(1).png)
*Disclaimer: Purchases made through the links provided on thefinerefine.com may result in a commission to us at no additional cost to you. For more information please read our full disclaimer.
I've met a lot of people in my life that just have this natural ability to put outfits together and always look like they just know what looks good on them. If you're one of these people then congrats, this post will be of no use to you, because I do not have this natural ability to mix and match and believe me I try... So being the nerd that I am, I started to approach style and beauty from a logical point of view.
That's when I met COLOR THEORY. Understanding color theory has changed the way I dress forever.
If you're anything like me putting a LOGICAL twist to dressing up will be a gamechanger for your style confidence.
In this post, I am going to teach you the art of CONTRAST and just how useful it is to determine the colors that complement you best!
Let's be clear... You CAN wear whatever color you want. You CAN look good in any color.
BUT! it's incredibly useful to know which variation of the same color will look best on you.
In this case, contrast is especially important because it will determine whether you'll look better in muted colors vs clear colors.
Muted Colors - Any color that has more GRAY added to it and less PIGMENT.
Clear Colors - High PIGMENTED colors with little to no GRAY added to it.
If you are a LOW contrast individual (also known as Soft) then Muted Colors will compliment you best and ADD to that softness.
If you are a HIGH contrast (also known as Sharp) then Clear Colors will compliment you best and add to that sharpness.
Related Read:
Everything you need to know to jumpstart your journey towards dressing better and feeling more like yourself through style confidence.
So which are you high contrast or low contrast?
High Contrast Individuals
High contrast or Sharp individuals have a distinct difference between their hair color and skin color.
Dark or Heavily Pigmented Hair + Light Skin Tone
Light or Desaturated Hair + Dark Skin Tone
Related: How to Find your Power Colors
Low Contrast Individuals
Low contrast or Soft individuals have similar hair color and skin color.
Dark or Heavily Pigmented Hair + Dark Skin Tone
Light or Desaturated Hair + Light Skin Tone
Medium hair colors + Medium Skin Tone
Still need help figuring out your contrast. Check out some of the examples below!!
Related: How to Always Look Put Together
For Example:
The woman in the picture is LOW CONTRAST or SOFT. She, of course, can wear both of these shades of green very well.
BUT
The more MUTED shade of green (TOP) complements her skin tone and hair color much better than the CLEAR shade of green.
The muted shade adds to her softness.
The clear shade takes over and becomes the focal point.
The woman in the picture is a High Contrast individual.
The CLEAR shade of red complements her skin tone and hair color much better than the MUTED beige.
High Contrast or Sharp Individuals wear deep colors very well without being upstaged by the color itself. Clear colors help elevate that high contrast.
Keep in mind your CONTRAST can easily change if you dye your hair.
Be sure to check out the third installment of my Color Theory series:
