As early as I can remember I was fascinated with redhead beauties. They were my beauty ideal growing up. I was born deep auburn red and as time passed it grew lighter to a strawberry blonde and there were very few beauty icons for me to look to. You see redheads make up only 1-2% of the human population so that’s around 140 million, so out of the current population of 7.6 billion we essentially are unicorns- far and few between.
There is a red colour for everyone. Today there are so many red-based colours that pack a delicious punch and enhance your complexion to perfection. Back in the day, I was obsessed with the fire engine red hair of Linda Evangelista and I would pour over pages of fashion magazines trying to emulate her look. Needless to say, that didn’t quite pan out as the look for me, but make up for redheads can be mystifying for most and finding your makeup colours can be downright confusing. So I think the best way to break this down for all you redheads is by colour rather than products.
Your skin tone should dictate your hair colour, not your colourist! I see so many hair colours that are wrong for their complexions- just because they “like the colour” not because it suits them. Keep in mind… Not every hue is for you! So let’s work with hair colour and makeup colours together so you can make sure your look is harmonious and helps you sparkle.
FAIR COMPLEXIONS
Certain hues will make fair complexions creamier. Those with fairer skin tones need to remember that hues with a pink or strawberry tone will actually help take the pink out of their complexion, evening it out to make it creamier and help the eye colour to pop. For fair skins, think dark strawberry, muted copper, chestnut or ginger. If you want something bold try bright crimson, electric orange or other vibrant, popping shades of red help lift your complexion and deepen your eye colour.
OLIVE OR MEDIUM COMPLEXIONS
If you have a tanned or olive complexion, the red hair colour you should opt for would be coppery toned reds, cherry, fire engine red, gilded russet, deep cinnamon or vibrant crimson. Bright Auburn and blue-red shades look sensational on medium complexions. Medium complexions have the most colour options when it comes to setting their locks ablaze.
DARKER COMPLEXIONS
Darker skins look amazing with red hair hues like merlot, burgundy, berry, and wine. In fact, there are many reds that fire up a deeper complexion. Violet tones such as blackberry or deep maroon look ultra-flattering on those women with more melanin. If you’re feeling like a brighter hue, try burnt orange which will add a pop of colour especially for those with a blue undertone.
DEEP COMPLEXIONS
For those with maximum melanin hair colours that lean more to the purplish reds look divine and light up their skin tone. Auburn is for those who are deep but golden as it brings out a richness to their skin colour. Think colours like Cherry coke which lift the complexion and make your eyes sparkle.
On your next trip to Sephora, choosing your makeup colours should be easier with these colour references in mind. This will make the selection process for purchasing an eye, cheek or lip colour a breeze.