What do you call this color family? - YouLookFab Forum

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What do you call this color family?

Lesley

Veteran

Fun academic exercise: I was really interested in the grayed-out color explanation that Angie posted a month or so ago, and I love thinking about why certain colors work for a person and some don't.

I am wearing a nail polish of a color I love. Typically I would say that I don't wear pastels because they wash me out, but I look at this color and think it's not entirely true. This is the kind of pastel I wear--very saturated, almost like the deep colors you think of in a Hawaiian sunset--magenta, deep peach, lime green.... so what are they? Neon pastels?

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31 replies

Latest reply was from The Cat

Star

Veteran

Wow what a great lilac varnish color. It is not a pastel. As you say it is saturated. Not any help, sorry.

Liz

Veteran

It's a lovely color! But I agree with Star that it is not a pastel. I think that pastels have a great deal of white mixed in with the color. For the kinds of colors you're describing (bright orchid, deep peach, magenta, lime green) I'd use words like clear, warm, strong, saturated, bright. I have no idea what the technical color terms would be.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Agreed that this is not pastel. Pastels have more white mixed in — add quite a bit of white to this and you’d have a pastel. This color is a saturated bright. There is not really any grey or muted nature to it, if your photo is accurate. It’s a lovely color on you and looks really fun with the cobalt coat!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I think of pastels as having a certain “sweetness” to them. I’ve never gotten any traction in looking for an explanation of what that is/where it comes from. It seems that you are seeing the same thing I zero in on. But I think we are both mistaken—the answer I’ve always gotten is that pastels are simply very light versions of other colors. So I guess Barbie pink and your nail polish aren’t pastel. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Theodora

Lol, this is the only color I wear, when I do have my nails done (which is like once every 3 years…) I do wear it on my toes though, and I love it! Seems to go with everything. Enjoy

P.S. High five to a fellow former Staten Islander!

Joy

Veteran

I don't think these are pastels. They look more saturated in color, more in the midrange and no grey. Just pure color, as Janet has said.

Lesley

Veteran

Wait Theodora, how did you know?

Runcarla

Veteran

I’d call it a pure saturated hue between purple and red (and as such a tertiary colour). Maybe magenta or orchid?

* ignore the arrows on the first image.

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LaPed

Veteran

I’d call it a warm, saturated bright. I think “tropical brights” conveys the right idea as well.

These are my 8yo DS’s favorite shades too. No “sad beige baby” over here!

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Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Is the sweetness what you call pastel too? I’d love to get an explanation for that, what gives a color that sweet edge.

Runcarla

Veteran

@ SF - maybe the purity of the hue, lightened by (lots of) white - but still ‘pure’? You could have light colours (pastels) with grey added (tones) however the ‘sweetness’ would be lost with the loss of purity. Just my thoughts…

The Cat

Veteran

Haven't read the other answers yet, so this is my spontaneous response: I would call this colour clear purple, and in my opinion it belongs to the brights.

Anonymous

Looks like bright purple to me. Agree with The Cat that it would be in the brights color family. Awesome color

Star

Veteran

Lesley which brand is it? I recently thrifted a knit and was gifted a bag in this colour, from a friend. Looks fantastic with my 'new' silver hair. Not that I am going to put them all on together, or maybe I can

Jules

Veteran

It’s a bright, one I also associate with Hawaii, but with orchid leis. I think some are maybe using the word ‘pastel’ to describe pure colours, eg. without any grey/black/brown/muddy/dirty tones in them, but I don’t believe that’s technically correct (although subjectively people have a lot of feelings about colours and can use the words they want, just don’t expect common understanding).

Suz

(website)

Veteran

what Janet said. It's not pastel. And it looks great on you!

Anonymous

Mid tone or tropical bright? Looks like orchid purple to me!

judy

Veteran

Tropical neon? It's the color in the rainbow...lots of rainbows when I lived in Hawaii.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Mid tones! Orchid.

Lesley

Veteran

It’s Olive & June Jam Please!

jussie

Veteran

I believe that colour is called Orchid. I think it was one of the Pantone colours of the year a few years ago? It’s not very common either, just a beautiful hue really.

Although it’s not a true pastel, I’m not certain, but it might go very nicely with pastels, adding a little punch to them? Just thinking aloud here.

I’m sorry I don’t really know what colour family as such, seems like a light mid-tone cold colour, almost leaning into blue, with a touch of neon to it.

Chiara

Agree with others - looks cool and bright (as does the cobalt blue cuff of your jacket!). See Sci Art Bright Winter palette attached.

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Star

Veteran

Chiara Cool and bright (Bright Winter) seems to be my palette for silver hair and pale skin and light blue eyes. Thanks for sharing.

rachylou

Veteran

Clear and bright to me too. Not pastel, not pale enough (not enough white in it).

And how did Theodora know?

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

I'd call these clear & bright mid-tones.

aka The exact colours I have to make a concentrated effort to avoid

Theodora

Lesley, you mentioned it recently in a reply to a forum post, and I took note, as I never seem to run into anyone from there since I left Staten Island.

I can’t find that thread…

Lesley

Veteran

Oh that's fair!

Nkicks

(website)

Member

This colour is beautiful, also if you mixed it with gold will look amazing

RobinF

Veteran

Very pretty color! I would call it orchid but definitely not pastel.

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