Color Theory

Colour is life. The beauty that nature presents can be quantified using colour. If you ask me, I would say colour is happiness in its physical form. In makeup artistry, colour brings ‘life’ to your expertise when properly chosen and applied. Your knowledge of colour from those days in your elementary school is not a waste… Bringing old memory back to you, right?
Colour theory helps to critically arrange and understand how colours are formed and how one colour is related to another. In makeup artistry, this is a great tool and it’s one of the three fundamentals we are to discuss (check previous posts for other fundamentals).

In this post, we will be discussing colour theory in relation to your makeup. Yeah! You’ve been waiting for this, right? Then let’s enjoy the ride….

Colours are generally grouped into 3, and they are:
1. Primary Colours
These are thought of as basic colours from which other colours are developed. They are additive in the sense that when you combine two of these colours, you get a new colour. Primary colours are Blue, Red and Yellow.
2. Secondary Colours
These colours are formed from the combination of two primary colours and they include Green, Orange and Violet.
YELLOW + BLUE = GREEN
YELLOW + RED = ORANGE
RED + BLUE = VIOLET
3. Tertiary Colours
When a primary colour is mixed with a secondary colour, a tertiary colour is formed. For example:
RED + ORANGE = RED-ORANGE
BLUE + GREEN = BLUE-GREEN
YELLOW + ORANGE = YELLOW-ORANGE… You may try some out, to check your expertise. It’s fun.

Below is a Colour Wheel which summarises all that colour theory explains

COMMON CLASSES OF COLOUR
Complementary Colours:
These are colours that are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel e.g. RED and GREEN
Split Complementary Colours:
These are made up of a base (reference) colour and colours immediately beside its complimentary colour e.g RED, YELLOW-GREEN and BLUE-GREEN
Analogous Colours:
Colours that are sitting side-by-side on the colour wheel are said to be analogous e.g. BLUE-GREEN and BLUE-VIOLET are analogous to BLUE
Triadic Colours:
Comprise of three colours that form a triangle shape in the colour wheel e.g RED, YELLOW, BLUE

Monochromatic Colours:
Colours that are created from one colour in combination with any or all of its tints and shades are called Monochromatic.
Achromatic Colours:
Colours that are not a part of the color wheel are called Achromatic colours. These colours are BLACK, WHITE and any hue created from black and white mixed together (GRAYS).

SOME TERMINOLOGIES IN COLOUR THEORY
Hue– This is the same as colour
Tint– This is the addition of white to any hue (at least, you now know what hue is… you guys are learning fast)
Shade– The addition of black to any hue
Colour Values– The lightness or darkness of a colour. When black is added to a colour, a shade of that colour is created (which is a darker or lower value of the colour). When white is added to a colour, a tint of that colour is created (which is a lighter value of the colour).
Temperatures– Colours have tones of temperatures which are WARM, COOL and NEUTRAL. Warm colors have a golden (yellow) undertone. Cool colours have a blue undertone. Neutral colours contain shades of browns and grays.

IMPORTANCE OF COLOUR THEORY IN MAKEUP ARTISTRY

• To neutralize blemishes. When put on top of each other, complementary colours neautralise each other. For example, if you have acne that appears red on your skin, the use of a green hue of corrector will help to neutralize such acne. You can now help your friend to perfectly hide those blemishes.
• To emphasize or recede the appearance of specific areas. Contouring is done by using a shade higher in value, while highlighting is done by using a tint or a hue higher in value. While highlighting emphasizes specific areas (i.e makes an area receive more light), contouring recedes.
• To improve the intensity of other colours used. This is basically done by placing complementary colours side by side.
• To blend two different colours efficiently. Analogous colours, when placed side by side, blend easily.
• To restructure certain parts of the face. For example, your nose can be made to look longer (You are like ‘Are You Kidding Me?’).

These are some of the importance of understanding the colour theory as a makeup artist. You can now start the combos that will trend since there is no limitation as to the use and application of colour.

• FeyiBlend