Colour Analysed Cosmetics
September 7, 2009 by Christine Scaman
I believe that the best makeup is invisible – no, imperceptible is a better word. It should enhance your features without needing to be noticed.
Am I meaning “Neutral Makeup Colours” here? No, not in the sense of the nude or flesh-toned, neither-cool-nor-warm, often slightly grayed colours, that most neutral collections offer. Any given colour is still only right on certain people, “neutral colour” or not. Wrong colours will sit on the top of the skin and look like an island of obvious colour.
In the hands of a makeup artist, beautifully sculpted faces are possible with “neutral makeup”. But I’m neither a model nor a makeup artist. Are you? For most of us, neutral makeup just feels safer when we’re not sure what real colour to wear. The problem is that it looks flat and lifeless.
What I mean is “Natural Colour”. When the makeup colour is right, it will disappear into your skin. It will fuse with your face believably because the colour is already there. That’s the magic of Colour Analysis. We will identify the precise shades that are present in your natural design and give them to you in your Colours Book. Match them in clothes and cosmetics and you will look, feel, and present better. Way better.
What if you knew exactly what cosmetic colours would look custom-made for you? No more hit-and-miss or believing wrong advice. No more having 5 tubes of the same shade of lipstick at the bottom of your purse. No more drawer full of makeup you’ll never wear. What if you owned 3 eyeshadows, 2 blush colours, 2 lipsticks, and a gloss, and they looked so perfect that you never stopped at the makeup counter again? There would be no need to own anything else. With PCA, this is entirely attainable.
Eyeliner and eyeshadow are any shade of brown or grey. That’s it. Now, that still gives you access to about 50,000 different colours, and includes blends with white, yellow, peach, mauve, orange, and black. How do you know which shades of brown, out of a possible 50,000, is yours? Makeup mistakes are the most glaring because they’re painted right on the face. Don’t worry, the answers are in your Colours Book.
You will never get blue, green, or purple makeup from me. You might get navy or eggplant, but in a shade that will not be obviously blue or purple when applied.
Why not? Isn’t green more interesting than grey? Maybe, but interesting in the wrong way. People look at the green line, which demands the spotlight because it doesn’t belong on a face. It competes with what they should be looking at, which is the colour of your eyes. However, if you’re dying to put turquoise around your eyes, the right shade to use will be in your Colours Book.
You will never get frosted makeup from me, with the possible exception of a softly shimmering gloss or eyeshadow highlight for Winters, Springs, and their blends.
Why? Isn’t shimmer makeup pretty? Shimmer looks appealing in the package or tested on your hand. By comparison, the matte colour seems terribly dull. On a face, it’s the opposite. It’s the matte colour that enhances without drawing attention to itself. Shimmer can take over. On Summer, it looks hard because the complexion is too delicate to compete. Unless your skin is as tight as a 15 year old’s, and mine certainly is not, painting shimmer over it is a good way of making sure people see every crease and crinkle.
Lipstick should have more colour than “nude”. If you’re 25 or less, with the great lip definition of youth, you can wear flesh-toned lip colours. Even then, the only women who can wear lip colour that is lighter than the skin are on the pages of magazines. If you’re mature, you lose lip colour and lip definition, and a brighter shade will give you both of those, so it looks more youthful.
The trick is getting the brighter shade that is so right that is matches your skin, eyes, and hair perfectly – and you’ll find it, all laid out in the gorgeous choices of your Colours Book. Armed with the knowledge of your perfect lip and blush colours, who wouldn’t choose those? It looks sophisticated, fresh, and imaginative.
Are there makeup colours that anyone can wear? NO! You wouldn’t decorate a farmhouse and a French chateau the same way. It would look crazy. This is the same thing. You have a natural colouring and design and when you repeat them exactly, your makeup is suddenly striking, compelling, and unbelievably effective. If you wear the wrong shades, it’s like wearing the someone else’s size or style of clothes. The effect is disorganized, which translates as weak. It does nothing.
Are there makeup colours that are shared between Seasons? Now, we’re drilling down to the real problem. There should not be shared makeup. Each of the 12 Seasons has a palette of colours that ALL share the SAME colour behaviour (how light/dark, how warm/cool, and how clear/soft). No two Seasons are the same on these 3 scales, so the makeup shouldn’t be either.
Unfortunately, the cosmetics industry offering is mostly disorganized. Even when you know what’s right on you, it can be hard to find.
Why don’t they teach it? The fact is that it cannot be taught. For each woman, it must begin with a PCA. Nobody can tell your undertones, overtones, or true colours without it. Nobody. There are too many variables and too many confusing distractions.
Once you know your precise inborn tones, you’re no longer going out on a colour limb when you buy makeup or choose a hair colour. You’re making educated choices empowered by self-knowledge.
So, do you sell makeup collections for the Seasons? I did try. I was disappointed with the quality and/or the colour choice. At present, I give you a shopping list of specific products and colours to test. I often go makeup shopping for you.
From a personal perspective, I don’t want to sell makeup. I would like a relationship with a company that can do that for you, that offers all the necessary colours. So far, I haven’t seen that it exists.
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