ROSE QUARTZ & SERENITY Announced as the Pantone Colours for 2016

Following the announcement that ROSE QUARTZ and SERENITY (or OPAL and BLUEBELL in CMB terms) as the Pantone Colours of 2106 here are some tips on how you can incorporate these colours into your wardrobes.

ROSE QUARTZ & SERENITY 

It’s all in the name – calm, peaceful, charming, tranquil and soothing.

How are you going to wear the colours of the year in 2016?   To wear the colours of the year in 2016 it is a question of personality and colouring

·         If you have pale blond hair, pale eyes and pale skin tone, you will be in heaven!  Both these shades are 100% you.  However beware that you do not appear too girly if you want to wear them head to toe.  This look is OK on the beach and in the evening, but in the office keep the colours working for you by wearing either colour as a top, blouse, jacket, or scarf.

·         Regardless of your skin tone, if you are at the opposite end of the spectrum with dark hair and eyes, then you will need to wear Rose Quartz and Serenity as an accent colour in a print, or in contrast with your darker neutral shades. 

·         You will need to be careful wearing these colours if you are a red-head with freckles and green eyes.  You are best wearing warmer colours; of the two Pantone colours of the year, Rose Quartz will be the best for you, but worn together with shades from your warm palettes.  Both these shades work beautifully well with browns and terracotta shades.

·         If you have ash or silver grey hair, these colours are just magnificent on you – but again be careful how to wear them for daytime.  Mix them with your greys, darker pinks and darker blues for great effect.

·         If you are a lady with dark hair and bright blue or green eyes,  Rose Quartz is the best colour for you to wear, but you will need to wear it as part of a contrasting set of colours to create a complimentary outfit.

·         Finally, if you have mousey hair that you have highlighted, the best way to make these two soft shades work for you is to blend them gently with other colours from your palette.

How you wear the Pantone 2016 colours will also depend on your Style Personality.

If you are Romantic, you will simply love those soft, feminine shades.

If you are a Dramatic or Creative, and like to create a wow factor with the way your dress, you will need to wear Rose Quartz and Serenity in contrast with the other shades in your wardrobe. 

If you are a Classic lady, a neat jacket  or a nice blouse in either of these colour  will work perfectly for you.  Just make sure that you wear the colours according to your own colouring palette.

If you are a jeans and t-shirt girl, you may choose to switch your grey and white tops, to something in Rose Quartz or Serenity for a change.

The City Chics will wear the 2016 Pantone colours, discretely and elegantly without bringing too much attention to it – just demonstrating she is always in the know as to what is what.  This might be by simply done by tying a scarf to your handbag.

The Beauty industry is going to have a great year as these two colours will translate so beautifully in make-up colours.

- Colour Me Beautiful

 

iStylista by Colour Me Beautiful Launch

Introducing iStylista

• You are only a few clicks away from finding the clothes that suit your colouring and body shape best.
• We scan the shops and pre-select the best colours and styles for you.
• You choose; you buy.

For decades colour me beautiful have been helping women to find

out what colours and styles of clothes suit them best. By working in

partnership with iStylista, we are now able to use our expertise to

help you shop the best of the High Street and designer collections

from the comfort of your home, safe in the knowledge that what you

buy will fit and complimenting your colouring and shape.

Thanks to iStylista by colour me beautiful the fashion-conscious can

now receive regular, inspirational style advice from the world’s

leading image consultancy, as well as a selection of handpicked

items of clothing that are not just perfect for them but that also suit

the occasion they are shopping for.

Managed exclusively by a team of professional stylists, clothing is

selected from a host of your favourite High Street and designer

retailers and matched to your shape, style, natural colouring and

budget. iStylista by colour me beautiful is a value-led service, ideal

for those who struggle with time, confidence and buying the ‘right’

clothes.

To start receiving personalised style advice from iStylista by colour

me beautiful all you have to do is register online via the website

www.istylista.com and provide a few of your personal details

including your natural colouring, body shape and size. The iStylista

by colour me beautiful team will give you the confidence of knowing

that you are wearing clothes that suit you and are 100% right for

whatever the occasion you are shopping for: a new job, a new

relationship, a holiday, a special event ... you name it, we’ll find it for

you. Our stylists scan the shops every day, and every day hundreds

of new looks are added to the iStylista website. So go and fill in your

profile and start discovering colours and styles that are just right for

you! Shop online with confidence; not only are you now able to

choose from the best of this season’s fashion collections but you

also know that the items you choose will look great because they

match your colouring and body shape.

Summer colour combinations for your colouring

The sun is out which means there is no better time to embrace colour.  How you wear your colours will depend on how you like to dress and what looks good on you. It will also depend on where you work and how you spend your free time. 

Here are some colour combinations for each dominant colouring that will make you look good and feel good. There is something for work, something for play and colours you can wear with white - this season's freshest look.

Colour combinations for a LIGHT colouring

Colour combinations for a DEEP colouring

Colour combinations for a WARM colouring

Colour combinations for a COOL colouring

Colour combinations for a CLEAR colouring

Colour combinations for a SOFT colouring

Radiant Orchid: Expert advice from Cliff Bashforth on how to wear it

Pantone have announced the colour for 2014 is RADIANT ORCHID - a tricky colour to wear! Below is advice from Cliff Bashforth on how to wear it. 

Cliff is a leading Image guru and Master of the International Federation of Image Consultants, as well as being Colour Me Beautiful's top consultant.






"Blonde hair/light eyes: Choose light/mid-tone neutrals/colours to avoid high contrast."

"Dark-haired/dark-eyed girls should wear with depth for contrast."

"Red-heads/strawberry blondes: only wear mixed/away from face or accessories Add warm tones and be creative."

"If you have ash brown/blonde/grey hair...its so you."

"Mousey/Blonde Soft/Dark eyes wear blended with little contrast."

Note: All images and advice are from Cliff's Twitter feed.

Boost your body confidence

We all have parts of our bodies that we would like to change, but to dress well you need to learn to dress the body you have and not the body you want.  The key is to understand what suits you and learn to enjoy dressing YOUR body.  

Style should be a pleasure and everyone can feel good in what they wear every day, whatever your age, shape, size, lifestyle or budget.  

Change your mindset: We all come in different shapes and sizes, be proud of your uniqueness!

Know your colouring

Colour can give you an instant update and make you look younger and more vibrant, provided you get it right. There may be some colours you love but do they love you back, be honest.  It's most important to wear the right colours close to your face so invest in at least a couple of tops in your best shades.

Know your body shape

When you know your shape you can choose the most flattering styles and avoid those that don't complement your figure.  You probably have some items in your wardrobe you look and feel great in and others that do the opposite. Invest in more of the clothes you know you look good in.

Accentuate the positive

The ideal body shape is in perfect proportion so what we are trying to achieve when we dress is to create outfits which make us look balanced and in proportion.  In order to do that you need to learn how to emphasize certain areas and disguise others.

Be inspired by fashion but don't be a slave to it

Magazines and retailers create looks for you to aspire to but you need to be realistic. Most of us won't achieve the exact same look as a 6ft 21-year-old model most of the time - but, you can take inspiration from bits of it and find the pieces that you know will work for you.

Show your personality!

Your clothes should express who you are!  Most of us like to wear different looks on different days, perhaps chic and traditional one day, funky or creative the next. We feel good not only when something is the right fit and colour but when we feel something is really 'us'. The more confident you become in choosing the right clothes, the more comfortable you will be in expressing your personality and you will then create your signature style.

Checklist to body confidence

• Avoid items that you know don't suit you and focus on those that do

• Accentuate the good and disguise the not-so-good; create a 'balanced' look

• Don't try to dress like someone else, you want to look good as YOU

• Love the body you have and enjoy creating and showing off your style!  

Pantone Colour of the Year 2014: Radiant Orchid

"Expressive, exotic Radiant Orchid blooms with confidence and warmth" Pantone When Pantone announced its Colour of the Year 2014 there were some oohs and there were some ohs. Some of you will love it, some of you will not. Radiant Orchid is not strictly purple nor entirely pink, it is a pinky-purple which can make it a tricky colour to define. You don't have to wear this colour, of course, but it will be everywhere in clothes, make-up and accessories this year so if you want to try it out, here's how...

How to wear it

This shade has mostly cool undertones so it will flatter some complexions and not others. You will know the instant you put it next to your face whether it works for you or not. The easiest way for most people to wear Radiant Orchid is as an add-on colour rather than head-to-toe.

If you have a cool skin tone you can wear Radiant Orchid on its own. How much of it you can wear in your outfit will depend on your personality and other characteristics in your colouring. You can mix and match it with other shades in your colour palette too; wear it with your pinks for an elegant and feminine tone-on-tone look. For a bolder look, wear it with stronger colours in your palette such as vivid red or bright violet. Radiant Orchid will brighten up your work wardrobe nicely when you team it with your neutrals such as grey, navy or black. 

Those of you with a warm skin tone ideally want to wear this shade away from your face and mix it with warm shades. Purple is a perfect match for Radiant Orchid as it is a universal colour, meaning that there is a shade to suit everyone. Find your best purple and make it the feature colour in your outfit and keep Radiant Orchid as your add-on colour. For a more dramatic look, combine it with lime, red, or emerald green (Pantone Colour of the Year 2013). For some of you, Radiant Orchid will mix well with your neutral shades such as taupe or brown, but do not wear it with black, grey or navy. To avoid looking dated, mix it with a contrasting colour such as green, pumpkin or orange.

You also need to consider the fabric as different materials create a different effect. If you have a softer, more muted colouring with very little contrast between your hair, eye and skin colour, then you want to keep your colours softer, so go for matt fabrics, or something with a textured surface like a knit, tweed or velvet 

If you have a striking contrast between your eyes and hair - bright eyes and dark hair - you need to make Radiant Orchid look brighter to complement your natural colouring. You can wear this colour with vibrant shades in your palette, such as emerald green (Pantone Colour of the Year 2013), bright red or fuchsia (depending whether you have cool or warm skin tones). Alternatively, choose a garment in a light reflecting fabric such as satin or silk.

Radiant Orchid in Make-up

Take care with eye shadow in this colour. When we apply our make-up we are trying to enhance the colour of the eye , so if you have any reddishness around the eyes this colour will only emphasise it. A small amount in the middle of the eyelid as an accent colour is the safest option. Try Colour Me Beautiful's Purple and Lavender Bliss eye shadows to be on trend.

Lip colour will look fabulous on a rosy or cool complexion and will enhance thin lips. Nail colour is fine for all colourings as long as it complements your outfit. 

Accessories at the ready!

Sparkly pieces and colourful gems instantly pep up a winter outfit and bring your look up-to-date. The best accessories are those that singularly transform an outfit and work for numerous occasions. Shoes and handbags may require a bit more consideration, but if you choose carefully then an embellished clutch or some colourful dress shoes will see you through a few seasons. 

If you use your accessories well you will expand your wardrobe because you will create more looks to wear. Remember, your accessories should enhance your outfit, help you create a different look for different occasions and express your personality.






The Statement Necklace

It literally says it all. You can wear a t-shirt and jeans, put on a statement necklace and heels and your look is instantly transformed. For evening wear, your jewellery should enhance your outfit and not make it look cluttered. So, if your outfit is already making a statement, you don't need an enormous accessory to add to the conversation - unless making lots of different statements in your look happens to be your style. The choice is vast including silver and gold, glass drops, empire collar, triple row and layered, colourful mock gems, opulent sparkle, heritage and so on... Make sure you get one with a few spare links so you can adjust it to sit at the right length for your neck/decolletage. 

Pearls are back!

Pearls have often been associated with twinsets and conservative types, but not so any more and they are currently having a fashion moment. The look this season is 'heirloom' so if you have some of grandma's pearls tucked away in a box, now is the time to show them off. They are more subtle than sparkly pieces but no less alluring and they still reflect enough light to lift an outfit. Pearls and (mock) diamonds together are even better!

If you love pearls, try to visit the V&A Pearls exhibition in London showing until 19th January.

Pointed shoes

Perhaps it's the current ladylike look that has brought back pointy shoes. Elegant and sexy, they look more like a going out shoe. They make your legs look longer and leaner too (hooray say those of us under 5'5"!). To make them extra alluring, choose a sling back, cutaway or show some toe cleavage. Don't be afraid to go for a bold colour (or two colours if you fancy) just make sure they suit your look and work with a few evening outfits. Metallic, embellished, suede, patent - the choice is unlimited for evening wear. The advantage with a pointy shoe is that it will look elegant in any shade, even neutrals like black or nude, but if you choose neutral then make it an interesting fabric. A colour is more fun though.

If heels are not your thing, go for a pointy ballet shoe with a diamante toe.

Clutch bags for day and night

Whilst the clutch bag was designed for evenings (when you're not supposed to carry as much stuff as in the daytime, apparently) you will be entirely on trend if you use your clutch during the day. If that appeals to you, you might want to choose a clutch you can use for day and night, perhaps a style that is bigger with less embellishment. If you invest a little more in a good quality one, you know you can use it beyond parties and weddings. If a more understated clutch seems too boring, there are plenty decorative designs available. The best clutch bags are those with optional chains so you don't have to cling to your clutch all night!

Tights - go sheer

Whatever you are wearing, sheer tights are the look this season. To look chic in your sheers you need to adhere to two rules: 1. keep your legs in good shape, exfoliated and moisturised (you will be glad you did come the spring) and 2. choose the right shade of nude for your skin tone.

And the best accessory of all? Your smile!

They say a smile is your best accessory so make sure yours is lipstick-perfect. In winter, your lips need extra care so keep them protected and moisturised. Use a lip base to prime your lips and hold your lip colour all evening followed by lip pencil to help set the colour.

Finally, apply great lip colour and avoid getting it on your teeth!