Summer Colors that Look Best on Fair Skin

If you happen to be a fair skinned girl such as I am, you may be intimidated by all of the bright summer colors that are geared towards tan bodies. While society does seem to discriminate against us pale skinned beauties, the good news is that we can get away with wearing many of the beautiful summer colors that we are led to believe will 'wash us out'. Here is a style guide for fair skinned ladies on how to wear pretty, summertime colors.

Since I happen to have sensitive skin that is easily burned, I avoid tanning beds and the sun. For years, all I ever heard from my tanned contemporaries regarding clothes was 'stick with dark colors or you will look washed out'. For awhile, I actually believed this rubbish, until I learned how to play around with colors and was able to create a striking palette that complimented my fair skin instead of bring attention to it.

First rule of thumb is finding summer colors that look good on you and your skin tone. Soft hues such as mint green, daffodil yellow, bubblegum pink, and soft oranges look beautiful with pale skin. Whatever you do, avoid colors that are considered 'Day-Glow', i.e. fluorescent greens and yellows, hot pink, neon orange etc. These sort of colors look best on tanned skin only, so if you are fair skinned its best to stay away from any sort of neon colors.

When you are out shopping, grab as many different colors as possible and hold them up to a mirror to get an idea of what looks best on you. If you happen to have red hair such as I do, green, purple, orange, and yellows, and even white will work well with your fair skin. If you are a blonde, green, coral, gold, sky blue, and pink are absolutely perfect. Mix and match until you find color combinations that you are comfortable with. I'm also a really big fan of prints, in particular white with bright colored flowers. Don't buy into that myth that pale skinned girls cannot wear white; as long as it's accented by a colorful print or accessories, it will look divine.

Now, that brings me to the most crucial part of your outfit: accessories. Like I've mentioned numerous times before, accessories can literally make the outfit, and in the case of summertime colors on fair skin, they are crucial. Since the colors in your outfit are soft, use bright, colorful accessories to bring your outfit to life. For instance, a bright red necklace, earrings and shoes will bring out a white outfit magnificently. Accents in black such as belts, ribbons, and shoes are also a smart choice as they will balance out the colors and prevent the dreaded 'washout'. Other great colors for accessories include dark green, gold, blue, brown and multi-colors. Also, when you go bare legged, make sure they are moisturized, and I personally like to use a lotion that has a 'shimmer' effect, so that my legs and skin sparkle (very 'Twilight'!) Make sure your toes are painted a bright red or a dark color, and make sure you have your face made-up properly. This website has great make-up tips for fair-skinned ladies.

Lastly, if you are still in doubt as to what colors will look best on you, google pictures of any of the following fair-skinned ladies: Nicole Kidman, Dita Von Teese, Rose McGowan, Christina Hendricks, Deborah Ann Woll, Kristen Stewart, Gwen Stefani, and Madonna. These ladies are famous for their gorgeous, light complexions and can pull off just about any color that their tan skinned contemporaries can.

Further Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_analysis