How to Choose the Best Colors for Your Wardrobe

Do you look in your closet and say,

"ugh!!! I have nothing to wear..."

Well you're not the only one that does this, believe me!

I grew up with 2 sisters and my Mom, and all 3 of us said that at least once a week, if not more.

Honestly!

Now I have 2 daughters, and they are saying the same thing.


But.....!


When they feel like that guess where they come to "shop" for something to wear??? (all 3 of us are about the same size)

You guessed it!

My closet. And here's why...



I've learned what looks best for my own personal coloring, so no matter what I have on, I always look Great. And my girls see that. So unconsciously they think I have better stuff for them to choose from. In actuality, it's only "better" for me. And once they've spent an hour or so trying on my clothes, they usually take a piece or two from me and work it with what they have of their own.
(my youngest daughter is my coloring, the other is just a bit different)


So here's what I want to teach you:

What is YOUR most flattering Color Group?

And to make this really easy, go back to the colored papers you used to find your hair color category. Remember how either the Warm colors or the Cool colors held up to your chin looked best? Really made you look lively and healthy!

It's exactly the same with your wardrobe colors! So choose colors that are within the category that most flatters your face/skin tone and you'll be a hit in any outfit.

Does that mean you can NEVER wear other colors? Well, not exactly. But that's a little trickier. So I'm gonna save that one for another lesson.

Yes, I know that some say black is more slimming, but.....
here's another secret!

You can use any deep dark color,
and you'll achieve the same illusion.
For example, dark brown or deep khaki
(if you're in the Warm group),
and deep navy or dark gray
(if you're in the Cool group).
Just remember to keep the colors very dark,
as tho they were almost a black,
and you'll get the same affect.

When it comes to whites, those who look stunning in pure white are from the Cool category. While those from the Warm category look fabulous in ivory and cream.



And lastly, trust you're own instinct!

Each of us has the ability to look in the mirror, holding up a top in the wrong shade, and immediately see what happens to your natural color. You'll look sickly, dull, and pale. And when you hold up the right color, you'll look full of life, vibrant and beautiful. It's really that easy.

Here's a diagram of a Color Wheel.

It shows the Warm color group on the right, and the Cool color group on the left. So as long as you stay within the color range, or what is known as the "Base", you'll be able to pick a winner every time.


Now go to your closet and get rid of
the clothes that make you look ill!
And begin to build on the clothing colors
that make you look FABULOUS!!!




Leave me a comment about what you liked, or any questions you have. I'm always ready and able to help you get this nailed down.

My next lesson will be on: Fashion Do's and Dont's



Love 'n' Hugs always!

Your Skin Tone is Your Guide

Are feeling a little lost when some one asks you, "what is your skin color?"

Do you first think to yourself, "what? are you blind?" and then say the obvious:

• I'm White
• I'm Black
• I'm Asian
• I'm Latino....etc

Well actually there's waaaay more to it than just "the obvious".

When a Professional Beauty Consultant (or other professional in the Industry) asks you about your skin tone, they are wanting to know what the "underlying" pigments are in your natural skin shade.

Okay now, stay with me..... don't get all glassy-eyed. I promise I'm gonna make this understandable for you. And I'll totally demystify the whole thing of 'what color are you'.



With every skin color, whether you are black, white, hispanic, oriental........or whatever your nationality is, there are basic underlying skin tones in your natural skin color.

The two most common categories that are spoken about are: Warm and Cool.
Now within those categories (which are quite general) there are very distinct base tones that you should become aware of.

In the Warm shades there are:

yellow and peach base tones, and also olive base tones, which are usually (but not exclusively) found in naturally darker complected peoples.

In the Cool shades there are:

pink and red base tones, and more rarely, is the ash base tone, which is sometimes referred to as Neutral.




And I can hear your next question already......
how do you tell which one you are? Here's a few simple ways to find out.

If you have freckles, take a look in your mirror. Again in natural light ONLY. It's the most true lighting to use, and the most reveling. (that's another great 'secret' tip! check everything by natural light)

If your freckles look more 'orange-y' then you are in the Warm category.
If your freckles look more 'tan or gray-brown' then you're in the Cool category.

See....! It's easy!!! But that's only if you have freckles, right.



So here's how to tell your base skin tone when you don't have freckles.
Get an assortment of colored papers: green, yellow, orange and tan or brown for the Warm group. And paper colors of: red, pink, purple, and blue for the Cool group. Keep them separated into these two categories.

Now again in natural light and without any make up on, look in your mirror and hold one of the papers from the Warm group directly beneath your chin, so that you can see your face and the full sheet of paper in your mirror.

Watch closely!!! What happened to the color of your face? Does it look brighter? Or more peachy or golden? Do you look more vibrant? Or did your face color seem to go bland, pale, and dull.....like you look when you're tired. Continue to do this with each sheet of paper from the Warm group, and make a note of your results.

Again, using the papers from the the Cool group, hold each one up to your chin and watch closely to what happens to your face color. Does your skin become a lively pink-y color, or glowing reddish tan/brown (for darker skinned people). Or does your skin suddenly become sallow and dull, as though you were sickly. Do this with each sheet of paper, and remember to write down your results.

Now after you've finished this little test, look and see what you've got written down. If more of the colored papers from the Warm category made you look more lively and healthy, then you're a Warm based skin tone. And you'll have a yellow base if you're very light skinned. A peachy base if you're medium skinned. And an olive base if you're tan or dark skinned.

If you had a more glowing, well-rested, and refreshed look from the Cool colored papers, then you're skin is a Cool based color. So then if you're very fair or medium colored, you'll have a pink base skin tone. And if your dark skinned you'll have a red base tone. (sometimes reffered to as a blue base)


And there you have it!!! I told you it'd be easy to learn. :)


Here is why this is important to know, not only for choosing the Perfect Hair Color, but also for picking clothing colors that MOST flatter your natural coloring.

When you choose a hair color that brings out, or enhances your natural coloring in your eyes and skin, you'll will look nothing short of SPECTACULAR!!! No matter what it is you're wearing!!! (hurray for FABULOUS!!!)

Yes, I'm absolutely serious. Have you ever known someone that no matter when or where you bump into them, they always look wonderful? Even if they've just left their garden to run and buy some water. And yet they look great! Well that's the secret!!! It's not the clothing that they're wearing.....

IT'S THE COLORS.

The color of the their skin and eyes are made even more beautiful by their hair color, and lastly their clothing colors.
And YOU can accomplish the same thing!



So go ahead and give this little test a try, and send me a comment on what you've discovered.
I'd love to know what Color You Are!



My next lesson will be on:
How to Choose the Best Colors for Your Wardrobe




If you have any questions, just leave me a message and I'll write back to you personally.


As Always.... Love 'n' Hugs!

How To Choose a New and More Gorgeous Hair Color

So you're looking in the mirror and thinking "I need to make a change."

..... "I look old.... dull.... frazzled.... and tired."

I'll bet you could really use a boost!
Something to give you back your youthful zip and zing..... am I right?

But WHAT?!!


A wonderful way to make you feel and look renewed, revived and refreshed is to change your hair color. And now a days, it's really an easy thing to accomplish.

In my post from yesterday, I showed you how to get back your beautiful natural color...... without the gray!
{{ giggles }}
Sure don't wanna see those nasty little gray hairs sticking out!


Today I'm going to teach you the Professional Secrets of how to pick the perfect hair color that is different from your natural hair color.
Now this can be a very drastic change, or just a subtle difference (such as a bit lighter or darker than what you currently have). It's your choice.


Okay...... you're going to need a mirror, something bigger than a small compact size mirror. You'll need to see your entire face...... clearly! So a magnifying mirror may be better yet. You'll be able to really zoom in on your eye.

Now you'll need to stand in front of window, preferably a North facing window. This is Important! I know this sounds strange, but trust me, it works the best.

Look closely at your eye color.....

See all the different spots and speckles of colors?

Bet you always thought you had just a plain color to your eyes..... nope.

And here's the Secret.
These many shades and variances of colors you're seeing are your "inside key" to which hair color will look the most flattering on you. That's the secret!

By choosing a hair color that matches (and I say that loosely) one of those specks of color in your eyes, you'll have a hit every time!


I'll give you an example, cause I can already hear you saying "what in the world is she talking about? I have green eyes! I'm not going to dye my hair GREEN!!!"

No, no, no.......

If you have green eyes, look at all the other colors you see mixed in with that.
There may be some yellows, and golds, or even some grays, but you'll see them if you look closely.

So you now can make an assessment of what category the MAJORITY of your colors fall into. And there are only 2 categories (that really matter) for hair color: Warm.... or Cool.


So again, if you have green eyes for example. And you see mostly gold/yellow and pale greens, then you should pick a hair color from the Warm category. And best of all, would be a color closely matching the gold/yellow in your eyes. So a shade of blonde (or light brown) that uses a "gold" base would be best for you.

With any eye color you'll have a hit by:

• going with the most predominant shade in your natural eye color
• matching a hair color from the same Warm or Cool group, then
  
• picking a new hair color that is the same shade, or lighter, or darker.

Here's another example, and how I found my perfect color. I have dark brown eyes. But as I look into the many colors of my eyes, I can see a LOT of reddish brown speckles. Yes, there are some other colors too, like blacks, smoke, lighter browns, but what I see mostly is the reddish brown.

So for me (along with considering my skin tone) I look best as a

REDHEAD!

Eight years ago I went from blonde to red in the "squirt of bottle" and have never been the same since! LOL!!!!
Seriously tho, everyone thinks Red is my natural color. And why? Because it so perfectly compliments my natural eye color and skin tone.


And YOU can do the same thing!!!!


Don't be timid...... you'll love your new look.
And so will everyone else!


As always, if you have any questions about this Lesson, please feel free to leave me a post about it here. I'd love to help pick the Perfect Color for YOU.


Next week's Lesson will be on.....

Your Skin Tone is Your Guide




Love 'n' Hugs to YOU!

Hair Color and YOU

Are you looking in your mirror and seeing some of those nasty gray hairs peeking out?

Is your once gorgeous natural hair color looking dull or lifeless?

Did you know that as we age our hair color slowly begins to fade?


Yes, that's true!
And this is the process of how we acquire gray/white hair.
As our natural color continues to slowly fade (or with some folks, rather quickly) it becomes lighter, duller and paler. What is actually happening is our hair root is no longer producing the same amount of "color" molecules as it did when we were younger. And as time continues on, we produce less and less of these color molecules, until there are virtually none.

Viola! Silver, gray or white hair, depending on it's structure.

This is what's happened to the one or two hairs you're seeing now. So it's the beginning of a long cycle for your hair and it's loss of color. And it'll change continually according to your own personal genetics and what they dictate about you.



Now here's a couple solutions to finding the right color for you!

After all, who wants to look older than how we feel? I sure don't!!!

Do you?........ didn't think so.



If you're looking to just restore your natural color to it's original youthful glow, that's a pretty simple fix! Buy a color that is one shade darker than what you see in the mirror now. And here's the simple reason why: You see yourself every day. So over the years as your hair has been fading you are not as aware of how much it has really changed. Right?

See I told you this would be easy. =)

Secondly, once you've used a "permanent" type of color product on your hair, it has a slightly lightening effect, because it's mixed with Peroxide (the white creamy liquid). So even tho you'll be darkening your color a little, after a few washes it will lighten. All coloring products fade after a couple washes........ and some more than others.

So don't be afraid to go that little bit darker. You'll be far more satisfied that you did by the end of the week. Your hair color will be revived to it's once vibrant color and will last for many, many weeks.

AND! no more gray hairs peeking thru!!!



If you're looking for a completely Brand New Look, and a totally different hair color......

Here's what I've learned from Color Specialist like myself, who are the best in the biz.

Look at your eye color!


Now this can be a little trickier, but you'll absolutely love the results!!!
You'll see that you have many shades and variances of color in your natural eye color.

Can you see it?
Go on, grab a mirror and look into your eyes.
Stand in front of a window when you do this....... natural light is always the most true.


See all those different colors?

These are your cues to which hair color will look most flattering on YOU!



So tomorrow's lesson will be on.......

"How To Choose a New and More Gorgeous Hair Color
Than You've Ever Had Before"

Stay tuned....

and if you have any questions, just leave me a post here :)


Love 'n' Hugs to YOU!

Questions from Other Readers

Some of you are asking for more information about

the "type" of products that I have coming out,

so you can better dream up some amazing Names for it.


These are Skin Care products only,

very highly Concentrated, and All Natural.

And they are things like:

• wrinkle removers
• masks for skin tightening
• Ph-balanced spritzer
• acne systems
• cleansers
• skin treatments
• eye gels
• mens skin care

and so on....

This should give you a better idea of what you're naming.

(without me having to let the cat out of the bag, that is)

And again, I'm looking for a way to include "Martysue"

in the name for this product line.

Once I have gotten a catchy name, I'll be able to create

a logo to go along with it.

And all THANKS to the lucky winner of this Contest!!!

Let me know if you need anything more to concoct the

most Super Best Name ever!!!!! =)

Love 'n' Hugs!

An Exciting Contest for You

I'm really in a pickle here......

been racking my brain all day!!!

Then it came to me!

:-O



I could get some great ideas from YOU!




So here's the deal- - -

I need a catchy (yes, very catchy!) name for my New Skin Care product line.




Anyone can submit your ideas to me.......the more the merrier!

The person that gets the most votes will win

a FREE half hour Consultation with me! (a $55 value)




Put on your thinking caps on, and be really creative!!!

The only Rule is you have to use "Martysue" somewhere

in the name, or as a ...(yahda, yahda).... "by Martysue"




Okay!!!




If you have any questions, just leave me a post and

I'll write back to you with an answer a.s.a.p.



I'll leave the Contest open for only 2 weeks!!!

So get your ideas posted, before someone else thinks of it first!!!




Love 'n' Hugs!

Hello and Welcome to my page :)

I'm Martysue Conklin...

Mother of 5..

"Nah-Nah" to 5 grandkids.

Crafty Quilter, One Stroke (Donna Dewberry) painter

And all around nice chick!

{{{ giggles }}}



You know it's kinda neat how blessed I have been...

I spent the first part of my life raising my children and

Learning how to twist any old thing into art as we did not have

A lot to spare at the time...

I sewed scraps into quilts..

Learned crazy home dec ideas to make nothing into something

And became a mean budget cook!

All the while working as a professional hair dresser and cosmetologist..

So basically..I got good at doing A LOT of stuff...

OUT OF NECESSITY..



But then as the years passed...

And my children grew..

And things got better financially...

It was FINALLY TIME FOR ME.

You see..

I was always entrepreneurial

And I have dabbled at MLM..

Fun stuff...


I do a Travel Biz online-

http://www.topdiscount4travel.com


And I sell leads and Social Media Training-

http://www.leadersclub.com

http://www.myprivateclassroom.com





But when you boil it all right down to it...

I just LOVE helping gals (and guys) look and feel better...

So instead of going back to being on my feet 8-10 hours a day
as a hairdresser/make-up specialist.

I have developed my own SKIN CARE LINE.



Let's face it.....

Looking good at my age is no easy feat!!!!!!!!

(You do the math..5 grown kids, 5 grandkids, and I was over 21 when I started)



So now I am going to LEAK my SECRETS to the world.

But I need your help!

"I am wondering if you would take a minute
and let me know your thoughts and needs
in the area of Skin care, Hair styles,
Make-up, and Fashion?"

I am in the final stages of product development and packaging.

And I will be sure to let you know when the line is ready.


Any minute now.......




And in the mean time you can watch all my Beauty Tips and Tricks over at:

http://www.youtube.com/MartysueLive



And you can always find/follow me over at:

http://www.twitter.com/martysue

(if you'd like to Twitter, Tweet, or Twhirl with me!)




You can catch all my Beauty Tips and Tricks as
I post them here, and answer your questions.

So ask me your most pressing questions about your.......

• hair

• skin

• face

• make up

• wrinkles

• hands

• feet

• nails

• and fashion styles

And as a professional in the Industry I will give you my Best Advice.


Love 'n' Hugs!
Martysue