Amethyst Hour

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Funtastic Purple

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What's the Best Hair Color For You?

The beautiful hair color you wear should complement your skin tone, so take this quiz to discover your ideal shade

Your skin tone has been passed down to you from generation upon generation. But what you might not immediately realize is that the color of your skin determines more than whether you turn into a lobster in the sun or what box you check on the census. Not to blind you with science (insert funny '80s quip here) or anything, but the amount and type of melanin you have -- a natural substance which gives your skin, hair, and eyes their color -- not only dictates which makeup colors work best on you, but also what shade of hair color is most flattering.

Scroll down to take the quiz and find out what hair color hue you should wear.

Your most beautiful hair color will bring out the subtleties of your skin tone and enhance its natural beauty. Knowing this, we went to Joico Celebrity Colorist Beth Minardi, who has colored the heads of celebs including Kirsten Dunst, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt, to find out exactly which shades of hair color work best on various skin tones. Minardi says that "skin tone is extremely important and serves as a guide for the colorist," and generally a good rule of thumb when it comes to picking shades is, if you have cool-toned skin, your color should also be cool in tone and vice versa. If you have warm-toned skin, you should opt for a warmer-toned hair color.

Before starting the quiz below to determine which skin tone you have and thus which hair colors will look best on you, check out these quick at-home hair coloring tips:

* For the most foolproof and flawless finish, always choose a box that's within two shades lighter or darker than your current color.
* To keep hair healthy, apply color to unwashed hair. The natural oils work to protect your hair from damaging product.
* If you want to use a semi-permanent color, know that you can only go darker or hide grays. Semi-permanent hues won't lighten hair.
* There is a specified time for leaving the dye on your hair for a reason. Obey it or you could end up with two-toned strands.
* If you make a color mistake, don't try and fix it with another box of hair color. If it is a minor mishap, wash it 2-3 times consecutively with clarifying shampoo. If it's a biggie, bite the bullet and see a professional.

Source. totalbeauty.com

Light color tone

Color scheme

Prismology

Sir Isaac Newton is often credited with discovering the color spectrum by using a prism to break apart light. On this webpage, we use the very same technique to analyse the elements of the colors that we see. The following is a series of revealing images that are "prismized" which allows us to arrive at some enlightening conclusions.

Before beginning this section, you should know that the two primary systems of color are called: Additive and Subtractive. The Additive system is used when projected light is involved. When colored lights overlap, various colors are seen by the eye. Subtractive color involves the absorption of light. In this case, the eye sees the reflection of light. For example, the feathers of a yellow canary will absorb blue-violet rays of the sun and reflect red and green light. This appears yellow to our eyes.

In the images below, we are able to switch between color mixing systems by using offsetting backgrounds. (However, computer monitors always use additive color because of the projection of light.) Our goal is to determine the primary colors of each systems and see how they react under a prism. The interesting thing is that by placing a 'selected' color on a white background, you can see the 'subtractive' colors which make up the color. By placing the color on a black background, you can see the 'additive' colors. As you shall see, the prism can also be used to quantitatively identify the 'best' primaries.

What is Chromatic Black?

Chromatic black is a mixed paint color that looks black but doesn't contain any blackpigment in it. None of the pigments in a chromatic black mix have a PBk (Pigment Black)Color Index. Instead, a chromatic black is created by mixing dark versions of other colors, typically a red and green or blue and red.

Why Use Chromatic Black?
Given how easy it is to squeeze paint out of a tube, why would you bother mixing up a substitute for black? It's partly the fault of the Impressionists (such as Renoir and Monet) and statements they made about shadows not being black and how it should never be used (although most of them did at some stage or other).

It's partly because using too much black to darken colors easily results in muddy colors. This is especially true amongst beginners, so some art tutors find it easiest to ban black altogether. It's partly because black can be a very flat and dull color. And it's partly because a chromatic black is a more complex, interesting color, with a subtlety that straight black

Recipes for Chromatic Black

What pigments you use to create a chromatic black is not a question of right or wrong colors, but experimenting with various options until you find a combination you like. Start by mixing in equal proportions, but be sure to also try mixes that aren't equal, so you've a 'black' that leans towards a color.

• Basic Complementary Colors: Your darkest green + darkest red (check the paint tube labels to ensure there isn't any black in a color, for instance a cadmium red deep.
• Perfect Complementaries (according to Robert Gamblin): Quinacridone red + phthalo emerald.
• The Deep Purple Recipe: Your darkest blue + darkest red
• Art Teacher Jim Meaders: Prussian blue + alizarin crimson + and an earth color.
• Warm + Cool: Any two deep, dark colors with one warm and the other cool.

A quick way to see whether your chromatic black has a bias towards one color or another, is to mix a little into some white. You'll immediately see if the grey has a pink (or green, or something) tinge to it, or not. Alternatively, scrap a little bit smooth with a painting knife to reveal the undertone.

Ready-Made Chromatic Black:
If you don't like mixing colors and would rather buy a tube of chromatic black, as far as I know Gamblin is the only paint company that sells one. Gamblin makes an oil chromatic black using PG36 and PV19 (phthalo green and quinacridone red). (Buy Direct)

Example of Chromatic Black in a Painting

In the painting shown here, artist Jön Otterson has used chromatic black for shading and texture, as well as blended with other colors to darken or gray them. He said: "This is my favorite way to use chromatic black." It's not hard to see why: the colors harmonize beautifully, there's a color unity across the composition, and a range of tones.

Painting tip: Jön used drafting tape (similar to masking tape) for blocking out the tree trunks while he painted the background. If you want straight lines, tape is easier than masking fluid.

While the January 2010 Painting Project was about using chromatic black to dominate a painting, in 'normal' circumstances you'd use it as you would any other color, where suitable and as little or much as appropriate.