Golden Globes 2012

Hi guys, I’m back! I’m here with the Right and Wrong from this year’s Golden Globes. Some women hit it right on target, color-wise, some were dead wrong, and some were right AND wrong. Let’s jump in.

Right

Nicole Kidman is pitch-perfect here. For those who don’t know, Nicole was a natural red-head as a child, then her hair naturally lightened to blonde as she got older. Nicole Kidman is a Spring, and she has everything in place here. Light hair (even if it’s dyed, it’s still light and warm), ivory gown with golden accents…homegirl is straight winning here.

Rooney Mara is a Winter. Although her hair is not naturally this dark (it is a rich brunette color), it works on her. Only Winters can get away with and glow going black like this. This combined with the all-black sleek gown is a winner for Rooney.

Though Dianna Argon is a blonde, it is a dark & dirty blonde which along with her coloring, makes her an Autumn. She is wearing an almost perfect shade of red for warmer skin tones. The lacy cutout designs throughout the gown show her skin and give the dress an even warmer effect. Gone head, boo. We see you.

Viola Davis is an Autumn, and Autumns stun in deeper shades of red to burgundy. Viola’s chocolate skin is radiant here.

Mary J. Blige is an Autumn; more specifically a Soft Autumn (meaning she can share some of the colors that Springs should normally wear). Even though the styling of this dress isn’t quite executed as nicely as I would have hoped (toward the bottom, the gown looks like murdered and bleached fry kids), the rose-gold color is still lovely on her golden bronze skin. I would have loved it if she went with gold jewelry and toned down the harsh highlights, but luckily it did not detract from her overall look.

Wrong

First things first. Emma Stone is a natural blonde. Further, Emma Stone is a Summer. That means everything about this ensemble is wrong for her (for glow purposes). She needs something lighter and cooler-toned. This dress is too “heavy” for her. Now, the overall picture is pleasing to our eyes because we are looking at the actual colors contrasting from her hair and the dress and that DOES provide a pleasing effect. However, if we look at her face (notice how you’re not drawn to her face, mainly the COLORS of her hair and dress), you can see that she looks way too pale and faded in this dress.

Red is a tricky color for blondes. Generally, reds look best on the “darker” seasons of Autumn and Winter. Reds work for blondes when the blonde is a Spring, and then it has to be precisely the right red (red accents are stunning on Springs). Reese Witherspoon, however, is a Summer. Summers do not glow in any shade of red whatsoever. Reese does not look bad, but this gorgeous red dress is just sitting on her, being a leech. With a powerful color like red, you have to wear the red and not the other way around (which happens way too often).

Sarah Michelle Gellar is an Autumn. Everything about this is wrong. She sure looks happy about wearing it though. Moving on.

Charlize Theron’s darker coloring and naturally dark-blonde hair make her an Autumn. The dyed hair (highlights) she has here are too cool for her tone. The dress is both too light and too cool for her skin, and the styling just generally gives off a look of hot mess.

Natalie Portman is an Autumn, so this screaming fuchsia dress is an instant NO. She’d have been better off with the entire gown in that deep red (the accent color at the top of the gown) and having the accent fuchsia.

Right and Wrong

Angelina rarely gets it completely right with her colors. She usually looks washed out to hell for red carpets. Angelina is an Autumn, which means the cream dress is kind of right. But though some Autumns can wear cream beautifully, for other Autumns cream is just too light to sufficiently warm them up. Angelina is still looking like an ice queen here. Now, she doesn’t look bad to me. I love the look and the contrast; it is just that these colors do not warm her up and bring out her glow at all. If the dress had more of a golden tone, and the red was either a bit warmer or deeper, she’d have had that glow.

Lea Michele is a Winter, so she has the color right. I think the sheer cutout of the top of the dress is making the whole effect “warmer” than it should be, so she is not glowing as she should with a metallic silver. I also think she should have worn her hair down and gotten better make-up done; particularly her lip color which is reading way too warm for her.

Zooey Deschanel is a Winter, so overall, she looks good here. I have issues with her bangs and makeup, but whatevs. The main negative here is though the lemon-lime green at the top of her dress is a striking contrast, it is too light and too warm for her skin, so it ends up almost overshadowing the black and washing her out a bit.

Michelle Williams is not a natural blonde, in case you didn’t know. Her natural hair color is brown, and she is an Autumn. Technically, the color is just about right. Navy looks wonderful on Autumns here. I think there are a few things detracting from her overall look: Her hair color is a bit too light for such a dark blue (though it has golden tones which Autumns should aim for when coloring their hair), and the style of the dress is in frumpy frock territory (I’m sure the velvet doesn’t help the cut of the dress at all either).

Madonna’s natural hair color is a rich brunette and she is an Autumn. This is…an interesting dress. The midnight emerald shimmer of the bottom of the gown is perfect for an Autumn. The silver up top, not so much. It does make for a striking contrast though. If it was a subdued gold color instead of silver, this would have really brought out her glow (along with her darker hair color).

Paula Patton is an autumn, which usually clears the way for yellow to come glow it up. However, this yellow is more of the electric-yellow that Springs wear and glow in. So close though.

That wraps up this year’s Golden Globes red carpet review at Glowing Color. If I missed your favorite celebrity, let me know in the comments!

If you would like me to do a color analysis for you (includes blog feature with pictures and customized color shopping list with your own personal power color) that will bring out your own unique glow, contact me at glowingcolor@gmail.com for rates.

Autumn Colors-Chocolate Brown

Chocolate brown is such a cozy color when done right. When done wrong, it can look blah as hell, but the key is to either get some sheen or some kind of texture going–sequins, iridescence, cable-knit, etc. Autumns look washed out in black, or the black just sits on them but brown gets such a bad rap they hesitate to turn toward it. Start incorporating more brown into your wardrobe and thank me later! It really softens up your look. Another hint would be for Autumns (and Springs!) to try brown eyeliner and/or mascara instead of black. I did this and was amazed at the difference. Black eyeliner always made me look undead, but brown brought out the fiiiiiierce.

If you would like me to do a color analysis for you (includes blog feature with pictures and customized color shopping list with your own personal power color) that will bring out your own unique glow, contact me at glowingcolor@gmail.com for rates.

Autumn Colors: Charcoal Gray

Gray can either be cool or warm. The silvery grays, blue-grays, stone grays, and light-to-medium heather grays are cool. The greiges (gray + beige) and deep charcoal grays are warm. For Autumn, let’s focus on charcoal gray.

A lot of women who are Autumns are disappointed when I tell them no black. Charcoal gray is an excellent alternative to still give you the dark drama that black brings, but with a warm undertone. Charcoal gray paired with gold jewelry is especially delicious-looking; it’s actually one of my favorite color combinations. Very sexy.

Springs might find charcoal gray a bit too dark for them, and can look more toward the greiges to bring the warm gray that they’re looking for.

Winters and Summers should avoid this color. I normally would recommend accessories in this color for women “out of season”, but for charcoal gray, this really won’t do much for cooler skin tones even in accessories. I suppose you could go for a charcoal gray cable-knit blanket, or incorporate it into your home somehow as it is a pretty cozy color for the colder months. But for accessories, cooler-hued women have so many other options out there that it would be a waste to try to force charcoal gray.

If you would like me to do a color analysis for you (includes blog feature with pictures and customized color shopping list with your own personal power color) that will bring out your own unique glow, contact me at glowingcolor@gmail.com for rates.

Summer 2011

Today is the first official day of summer in the US. White is definitely summer’s all-star color (or lack of color, or all colors combined, whatever). Summer and Winter women shine in white; particularly Summer women (makes sense). I hit up Google Images and snatched up the first 10 women I saw in white:

4 out of these 10 ladies have cool skin undertones and thus, look good in white. Can you pick them out?

Anyhoo, as far as summer fashion is concerned, if you are a Summer or a Winter, you can wear whatever the hell you want in white and stunt. For the rest of us, try a cream or an ivory to get that same feel but warmer. If you insist on white, stick to cardigans, shorts/skirts with a warmer color top, and accessories.

In the home, bring white in your bedding, bath towels, curtains, and even cut/potted flowers and get breezy on hoes.

Summer special events are also a nice way to bring in white for decor (especially if it’s not too hot to host something outside).

Enjoy your summer!