Be Fab, not Drab when Buying Presents

Beauty products are always a firm favourite with most girls and carefully picking one out for a friend or relative can be a fun shopping experience. However, choosing the right shades for your girlfriends can sometimes be a risky business. Not only must we avoid colours that the recipient wouldn’t been seen dead in — think old Aunt Maud wearing bright purple eye-liner — you might think it’s cool, but maybe she won’t be as keen! Choose colours that will suit and flatter; some colours make us look fab while others make us look drab.

Choosing the right colour palette makes skin appear radiant and glowing; eyes seem clearer and brighter and will attract a whole host of compliments. However, selecting the wrong colours can make skin look tired or drained, and eyes appear shadowed; it can be a very fine line between right and wrong.

So, how can we ensure we’re choosing the right colours for our friends? Whilst some of it is down to their sense of style and personality, a really good gauge is to think about their skin tone. The ‘warm’ or ‘cool’ spectrum of beauty ensures that we can wear the right colours to enhance and flatter natural beauty and ensure that we all can look our very best.

Whilst this seems like a daunting task to the uninitiated, it’s actually easy to opt for colours that will suit and flatter. Colours are grouped into pigments: yellow/orange tones for ‘warm’ and blue/red for ‘cool’. To find out which colour group is the right one, all you have to do is observe your recipient’s natural skin colouring. Here’s how….

‘Warm’ toned skin tends to have a yellow/golden undertone. Hair can be blonde, brunette or red, and is likely to have hints of yellow/gold or red. Eyes are usually brown, green or hazel. Veins (on the underside of the arm) may have a greenish tint. If wearing gold makes someone look alive, they are probably ‘warm’ toned. ‘Warm’ celebrities include Nicole Kidman and Gillian Anderson.

Flattering make-up colours for ‘warm’ skin tones have yellow/orange undertones. These include; copper, golden brown, pale yellows or greens for eyes; lip colours with a brown base like copper, brick or rusty red, and blushers with brown or peach undertones.

‘Cool’ toned skin has a pink or rosy undertone. Hair can be blonde, brunette, or black but often contains blue/violet/silver, or ash undertones. Eye colour is typically blue or grey. Veins may have a bluish hue. If wearing silver makes their face light up, they are most likely ‘cool’ toned. ‘Cool’ celebrities include Elizabeth Hurley and Charlize Theron,

Make-up colours to suit ‘cool’ skin tones have blue/red undertones. These include pearly and frosted shades for eyes in pinks, purples and blues, whereas lip colours are more likely to feature shades of plum or pink, and blushers will have a pink or purple base.

There is also a ‘neutral’ colour palette for those that fit into both ‘warm’ and ‘cool’, and suit both gold and silver. ‘Neutrals’ can wear just about any colour –there are no rules. So this skin tone is the easiest to buy for!

Some beauty brands have introduced warm, cool and even neutral categories to their make up range. No7 products, for example, include such colour palettes, making it easier to help your friend or relative to look their very best.

Paul McIndoe writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.