Whether you’re flying solo or celebrating decades of Valentine’s Days with your partner this year, it’s time to discover your BEST reds, my dear. Not only is red a classic option for your closet, it’s a show-stopping color. In any variety, red is powerful, romantic, and highly persuasive. It’s also been scientifically shown to be one of the most attractive colors for both men and women to wear, making it a no-brainer for your next date night.
Because it can be an overpowering hue, I always steer my Personal Color Palette clients toward their most flattering options so they stand out above their outfits. Of course, I want the same for you! I typically shy away from generic advice. But taking a step back to realize how many reds you have to choose from and becoming more aware about which might be best for you is so important. I’m going to do my best to guide you toward your perfect reds, based on what you’ll evaluate as your unique skin tone temperature and intensity (or brightness). From hot pink to poppy, rose to ruby, and salmon to cinnamon… you’ll find all the direction you need right here.
BONUS: you can apply this advice to choosing your best lipstick colors, too!
First, I want you to consider whether you look best in bold, saturated colors or softer, more muted or shaded hues.
Pure pigment colors, meaning those not altered in any way, are among the brightest. Which of the following qualities best suits your personal coloring (think hair, skin tone, and eye colors), personality, and preferences? Do you shine best in muted or watered down hues? Pure pigments with pop? Or rich, shaded tones? This insight will come in handy in just a minute!
Think about which colors in your wardrobe usually bring you the most compliments and trust your instincts. Most of my clients have a better innate sense of color than they realize. Now that you have a general idea of your ideal color intensity, let’s take a look at temperature.
There are three basic color temperatures: warm, neutral, and cool. The best way to figure out your overall temp is to take a look at your jewelry collection. Do you gravitate toward cool silver metals, neutral rose golds and mixed metals, or warm yellow golds? If you want to dive deeper, evaluate whether your skin tone, hair, and eye colors are warm (think red, orange, and yellow tones), cool (green, blue, or violet based), or neutral (a combination of the two).
I know this can be a challenging aspect to figure out on your own! Green eyes can read as warm if they have a more mossy-yellow quality to them. Red hair can be cool if it has wine and violet notes. Again, go with your gut for now. Odds are, you’re probably right. You can also take a look at the models below to get a sense of where you might fall.
As you can imagine, cool-based coloring looks best with cool-based reds. I’d highly recommend trying on options like deep blush pink, rose, raspberry, burgundy wine, and cranberry. Remember to apply what you learned about your color intensity levels as well. Here are a few great examples…
All items sourced from Nordstrom.
Likewise, neutrals look incredible in neutral-based reds including pink coral, hibiscus, ruby red, and cherry. Case in point…
I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I recommend warm reds such as nectarine, cinnamon, garnet, and brick if your coloring centers on the warm side. Keep scrolling to see what I mean…
So what do you think? Which reds are right for you? Will you be trying on a romantic new option this Valentine’s Day? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
And if you’re looking for personalized recommendations, I invite you to head here next to find out how we can work together one-on-one and ensure you’re wearing only your most flattering hues, every day of the year.
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