I believe that everyone can wear pastels. Yes, they may have the tendency to wash you out, but you can prevent that from happening by adopting one or more of these styling strategies.
1. Choose the Right Pastels
Pastels come in all colours. From mint, lilac, peach, nude and lemon, through to many different shades of pale blue and light pink. First, you need to pick a warmer or cooler pastel depending on your complexion (some can wear both.) Second you have to choose the clarity of the pastel. Does a crisp and clear pastel flatter your complexion more than a dusty and dirty pastel? And last, choose the intensity of the pastel. A saturated pastel that is bordering on a mid-tone might be the best way to go.
2. Add Dark Neutrals to the Mix
Colours change when you wear them with other colours, which is why you shouldn’t consider colours in isolation. Pastels can become very flattering when you add your best dark neutral to the outfit, like black, ink blue, navy, charcoal grey, dark olive, chocolate brown, or dark blue denim. Or throw in a favourite bright instead of a dark neutral.
3. Add White to the Palette
Optical white is the lightest and brightest neutral, which is one of the reasons it’s close to my heart. Pastels have a lot of white in them, which makes wearing them with white a harmonious combination. White brightens the complexion and strengthens pastels, making them look fresh and crisp. The effectiveness of wearing pastels with white is quite magical. Try it!
4. Strengthen the Make-Up
Wearing darker eye make-up, a richer shade of lipstick, and defining the brow line can make pastels look lovely against any skin tone. Defining and accentuating facial features with a sharper make-up regime balances the blandness of a pastel more effectively than you might expect.
5. Wear Pastels as an Accent
If none of these strategies appeal to you, simply add pastels to your outfit as accents through footwear, bags, belts, or a scarf tied around a bag. Wearing a pattern with pastel components is another way to go.
I wear pastels from head to toe. My favourites are a crisp and clear light blue, blush pink and peach. They’re hard to find, but I adore a pastel neon green and yellow too. I also wear mint in the form of sea foam. I enjoy wearing pastels most when I pair them with optical white and metallics because it brightens things up, and brings out the white in the pastel. I seldom wear them with dark neutrals. I always were eye make-up and lippie, which adds drama to soft pastels. I absolutely bat for Team Pastels.
Over to you. Have I given you hope that you CAN wear pastels if you want to? Or are you steering clear of them no matter what.
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