Color Theory | Interpreting the Color Wheel for Makeup Application

Total first world problem here, but sometimes the most frustrating thing is trying to figure out which lipstick to pair with your eyeshadow, or which blush looks best with a certain lipstick. It sounds pretty stupid, but this is a pretty common issue we come across when applying makeup. A good tool to keep in mind when doing makeup is an understanding of the color wheel and how it works when pairing shades and tones. 

I was always big in to art and painting so I have a pretty decent understanding of colors and mixing them, but it never really came to mind to use the same concepts for my makeup until the past couple of years. Once I did though, I swear my makeup skills got better. I was more daring with color without the fear of looking like a clown. This post is all about color theory and how to understand the color wheel, and applying that knowledge to your makeup application. I've wanted to write about it for a while, since before I started my blog actually, but I wasn't sure how to word it. But after a long, long (slightly intoxicated) conversation about the color wheel with my sister during a paint night at a local bar, I knew I wanted to write it now. This post may be slighty boring, but I'm going to try to break it down so it isn't too confusing, so I hope you find this helpful!

Understanding Color

The first things to know about the color wheel, is to first understand colors. Hue is the most purest form of color. These are your primary (red, blue, yellow) and secondary (green, purple, orange) colors, and the colors you get when you mix them. Looking at your color wheel, they are the outermost colors on the wheel. So an example of this is red. There are tons of shades and tones of red, but the base for all of them is the hue of red. 

Shade is the hue, with black mixed in. So take red and add black, and you have a darker shade of red. Simple so far right? 

Tints are the lighter variation of a hue, by adding white. So white mixed with red gives you lighter tints of red.

Mixing grey with a hue is then called a tone. Tones aren't as dark as shades, but still a muted, dusty version of the hue.

 

So a little recap so far:

Hue- purest form of color

Shade- mix in black

Tint- mix in white

Tone- mix in grey 

The next thing to understand is complementary and contrasting colors. These are the colors at complete opposite sides of the wheel. They create a strong contrast with each other and make each other really pop. So an example of complementary colors are red and green. They are also good at sort of canceling each other out. Understanding complimentary colors will be especially helpful for concealing. You would use a green concealer to mute out a red color on your face, like an acne scar, or an orange/salmon concealer to hide dark purple/blue under eye circles. *quick tip: blending red and green cream products will give you brown, which you can then add yellow and white to make custom foundations. 

Analogous colors are those that are right next to each other on the wheel. So figure red, orange and yellow are close to each other on the wheel, they blend well together and look appealing in makeup looks. Think an ombré look: the colors are usually variant shades/tints of colors that are neighbors on a color wheel. 

Combining Colors

Now we all know there are a million combinations of colors to use for your makeup depending on what you like and the look you're going for. I don't like to call them rules but I definitely think that there are some guidelines to use for pairing colors in makeup to really make it complimentary and seamless. There are a few combinations that are especially ideal for makeup. 

The most basic color combination is a monochromatic combo. This is sometimes the most subtle or boring combination, but it's flattering on everyone and can easily be beautiful. Mono means one, so for a monochromatic look, you choose one hue, and use various shades, tints and tones of that hue. So maybe I wanted a monochromatic look using purple, I'd chose a variation of purple tones and shades for my entire look, like maybe dark violet lips paired with a softer purple, like lilac. 

Next is probably the easiest to do, if you want a little more color and spice to your look.  Remember when we talked about analogous colors? Well an analogous combination is the same concept of choosing colors next to each other on the wheel and creating a makeup look with them. It's flattering and they colors blend well without clashing. Say I chose blue, green, and yellow. These are next to one another on the wheel, so I don't have to worry about them clashing with each other or competing with one another. This is an especially pretty combination to use as a gradient for eyeshadow.

The third common color combo is a Triadic combination. Tri means three, so this is choosing three hues for your look. The thing about Triadic looks is you pick those three colors by looking at your color wheel, and imagining an equilateral triangle on the wheel. The three colors on the "points" of the color wheel are the colors you could use. For example, orange, yellow-green and blue would be a Triadic color combination. This look is more bright and packs a punch, but the colors still look well together. 

Now I again want to reiterate that these are by no means rules that you have to follow with your makeup, but it is helpful to remember the color wheel and how colors work with each other when doing makeup, especially if you are working on clients with different skin tones and hair/eye colors. Understanding color theory will help you get the most impactful and flattering makeup look. 

Well This was a long one, but I hope you found this post helpful! It can be confusing but you can google the color theory and find tons of other posts and tutorials to help you better understand it. It's a really awesome concept that not only works for makeup but something useful for everyday life like decorating and choosing an outfit. And it really does help on those days when you have a killer makeup look but don't know what lipstick or blush to wear :)

Until next time guys...

xoxo

LivforLashes

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