How to Use a Color Wheel to Find Your Personal Colors

Color is the cheapest way to camouflage figure issues. It’s significantly cheaper than plastic surgery and carries few health risks. Everyone can wear some version of every color. For example, everyone can wear red, but maybe not the same type of red. A more muted (think dull), bright (think clear gloss), or intense red (think as much red as one can dumped into a color) would look better on you.

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Personal Color Wheel

A quick way to uncover what colors look great on your is to hold a piece of gold fabric and a piece of silver fabric to your skin in a setting with lots of natural lighting.  If the gold looks better, then most likely you have warm undertones and fall into the spring and fall color seasons.  If the silver looks better than most, than most likely you have cool undertones, and fall into the winter or summer seasons.

If you’re like me, both look good on you, you may be able to go either way.  The only true way to find your colors is to have a color analysis, which can be quite pricey but saves you a ton in the long run.

Your best bet is to find a fashion/interior design school that may be looking for local volunteers to receive color analysis from students. These mini-analysis are usually free and give you a quick glimpse into what colors look good on you.

Why is this whole color stuff important? Because the right colors can have an extremely positive impact on your appearance.  Doesn’t matter if Marc Jacobs makes a beautiful dress in puke green, if you don’t look good in the color then you shouldn’t buy it. All you have to do is open any “In Touch” or “People Magazine” to see celebrities wearing designer items that look like crap on them. Study these magazines, in the checkout line of course, as a primer for what not to wear.

Other Ways to Use Color and the Color Wheel

Colors can also be used to help camouflage and enhance your body.  Black is slimming because it absorbs light, making a shape seem smaller. White makes an object appear bigger because it reflects light thus attracting the eye.  However, all black and all white outfits are slimming because they create a continuous line for the eye.

Color can also be used to create definition and highlight, because the eye will travel to the spot where the color is placed.  To understand this concept, take a red pen and place a dot on a scratch piece of paper and then take a black pen and place a dot on the same sheet.  Take a look at the sheet. What dot does your eye notice first? I bet you the red dot.

To learn more about the impact of color on your personal style purchase the bible on color and fashion, Color Me Beautiful.