SELECTION OF COLOUR

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1681, 18 May 1904, Page 5

SELECTION OF COLOUR

Rose-red cannot be put in contact with the rosiest complexions without causing them to lose some of their freshness. Dark red is less objectionable for certain complexions than rose-red, because, being higher than the warmer tone, it tends to impart whiteness to the skin, in consequence of contrast <of colour. A delicate green is, on the contrary, favourable to all fair complexions which are deficient in rose, and which may hove more imparted to them without inconvenience. But it is not so favourable to the complexions that are more red than rosy, nor to those that have a tint or orange mixed, with brown. In the latter case a dark preen will be less objectionable than a delicate green. Yellow imparts violet to a fair skin, and in this view it is less favourable than the delicate green. To those skins which are more yellow than orange, it imparts white; buif this combination is very dull and heavy for a fair complexion. vVlien the skin is tinted more with orange than yellow we can make it roseate by neutralising the yellow. It produces this effect on the dark-haired type, and is particularly becoming to brunettes violet, the complementary of yellow, produces contrary effects; thus it imparts some greenish yellow to fair complexions, eugmenting the yellow tint of yellow and orange skins. The little blue there may be in a complexion it makes green. Violet, then, is one of the least favourable colours to the skin, at least when not sufficiently deep to whiten the face by contrast of tone.

Blue imparts orange, which is suscep* tible of allying itself favourably tD white and the light flesh tints of fair complexions that have already a more or less determined tint of this colour. Blue is thus suitable to most blondes, and in this case justifies its reputation. It will not suit brunettes, since they have already too much of orange in their colour. Orange is too briliant to be ejegant; it makes fair complexions blue, whitens those that have an orange tint, and gives a green hue to those of a yellow tint.

Draperies of a lustreless white, such as cambrics or muslin, harmonise well with a fresh complexion. But they are unsuitable to complexions which have a disagreeable tint, because white always exalts all colours by raising their tone. Black draperies, lowering the tone of the colour with which they are in juxtaposition, whiten the skin; but if the vermilion or rosy parts are to a certain point distant from the drapery it will follow that, although lowered in tone, they appear, relatively to the white parts of the skin near to this same drapery, rosier than if the contiguity to the black did not exist. * /