Color and Its Effect On You
Copyright 2012 Dianne M. Daniels | Image & Color Services
Color and Its Effect On You
How Color Can Affect Your Image, Part 1 - The Foundation
By Dianne M. Daniels
Image Consultant and Color Analyst
In this special report, we'll explore how the use of color in your personal and
professional wardrobe can make the difference in your image. The effects of cool vs. warm
colors, which set of colors would be most beneficial to you, how color impacts your hair
color and what are the best colors for you (and if you don't know, how you can find out!).
The first part of this report will cover color theory and how everyday perceptions
can be altered by the use of color, which is the foundation of your professional and
personal image. I hope you enjoy this report, and I know this is fascinating information, so
let's get started!
Color can affect your personal and professional image in so many different ways.
The first impression strangers you meet have of you is often one pre-determined by the
colors you wear. Think about the immediate response you have to the white coat of a doctor, or the dark blue of a policeman’s uniform...those are examples of color making a distinctive first impression.
Dark colors may be seen as more credible, authoritative,
assertive and more masculine. Examples here are Navy Blue, Black,
Dark Grey and even less traditional colors like Purple or Burgundy.
While dark colors can be an essential part of any person's wardrobe, choosing exclusively dark colors may lend a more somber impression than you really want.
Lighter, softer colors are seen as gentler, more
approachable, and more feminine. Examples here are
White, Lavender, Cream, Pink and Sky Blue.
Lighter colors bring a change in not just the visual
impression you make, but can also affect your mood
and the mood of others around you.
Copyright 2012 Dianne M. Daniels | Image & Color Services
Color and Its Effect On You
Bright colors are perceived as those that create energy, excitement and animation, and impart those qualities to their wearer.
Examples here are Red, Fuchsia, Emerald Green, Bright Yellow
or Gold, and Sapphire Blue.
Muted or grayed colors are seen as more controlled,
conservative and imply a more introverted quality to the wearer.
Think of Charcoal Grey, Dusky Rose, Slate Blue or a cool Sage
grey-green. Cool or blue-based colors are seen as more conservative, classic, business-like and generally more expensive. Warm or
yellow-based colors are seen as friendly, approachable and more
down-to-earth.
How do you determine your best colors? Some colors will be ruled out because of
your profession. Until very recently, the "navy blue suit" was the staple for law offices, the
banking industry and other conservative professions. Though the rules of color have
adjusted somewhat for today's professional, you will rarely see a ruby red suit on someone
working in a conservative industry unless they are a top banking executive or the CEO of a
corporation. Navy blue, grey and black are still seen as the preferred colors for most conservative employers and those who have not yet broken into the ranks of top executives.
Brighter, more vivid colors have been accepted in more creative professions like
advertising and public relations for a longer period of time. They portray the youthfulness,
energy and creative sense that is more desired in those professions. The same bright yellow
jacket or tie that is seen as normal attire in an advertising agency or graphic design studio
would be frowned upon in a law office or in bank management.
Your best colors will be determined by a combination of factors, including your
natural hair color, eye color and skin tone; what undertone your particular skin has (yellow,
blue, red, etc); and your environment (whether you are on specific types of medications,
your age, general health, etc). All these factors can combine to determine whether you are a
"cool" or a "warm" toned person.
Cool toned persons will look best in blue-based colors like Black, Royal or Navy
Blue, some Reds, clear Yellows, Greens, pure White and rich colors like Ruby, Sapphire and
Emerald. Warm toned persons will look best in yellow-based colors like Gold, Golden
Copyright 2012 Dianne M. Daniels | Image & Color Services
Color and Its Effect On You
Browns, warm Reds, Rust, Ivory, and Spring Greens, Teal Blue, Peach, and Copper Brown.
The response that color creates on your physical person will help determine whether
your first impression has a positive visual impact. Many people do not realize that color has
the power to evoke thoughts, emotions, and physical reactions. Since humans are so
visually stimulated, color is the first element of our visual communications. Thus the colors
we wear speak volumes before we have a chance to open our mouths.
How Color Choices Impact Your Hair Color
We’ll discuss in this section the use of hair color (cosmetic enhancement) and how
the choice of hair color you make can enhance or diminish your personal and professional
image.
Your hair color is just as important to your overall image as the clothing you wear
and sometimes even more important than what comes out of your mouth! We’ve all seen
teenagers with the ‘style of the moment’, be that a Mohawk haircut, a lot of spikes, streaks
and gel that makes the hair stand on end, and wild colors including fire engine red, jet
black, royal purple and lots of others.
First impressions being as important as they are, at a distance, your hair color can
either make you stand out (and not necessarily in a good way!) or can enhance your overall
appearance. The fact that most hair colors are semi-permanent or permanent makes the
decision even more important.
Warm hair colors will be those with a yellow, golden or
amber cast. The first hair color usually associated with warmth in
coloring are the golden blondes. Not every blonde needs to be
golden! There are cool and warm blondes in hair color, and the
wrong one can throw your entire appearance off kilter.
We know that warm colors on a cool-toned person will
cause a drag and dullness to appear in the face. Imagine the impact and multiplication factor that your hair will have on this effect, since your hair is closer to your face than most
anything you wear.
Another set of warm colors are the red hair colors. True redheads often have subtle
shadings of red, gold and even blonde in their hair, which is very difficult to duplicate. If
you are determined to have red hair, make sure that the red you choose will work with your
skin tones. There are cool reds, but they lean toward the burgundy end of the hair color
range and may not be suitable for lighter skin tones.
Copyright 2012 Dianne M. Daniels | Image & Color Services
Color and Its Effect On You
The difference between your skin tone and your hair color creates the drama and
interest in your appearance. Changing your hair color changes the level of contrast in your
appearance and can make you seem washed-out or overly harsh. Your natural hair color is
the best possible color for you, and the one that will be the most flattering.
Children who start their lives with white-blond hair (“towheads”) often see their hair
darken with age, and seek to reclaim that bright color of their youth. This may be a mistake,
because often, to gain a hair color that light, your hair must be subjected to multiple
chemical processes. This leaves your hair much more susceptible to damage and breakage.
To cover gray hair, consider using a hair color that is the same shade as your natural
color, or a little bit lighter. This will give you natural-looking highlights instead of a
false-looking solid color that couldn’t possibly be real.
Cool hair colors run the gamut from ash blonds to the
brown and black families. There are few reds that can be considered cool, and they are primarily dark as well. The same problem
occurs when placing a cool hair color next to warm toned skin.
The skin will look washed out and unhealthy, and will lose that
characteristic glow.
Darker cool hair tones are also those that create drama and interest in your
appearance. Think of the drama contained within Snow White’s appearance. Picture that
alabaster skin, night-dark hair and red, red lips. Now picture her with blond hair…not the
same impact, is it?
Though gray hair shows more obviously on darker cool hair colors, covering that
gray should be with a color that matches or is slightly lighter than the color you were born
with. For those of us who have been coloring our hair for years, the natural color may be
lost to the annals of time. The solution: take a look at the hair at the nape of your neck as it
grows out. That is one of the most protected areas on your head, and one area where a
truer representation of your natural color will be shown.
Once your hair is more than 50% gray, a decision must be made on whether to let it
grow out or to continue to cover it. This percentage of gray hair definitely needs a
professional colorist to handle it, because gray hair is often coarser and more resistant to
chemicals than your natural hair.
If you are confident with your gray hair, by all means, let it grow out! There are
specially formulated products for use with gray hair that will keep it’s shine and color
natural, with no need to resort to the blue hair colors of our grandmother’s days. That is
not a natural or desirable hair color!
Copyright 2012 Dianne M. Daniels | Image & Color Services
Color and Its Effect On You
If you are considering a drastic change in your hair color, I would strongly suggest
you visit a good-quality wig shop and try on some wigs or hairpieces in the color you are
considering. Even better, take a good friend with your (or your Color Analyst!) and have
them give you a second opinion. Though you may have always wanted to be a blond, it
might not be the right color for you!
Save the trendy, bright or neon colors for clip-on hairpieces or braided-in fibers or
synthetic hair for a quick look change without the permanent commitment. To get the best
results with these bright colors, hair must often be “lifted” to a near-white stage, and then
re-colored. This is extremely hard on the hair, and can be detrimental to your professional
appearance as well.
Your hair is indeed your crowning glory, but be careful not to make it the object of
unwanted attention.
How To Determine The Right Colors For You
We’re now going to discuss how you can use both professional advice and your own
experience to choose the right colors for you.
Many color analysts are trained in the use of Seasonal Color Analysis, which uses
your natural hair, eye and skin color and tones to determine what “Season” you fit into.
Since we’ve already discussed warm and cool colors in a more general overall fashion, we’ll
get into more details in this final installment. Let’s begin with a discussion of the seasonal
color categories.
Once you’ve determined that you are either warm or cool in coloring, you’ll then
look for additional cues that will help determine your classification. The Flow Color system,
which I use, gives more versatility to the client and the consultant when picking color
categories, and allows for individuals to adjust their color preferences more easily.
Beware the consultant that tells you that everyone can wear any color they like.
That’s not true! While there are no good or bad colors, wearing colors that do not
harmonize with your natural coloring can create a less-than-optimal result. The right colors
can take years off your appearance, smooth and brighten your complexion, and draw attention to your best features or cause the opposite, negative results of aging, dullness, an
apparent weight gain, or a ’drag’ on your features that will make you look older and more
tired.
The Flow Color System includes three different categories for each of the 4 Seasonal categories. The Seasonal categories include Winter (cool coloring, generally high conCopyright 2012 Dianne M. Daniels | Image & Color Services
Color and Its Effect On You
trast between hair, skin and eye tones); Summer (cool coloring, medium to low contrast
between hair, skin and eye tones); Autumn (warm coloring, generally high contrast between hair, skin and eye tones); and Spring (warm coloring, medium to low contrast
between hair, skin and eye tones).
Determining which of the Flow Color categories fits you best means incorporating
your hair tones (light, dark or neutral), your eyes (bright, warm, soft, dark or cool), and
your personality as well. Two individuals with the exact same color balance and seasonal
flow will wear color differently because of their personality—a more outgoing personality
will wear the stronger colors and higher contrast combinations from their suggested color
palette, and a more reserved personality will wear the softer, lighter colors and
medium to low contrast color combinations from their palette.
There is no one right way to combine color and contrast—only the one that is right
for you. You must also consider your occupation and activities when deciding on what level of color and contrast to use in your appearance. A third factor when determining your
best colors is your personality type—because not everyone will wear color in the same way,
even if they are identically “colored”.
An individual with a more outgoing, vibrant personality will wear color differently
than a person with a more reserved personality—and that can’t be ignored when
developing a customized Image Solution. Color and Personality should be combined with
other factors to create a complete package that not only honors your special and unique
qualities, but shows the world the best you have to offer!
What are YOUR
Best Colors?
Find out today...
Visit us online at
howtoloveyourreflection.com,
then click ‘Services’
to learn more!
Copyright 2012 Dianne M. Daniels | Image & Color Services