Color Me Younger: With colourmebeautiful

Color Me Younger has an important message at its core - our bodies change over time, and we need to accept and go with that change. I think that's a powerful thought for all of us to absorb. Yes, we might have liked to dress in tiny pink tutus when we were young and our skin was flushed with youth. Yes, we can *choose* to dress that way in our 40s and 50s too. However, we should at least be aware the way our skin and hair now look against the colors and to be cognizant of the impression we are making on those we might be trying to influence. I want to say first that I am a strong proponent of dressing and looking the way you want to. If you love grey hair, that's wonderful! If you feel that you shine in a leather mini-skirt, then shine away. It's important to understand the trade-offs though. If your lifelong dream is to run the local PTA, you will find it more challenging if you dress in leather miniskirts and spiked heels at age 50. Not impossible, but more hurdles will appear. Each of us chooses our own battles and decides what to compromise on. A nudist hauled into court might choose to - just for a day - put on clothes rather than face a $500 fine. So with that all in mind, Color Me Younger is a wake-up call for people who found "a look" in their 20s and never varied. Their hair has changed color, their skin has changed color, in many cases even their eyes have changed color - but the person's "inner" mental image has remained stationary. We need to reflect on who we are every once in a while, look at ourselves with open eyes and dress the best we can for the body we have now. There are six groups - light, deep, warm, cool, clear, and soft. Again, these groups are about how you look NOW. The book offers nice color "starbursts" of which colors go well with each group. It's fairly straightforward to look through the information and figure out which group you best fit with, and to see which colors therefore match well against your skin and hair. There is information about face shape, how to have healthy skin, and much more. The section I found most fascinating was the clothing area. They put the exact same outfit on two different people of two different shapes. It was amazing how much better the outfit would match one shape than another! It shows that each of us can be quite beautiful, we just need to dress well to highlight and flatter our shape. The book isn't perfect. Some of the make-up jobs that were "after" images were sort of scary. Again I know that different people like different looks so maybe the ones I found over the top others think are cool and hip. In general though I found a lot of good advice in here, and I agree fully with the underlying message. We are all beautiful. We need to look at ourselves as we are now, embrace that current state we are in, and dress ourselves the best we can to reflect who we are.

Over 40 and wondering why the colors which used to look so perfect for you now darken your face or make you look ghostly? You, my friend, need a color makeover, which Veronique Henderson and Pat Henshaw provide in this wonderful book. They help us identify our dominant coloring characteristics, which must be done first prior to achieving a more youthful appearance. Inappropriate colors may cast dark shadows across our faces, emphasizing lines which age us, and making our skin, hair and eyes look dull. Color Me Younger covers everything from hair, to makeup, to clothing styles . . . helping us turn back the clock to find our most youthful look. The authors tell us that even our accessories play a big role in how we look. I think we have all seen women who age themselves by wearing either far too youthful clothing for their age, or far too frumpy, as well as the wrong colors. Have a friend or family member in this category? It might be too hard to come out and tell them they are ruining their looks with the clothing they choose, so buy them a gift which will help them become more beautiful as they age. I recommend this book, as well as Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45. Order both to feel and look your best!