Why Do Some Colours Make You Look Younger? The Secret Is in Your Undertone

Have you ever put on a top and thought, “I look really good today,” even though you haven’t changed your hair or makeup?

Then another day you put on a different colour and suddenly you feel washed out, tired or just not quite yourself?

It may not be you at all. It could simply be the colour you are wearing.

The colours closest to your face can have an amazing effect on the way your complexion appears. The right colours can make your skin look brighter, your eyes clearer and your overall appearance fresher. The wrong colours can sometimes emphasise shadows, redness or unevenness in the complexion.

This is one of the things I love showing my clients during a personal colour analysis in my Currambine studio.

Why Does Colour Make Such a Difference?

Colour reflects onto our face.

When I drape different colours underneath a client's face during a colour analysis, we are looking at how each colour interacts with her natural colouring.

Some colours seem to bring the face forward. The complexion looks clearer, the eyes become more noticeable and everything seems to work together.

Then I can change the drape and the difference can be surprising.

A colour that isn't quite right may make the complexion appear duller or draw attention to shadows and areas you would rather not emphasise.

This is why I always say that the right colour can do so much before you've even thought about your makeup.

Could the Right Colours Really Make You Look Younger?

I often describe the effect of the right colours as looking fresher and more youthful.

Colour cannot literally change your age, of course, but it can change what our eyes notice when we look at your face.

When the colour underneath your face harmonises with your natural colouring, we are more likely to notice your eyes, your skin and you.

That is the difference I want my clients to see for themselves.

I don't want to simply tell someone, “This colour suits you.”

I want her to look in the mirror and see the difference.

Warm or Cool Undertone — Is It Really That Simple?

You may have heard people talking about having a warm or cool undertone.

Undertone is certainly important, but I don't believe finding your perfect colours should come down to one simple rule.

Two people can both lean cool and still look completely different in the same blue. One may need a softer, more muted blue while another comes alive in something clearer or deeper.

The same applies to warm colouring.

That is why, during my Perth colour analysis sessions, I look at the individual colours on the person sitting in front of me rather than deciding what she “should” wear before we begin.

Your Perfect Colours Matter More Than a Label

One of the biggest misconceptions about colour analysis is that the main purpose is to discover your season.

Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter can be helpful ways of understanding groups of colours, but I believe your individual perfect colours are much more useful.

My goal isn't simply to send you home knowing that you're a particular season.

I want you to know which blues, greens, reds, pinks, neutrals and other colours actually make you look fantastic.

Those are the colours you can take into a shop with confidence.

Why Online Colour Quizzes Can Only Tell You So Much

It can be fun to try an online quiz or look at photographs and guess whether you are warm, cool, Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter.

But a photograph can be affected by lighting, camera settings, makeup, fake tan and even the colours surrounding you.

In person, I can place different coloured drapes directly underneath your face and compare what actually happens to your complexion.

That side-by-side comparison is where things become much clearer.

It's also why I prefer carrying out colour analysis in my Currambine studio, where I can control the environment and use good natural light.

Colour Becomes Even More Important as We Get Older

Many women tell me that colours they once wore no longer seem to work quite as well.

Our colouring can change over time. Hair may become lighter or grey, our skin changes and the contrast between our hair, eyes and complexion can become different. You can read more about how your best colours can change as you get older.

That doesn't mean you need to stop wearing colour.

Quite the opposite.

This can be a wonderful time to discover colours you may never have considered before.

For women who have spent years relying on black, beige, grey or navy because they feel safe, seeing the right teal, blue, green, pink, red or another beautiful colour underneath their face can be quite an eye-opener.

What If You've Always Worn Black?

Black is one of the most common colours I see in women's wardrobes.

It's practical, easy to buy and we are constantly told that everybody can wear it.

But does black actually make everybody look their best?

No colour suits absolutely everyone in exactly the same way.

For some women, black creates beautiful definition and contrast. For others, it can appear quite harsh close to the face.

If black isn't one of your best colours, that doesn't necessarily mean throwing everything black out of your wardrobe.

Once you know your perfect colours, you can learn how to combine existing pieces with colours that are more flattering near your face.

A scarf, jacket, top, jewellery or even the right makeup colours can make an enormous difference.

How I Find Your Perfect Colours

At Colours By Sue, I use more than 80 colour drapes to compare colours against you.

Rather than relying solely on hair colour, eye colour or a seasonal chart, I watch what happens to your complexion as the colours change.

We look for the colours that make your skin appear clearer and fresher and your eyes more noticeable.

We also identify colours that aren't doing you any favours.

From there, I can show you beautiful colour combinations using your own best colours so that you don't just know which colours suit you — you know how to wear them together.

You'll also discover makeup shades that complement your colouring.

At the end of your session, you'll have personalised colour samples and your colour guide to take with you, making it much easier to recognise your colours when you're shopping. For details about what is included, you can explore my colour analysis Perth pricing.

Imagine Shopping Already Knowing What Suits You

This is where colour analysis becomes really useful in everyday life.

Instead of walking into a shop and looking at every colour on every rack, you can begin by looking for your colours.

You can ask yourself:

“Is this one of my colours?”

“Will this work with the clothes I already own?”

“Does this colour make me look and feel good?”

Knowing your perfect colours doesn't mean following strict rules.

It's about having knowledge that makes choosing clothes easier.

And I think that is particularly valuable for women who reach a stage in life where they look into a wardrobe full of clothes and think, “I don't know what suits me anymore.”

Looking Fresher Can Start With Something as Simple as Colour

We often think that looking fresher means changing our hair, buying new makeup or completely changing our wardrobe.

Sometimes the change can be much simpler.

It might be replacing a colour near your face that drains you with one that makes your eyes stand out.

It might be discovering that a colour you've never considered is actually one of your power colours.

Or it might simply be understanding why some of the clothes in your wardrobe make you feel wonderful while others never seem quite right.

That's the power of knowing your perfect colours.

Looking for Colour Analysis in Perth?

If you've been searching for colour analysis Perth, personal colour analysis Perth or wondering “what colours suit me?”, I'd love to help you discover the answer in person.

I offer personal colour analysis from my home studio in Currambine, in Perth's northern suburbs.

My sessions aren't about giving you a list of rules or simply telling you your season.

They're about showing you, right there in the mirror, the colours that make the biggest difference to you.

You leave knowing your perfect colours, beautiful colour combinations, flattering makeup shades and, most importantly, how to use that knowledge when you're getting dressed and shopping.

Because when the colour is right, you notice the woman before you notice the clothes.