My friend Connie recently said to me. ” I used to be able to throw my clothes on, run a comb thru my hair, smear a little lipstick on and I was good to go. Now that I am older, I am afraid I will scare someone, if I don’t do more before I leave the house.”
Do you ever feel this way? You probably do if you are over a certain age.
One of my favorite anonymous sayings is “Young people are works of God and older people are works of art.”
Think of yourself as an unfinished work of art. Your frame is your clothes, hair and accessories like glasses, earrings, and other jewelry. For you to look visually pleasing your frame should look like its a natural extension of you.
You can start by repeating your eye color, skin color, and shades of your natural hair color. Our eyes automatically search for repetition of color, shape and proportions. When you create this repetition, preferably in odd not even numbers, so the eye keeps moving, you create visual balance and harmony. This visual harmony translates as “real beauty.” In addition to your body colors, most people can wear 40 to 90 other complimentary shades of color.
The colors you wear should not overpower you (be brighter than your natural body colors) and they should not be duller than your natural body colors.
Here is an exercise you can do to determine if a complimentary shade of color works for you.
Stand about 5 feet from a full length mirror in natural light (sunlight or full spectrum light). Close you eyes and Blink. When you open your eyes, if you see your face and the color you are wearing at the same time and the color makes your eyes sparkle and your skin glows then its a flattering shade for you. If you see the color first its probably too bright and if the colors you are wearing drain the color out of your skin it may not be bright enough. This takes a little practice
Before I became a Professional Image Consultant and knew the best colors to choose for makeup and clothing, I would look in the mirror and see this pale, tired looking face staring back at me. I can remember thinking even when I was a teenager that I looked tired all of the time. What I did not know then was what a difference the right color clothing, lipstick and blush could make in my appearance.
You too, can be transformed by the right colors. Find out more by reading Joanna Nicholson’s books “Dressing Smart for Women,” and “Dressing Smart for Men,” Joanna Nicholson is the co-founder of Color 1 Associates and I was trained by her.
You can get these books at the library, Amazon or from Leslie Stott, Color 1, CEO, Leslie@thecolorlady.com
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Nancy Goldblatt, “the Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore, is a professionally trained Personal Image Consultant. She is a Color 1 Associate, with over 20 years of experience helping women whose size and shape has changed to shop their closets. She is now offering online consulting to long distance customers. WWW.WardrobeWiz.com. 410-513-9496