Finding Your Perfect Makeup Color: Color-Matching for your Face

The hardest part of getting dressed can often be the makeup.  You can spend hours at the counter and still not know what to buy.  Every expertly-trained clerk seems to give conflicting tips that can leave you feeling confused and disillusioned.  What I am going to teach you is color-matching for your face.  No matter what the hot new shades emerge in the future, you will be ready to choose the ones that work right for you.

To begin color-matching, you first need to take into consideration your natural contrast.  If you have dark hair and light skin and dark or medium eyes, like Jackie Onassis, you are a high contrast person.  If this is you, you can pull off more dramatic make-up.  If you have medium-brown hair, medium-light skin and medium-dark eyes, like Jennifer Anniston or Vanessa Williams, you are a medium-contrast person and should stick to a style that is less dramatic. Finally, if your skin and eyes are softly blended, a look such as blonde hair, light blue eyes and light skin, you are a low contrast person.  Examples of this would be Melanie Griffith or Meryl Streep.  You’d look best in a blended makeup that does not stand out dramatically.  As far as makeup goes, color-matching is very important.  If you are a low contrast person wearing make-up for a high contrast style, people will only notice your makeup.

Take into consideration the texture of your skin when color-matching.  Do you have an even complexion or do you have freckles and beauty marks?  Is your skin smooth or does it have indentations?  All these add elements of interest to you face and will affect the way the make-up will look on you.  If your face is smoother in texture, you can get away with darker colors to add depth.  If you have skin with more wrinkles or scars, a darker color may make your texture look even more pronounced by adding extra shadow.  Color-matching not only involves your skin coloring, but also its natural lines and indentations.

Another important factor is the natural patterns you find in your skin and hair.  Again, whether you have freckles or an even complexion factors into your color-matching as well as your hair texture when choosing makeup.  Remember, you do not want to hide things like beauty marks, but to use your make-up to make them points of interest.  As for your hair, whether it is curly, wavy or straight will influence your choices as well.  The more patterns in your hair, the “busier” the area around your face will be.  If you have curls that fall into your face, your natural beauty may get hidden wearing elaborate makeup without the proper hair style.  If your hair is straight and your hair style is not too complex, you may be able to pull off a more dramatic make-up style. 

It can be difficult to choose the right colors, especially with the number of choices out there.  The best thing to remember is that no matter what the trend is, pick make-up that matches you natural beauty.  Look at your contrast and the patterns and textures in your hair and skin.  Do not cover up or try to hide your features, but accent the ones that are the most attractive, thereby diminishing the ones that are less flattering.  Keep this color-matching advice handy and the next time you are at the makeup counter and you will not be intimidated by all the choices.