Many of the clients that I work with reveal that even if they have a streamlined wardrobe comprised of only things that they actually wear, that their collection of lipsticks often goes unedited, sometimes for years. In fact, in many cases the collection expands each season, mostly purchased in the trial-and-error phase that happens after a perfect shade is discontinued or acquired to help a not-so-great color in the closet look better.
This spring, I ask that you rid yourself of the lipsticks that do not illuminate you. Just like when you dress from your closet, all of the choices in front of you should offer possibility, and never regret!
Here goes:
Open up your lipstick drawer, and start by tossing any lipsticks that you have not worn in a year or more. Then, in good natural light, test each of the remaining ones in the palm of your hand. Are any of them making the tones of your hand imbalanced and uneven? Those are the next to go. Then once you have edited, try each of the remaining ones on your lips. This is the tough part, as many in a moment like this only focus on the lipstick color and decide whether they like it or not. I want you to start there, but to take into account whether the color connects with your skin, eyes and hair. The effect of a good lipstick is not to just make the lips pop, but be part of a palette of colors that thoroughly illuminates you. In other words, think of yourself as the subject of a great master portrait, and your lipstick as well as all of your makeup and colors that you wear in clothing should showcase you!
And now, though the selection may be small, your lipstick drawer offers you possibility to feel like the best version of you each and every time you apply your makeup!
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After discovering your True Colors, it is time to discover your Archetype!
When I was first studying color and style, the four seasons approach had just come into vogue.
I loved the four seasons approach, but to me, it was incomplete. How could you confuse the rusty brick and oyster of an Antique Winter with the bright blue-red and alabaster of a Classic Winter, or mistake the deep teals and burnt rose tones of a Dusky Summer for the sky blues and gentle aquamarinesof an Iridescent Summer? I could see significant variations within each season, subtypes whose color choices differed from one another, often quite dramatically.
For example, both the Vital Spring and the Tawny Spring partake of the youthful, vigorous, playful energies of their signature season. But a Vital Spring’s Archetype is the Prom Queen. She’s born to be the center of attention, the popular girl, the one who pulls a party together, and her palette glistens like a burgeoning flowerbed, with its clear pink, kelly green, and blueberry. Tawny Spring is a Maverick, a quirky self-starter who’s usually listening to the beat of her own distant drummer. She may not even show up at the prom, and if she does, she may bring that drummer with her and dance to an entirely different rhythm than everybody else! Her palette expresses another side of spring, with its orange coral and robin egg blue. Both are Springs—but their Archetypes help define the precise colors and styles that are right for them.
Once you discover your Color Your Style Palette, working with a partner or friend to definitively pinpoint your Archetype is a great idea. Identifying your Archetype will help you recognize the colors, accessories, and other style choices that are best designed to reveal your personality.
Check out my Pinterest boards of the twenty four archetypes to give you an even better understanding! https://www.pinterest.com
Looking for inspiration on how to incorporate your Dramatic Color into your wardrobe?
The Dramatic Color is the dominant blue, green or purple found in the vein in your wrist. It is your “look at me” color, and perfect to wear when you want some extra attention!.
Find Your Dramatic Color
Follow these steps to reveal the color that shows off your most dramatic self:
1. In natural light, hold your hand so you can see the veins below your wrist. Locate the vein that’s most pronounced.
2. Identify the darkest color you can see in your veins; the shade of blue, green, or purple that offers the highest contrast to the other elements of your coloring. This is your most Dramatic Color.
Once you have identified your Dramatic Color, it is time to incorporate it into your life, and wardrobe:
Besides the attention-getting dress, the Dramatic Color is also perfect to wear for a presentation at work when you want all eyes on you, or any sort of athletic wear. It is also a wonderful color to add drama in your home. An entry way in this color creates a theatrical entrance, and a chair or sofa upholstered in your shade of green, blue or purple adds the perfect high-energy punctuation to an active living room. For an unexpected head-turning use of this color, ride a bicycle or motorbike in it!
