Makeup theory: neutral and monochromatic colors
11:23 PMThis post is the 3rd in 3rd day and this is the end of quick color theory.
Today I'm going to tell you some things about neutral and monochromatic colors which are the most useful colors in makeup.
There are many monochromatic and neutral palettes and everybody LOVE them.
You're not sure in it, aren't you?
Well, let me explain and show examples.
Neutral colors
Neutral color is neither warm nor cool and that's why they are extremely wearable for different people.
They look good on its own and can be easily matched with any other color.
- Black is the strongest of the neutral colors. On the positive side, it’s commonly associated with power, elegance, and formality. On the negative side, it can be associated with evil, death, and mystery.
- White is at the opposite end of the spectrum from black, but like black, it can work well with just about any other color. White is often associated with purity, cleanliness, and virtue. In the West, white is commonly worn by brides on their wedding day. White is associated with goodness, and angels are often depicted in white.
- Brown is associated with the earth, wood, and stone. It’s a completely natural color and a warm neutral. Brown can be associated with dependability and reliability, with steadfastness, and with earthiness. It can also be considered dull.
- Beige is somewhat unique in the color spectrum, as it can take on cool or warm tones depending on the colors surrounding it. It has the warmth of brown and the coolness of white, and, like brown, is sometimes seen as dull. It’s a conservative color in most instances, and is usually reserved for backgrounds. It can also symbolize piety.
- Ivory and Cream are sophisticated colors, with some of the warmth of brown and a lot of the coolness of white. They’re generally quiet, and can often evoke a sense of history. Ivory is a calm color, with some of the pureness associated with white, though it’s a bit warmer.
“The meanings and impressions of neutral colors are much more affected by the colors that surround them than are warm and cool colors”. Thats why the most universal colors that works on any skin tone are actually earthy/taupe tone colors.
Monochromatic color schemes are made up of different tones, shades and tints within one hue. For example, a monochromatic scheme of the color blue would be the Blue Color Family ranging from the lightest sky blue, to a medium shade of ocean blue, to the darkest navy blue.
These are the simplest color schemes to create, as they’re all taken from the same hue.
Similar to the neutral colors we talked about earlier, we find in the cosmetics industry that the neural colors are the most universal colors make-up artists use for everyday on everyone; in addition, different shades of browns and grays in the monochromatic colors are often created in a variety of texture (matte, shimmer, velvet, cream) to produce a handy eye shadow palette for make-up artists to use.
Everyones favorite Urban Decay uses both neutral and monochromatic colors in their Naked palettes. I think this is one of the reason girls like Naked, Naked 2 and Naked Basics eyeshadow palettes.
2 comments
Cool stuff Vel!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
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