of enthusiasm and energy. It is emotionally and physically stimulating for the wearer and those who see it.

When wearing orange, it is a time of informality and close times with friends and family. People in an orange phase are open to new ideas and generally are in a happy time.

orange

Because of the activity and forcefulness inherent with the colour, orange phase people can be overwhelming and often appear to take over in group situations.

Orange also represents a most vulnerable time: as the personality of the person is so open at this time, feelings are easily hurt. These people erect no emotional barriers. It is a non-threatening time, and people in this time are best friends with whomever they are with at the time.

If orange isn’t one of your most flattering clothing colour, add a little orange to your wardrobe in the form of an accessory. Bright orange doesn’t come around in fashion very often. So if you love orange, this is the time to wear it in your wardrobe… with confidence.

For more on the advantages of wearing bright colours see “Bright Colours Get Things Done”.