A Guide to Wearing Red - How to Discover Your Perfect Shade
anyone can wear red!
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It’s true. Red is a versatile colour that can look great on anyone. However, there are many different shades of red, which will work better on some people than others.
So how do you work out which shade of red will suit you best? Skin tone, hair colour, and personal preferences are some of the factors to think about when choosing your perfect red.
Are you Cool or Warm?
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First, know the difference between skin tone and skin undertone. Your skin tone is light, fair, medium or deep. This is determined by the level of melanin in your skin. Skin undertone is the subtle cool, warm or neutral appearance under your skin’s surface that shines through. Skin tone can change, skin undertone will always be the same.
If you have fair skin with pink or blue undertones or a ‘ruddy’ complexion, then you likely have a cool skin tone. If you have medium to deep skin with purple/red undertones, you could also have cool skin.
If you have fair to light skin and can pick up yellow undertones, you’re most likely warm. Peachy/golden undertones can be seen in medium to dark/deep skin tones.
There is a third way, if you don’t see either cool or warm. Neutral skin can have a balance of both cool and warm undertones and has an olive appearance.
Try these tests to help you decide
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Looking at the skin on the inside of your arm, which is less likely to have seen the sun, can help indicate whether you have a cool or warm look. If you can easily and rarely burn, there’s a good chance you’re warm or neutral. If you don’t tan or it takes time and you burn easily, you’re more likely to be cool.
2. Are your veins blue or purple-ish? This usually indicates cool. If they’re green-ish, you’re more likely to be warm. If you’re neutral, you won’t be able to tell either way.
3. Do you look better in silver or gold jewellery? Putting aside personal preference, does the cool undertone of silver or white gold more flattering against your skin, or does gold look better as you have warm undertones?
4. Try the white t-shirt test. Stand in natural light (by a window) wearing the t-shirt. Look in a mirror and if your skin looks a bit rosy, think cool toned and if you appear slightly yellow, think warm toned. If you don’t see any change at all, you’re most likely to be neutral.
Cool Reds
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If you are cool toned, blue-based reds complement your skin.
If you’re shopping online, colours that are described as ruby, carmine, raspberry, cherry, vermillion, cerise and magenta are all cool reds that move closer to blue and purple .
Warm Reds
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If you have a warm skin tone with yellow or golden undertones, then orange-based reds suit you better.
Brick, scarlet, chilli, crimson, rust, coral, tomato and scarlet are warm based moving towards orange and yellow.
neutral
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True red is a perfect in-the-middle shade for cool or warm tones or if you want to hedge your bets!
Your Hair Colour
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If you have dark hair, then a deeper shade of red like burgundy or plum will look amazing on you. If you have light or auburn hair, then bright, vibrant shades of red like poppy and coral are perfect.
If you are silver grey or white blonde, you are most likely to have a cool skin tone.
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try it and see
If you're not sure which shade of red would work best for you, try on different shades and see which one makes you feel most comfortable and confident. You might feel uplifted, brighter and fresher looking in a particular shade but drained or overpowered by another. If you're not sure where to start, try a classic shade of red such as true red, which tends to look good on most skin tones.
Ultimately, the best shade of red for you is the one that you feel most confident and comfortable wearing!
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I can show you your perfect red and your other most flattering colours in a 1-2-1 analysis of your unique natural colouring.
It’s a fascinating, fun experience and when you know your colour palette, you can choose clothes that transform your look and help your confidence level soar.
Click here for more details -
