Pantone has announced the Pantone colors of Spring 2017, and the very first one is Primrose Yellow.
But yellow is a difficult color to pull off, especially if you plan to hold on to the pieces you buy this season for the lifetime of your wardrobe. It’s a very scary color to buy because so many people just don’t know how they are going to wear it, especially next season when it’s no longer trendy. Well fear no longer! Here is some information about Primrose Yellow and how to wear it timelessly.
First things first, we should think about color psychology when we decide what colors to wear. You want to dress the way you would like to be perceived, especially at work.
Yellow is the color of the mind and the intellect. It resonates with the left or logical side of the brain, stimulating practical thinking, mental agility, perception, and inquisitiveness. So wear it when you are taking an exam and it might help you focus and recall information, or wear it on a day at work where you will be doing a lot of research or need a lot of focus. Yellow also says that you are decisive, focused, and independent. It’s the lightest hue of the color spectrum, and so it is uplifting and illuminating, offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness, and fun. If you are an optimist, yellow is the color for you. Yellow is also a communicative color as it’s the most visible color in the spectrum, so wear yellow especially if you’re going to a networking event or if you are in the media. However, because yellow is the most visible color, and so it can increase anxiety if you are prone to it. So, if you are a nervous person, or you are nervous about the event that you are going to, or maybe just have a lot of changes going on in your life, it’s best to avoid wearing a lot of yellow as it might agitate you and bring out more manic behaviors. In these situations it’s best to wear yellow as a highlight color rather than as an entire outfit. Additionally, do not wear yellow and black together or yellow and bright red as both combinations denote a warning sign or danger.
I also think it’s important to think about color theory when looking at what to wear because you always want to bring out your best features rather than overshadowing yourself or washing yourself out.
Wear Primrose Yellow if you are a Warm/Pure Autumn like these lovely ladies:
A Clear/ Pure. Bright Spring like these vixens:
or a Soft/ Toned Spring like these gorgeous gals:
If you are a Warm/ Pure Autumn, the best makeup options to wear with a Primrose Yellow top, coat, or dress are:
- Fresh Face With Terracotta Blush: just enough concealer to hide imperfections and tinted moisturizer that matches your skin tone. Cream- based sheer cheek tint or powder bronzer in terra cotta. Eyebrows one shade darker than your hair color. “Boy Brows” or a more natural- looking shape to your brows is perfect for this look, as it’s meant to be carefree and natural- looking. I would just use a brow gel or simply fill in the gaps in your eyebrows very lightly with an eyebrow pencil.
a) with Bronze Neutral Eyes: cover lids with matte eyeshadow in apricot, light contour in matte eyeshadow in antique bronze, mascara in chocolate.
and a Rust Lip: lipstick in red-orange or light rust.
b) or Dark Brown Smokey Eyes: cover entire eye with cream eyeshadow in metallic or sparkly champagne, cocoa matte eyeshadow on upper lids, line upper and lower lash lines with a wing in chocolate pencil or kohl, blend, champagne glitter highlight to middle of upper lid and tear duct, mascara in chocolate.
with a Rust Lip as above.
c) Or, for going out, Brown Kohl- Rimmed Eyes: cover upper lids with matte cream- based eyeshadow in champagne, line eyes top and bottom twice for heavy color in aubergine or chocolate, mascara in chocolate.
With a Salmon Lip: lip butter or lipstick in salmon pink or salmon.
For Springs, the best makeup options to wear with a Primrose Yellow top, coat, or dress are:
- Fresh Face: just enough concealer to hide imperfections and tinted moisturizer that matches your skin tone. Cream- based sheer cheek tint in coral pink, peach, or salmon. Eyebrows one shade darker than your hair color. “Boy Brows” or a more natural- looking shape to your brows is perfect for this look, as it’s meant to be carefree and natural- looking. I would just use a brow gel or simply fill in the gaps in your eyebrows very lightly with an eyebrow pencil.
a) with Light Brown Neutral Eyes- cover lids with metallic or sparkly eyeshadow in apricot ice, or light sand, light contour with matte eyeshadow in milk chocolate, mascara in cocoa.
and a Light Rust Lip:
i) If you’re a Soft/ Toned Spring: Semi- sheen lipstick in red-orange or light rust.
ii) Or, if you’re a Warm/ Pure Spring: Semi- sheen lipstick in light rust.
b) or Light Brown Smokey Eyes: cover entire eye with matte cream eyeshadow in apricot ice, or light sand, milk chocolate metallic or sparkly shadow on upper lids, line upper and lower lash lines with pencil or kohl eyeliner with a wing in cocoa, blend, champagne glitter highlight to middle of upper lid and tear duct, mascara in cocoa.
with a Light Rust Lip as above.
c) Or for going out, Brown Kohl- Rimmed Eyes: cover upper lids with metallic or sparkly cream- based eyeshadow in apricot ice, champagne, or light sand, line eyes top and bottom twice for heavy color in aubergine or cocoa, mascara in cocoa.
With a Coral Lip: lip gloss or semi- sheen lipstick in coral pink, or salmon.
There are a few timeless ways to wear Primrose Yellow. It’s such a fun and vibrant color that it looks especially great in spring clothing with feminine touches- such as a sundress, a skirt, a clutch, or nail polish. You could also wear it as a blouse, sandals, or on an electronics case.
All complexions listed above should wear Primrose Yellow with ivory or stone:
If you are a Warm/ Pure Autumn or a Soft/ Toned Spring, you can wear it with coffee, or chocolate.
If you are a Spring, you can wear Primrose Yellow with tan.
If you’re an Autumn or a Clear/ Pure/ Bright Spring, wear Primrose Yellow with Warm Grey.
If you are an Autumn, wear Primrose Yellow with your neutrals: golden brown, tawny brown, butterscotch, warm grey, or bronze.
If you are a Soft/ Toned Spring, wear Primrose Yellow with your neutrals: milk chocolate, light brown sugar, sand, wheat, light warm taupe, oatmeal, suede, or soft white.
If you are a Clear/ Pure/ Bright Spring wear Primrose Yellow with your neutrals: light sand, cream, charcoal, black brown, warm grey, light warm grey, or white.
If you are a Clear/ Pure/ Bright Spring, you can also wear Primrose Yellow with this beautiful Violet:
It’s a beautiful feminine spring combination, and these complimentary colors balance each other out. The color violet relates to the imagination and spirituality. It will balance out the left- brained down- to- earth qualities of Primrose Yellow. Both are introspective colors, allowing us to think deeply, so wear this combination when you are trying to combine creativity with scientific thought, or when you are trying to brainstorm ideas. Violet is also the color of unconditional, selfless love, and so is the color of the humanitarian, which would balance out the scientific dispassion that accompanies yellow, allowing you to use your best judgement in service of others. Violet also spiritually calms the emotions and supports the practice of meditation, which would balance out the anxiety- inducing aspects of yellow. Additionally, since violet is the color of fantasy and daydreaming, the Primrose Yellow will ground you and reduce purple’s ability to make you act impractically. Since violet is associated with royalty and nobility, adding this color to your outfit will make you seem powerful as well as intelligent. This combination will command respect, so try wearing it to a conference for your work, for example, or when you are trying to lead a group. Wearing violet may increase susceptibility to allergies or aggravate depression in those who are prone to it.
Since you want to make Primrose Yellow the star of the show, try to keep Violet as an accessory color. Violet is very wearable as flats, a clutch, electronics cases, or as nail polish.
Try these tips out and let me know what you think! Whatever way you choose to wear Primrose Yellow, you will definitely be chic and on trend.
