It’s National Wear Red Day today, in aid of the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (click here for more details and to donate) and Valentine’s Day is literally a week away, so what better time to talk about the colour red.
Red is one of the colours that people often express some doubt about. Some people simply don’t like the colour at all, fearing that it shouts ‘look at me’ or can be seen to be intimidating or aggressive. Others, like me, love it! In colour psychology terms, it can be seen as a dynamic, confident, and bold colour and it’s sure to add interest and brighten up any outfit. It’s a happy colour in my book too. It suits me and my personality and it’s fair to say that I have plenty of it in my wardrobe.
So how can you choose a red that suits you? Well, firstly it’s about knowing your colouring type. You will be one of 12 colouring types depending on your combination of hair colour, eye colour and skin tone. If you have Bright+Warm colouring (dark hair, bright eyes, warm skin tone) as I do, then a bright warm red will be perfect, for example. If on the other hand, you have Smokey+Cool colouring, for example (with say dark ash blonde hair, blue eyes and a cool porcelain skin tone) then a cooler and more muted (less bright) red will suit you best. If you have real depth to your colouring (with dark hair, dark eyes and dark eyebrows, for example), then as well as some of the vivid reds, you can take the very deep tomato or burgundy reds. Despite people sometimes thinking otherwise, there really is a red for everyone.
One of the biggest things to get right is the undertone of the red you choose. If you have warmth in your colouring, then you definitely need warmer, orangey reds – those that have a yellow bias. If you have cooler elements to your colouring then you need a red with a blue bias, like raspberry or the magenta shown here. (Photo: Justpaint.org).
This makes a big difference when it comes to not only choosing clothing colours, but also your lipstick. So before donning your red lipstick this Valentines Day be sure to check that the undertone complements your colouring type and skin tone.
And don’t just buy a lipstick by simply looking at the shade or trying it on the back of your hand. Your skin tone and lip colour are very different! The lighting in shops varies hugely too – what looks like a warm red lipstick under a false yellow light may well turn out to be a blue-red lipstick, be warned.
The only real way to see if it suits you is to try it on, so I’d always recommend that you try before you buy.
I’m here if you’d like some help, of course: colour consultations or make-up consultations.
Whatever red you wear, wear it with confidence!