Red

There is much excitement in the Perkins' household because we’re flying north to see if we can find the big man himself, you know, the one who wears the red suit.  Great debate has reigned as to whether the one at the school Advent fair was real or not – apparently if there is no sleigh, he’s not the real one – the one we saw the following day in the market square, celebrating the turning on of the Christmas lights, was real, proven by the presence of his sleigh (and a wonderful explanation for why the reindeer wasn’t real)! 

Debate rages in other circles regarding the red suit yet, debate aside, there is no doubt the imagery is so powerful, we would probably struggle to convince anyone that he was anything if not dressed in the familiar red suit with fur trim. Try green for example! 

Red is probably one of the most emotive colours, having many associations with danger and warnings (stop signs), fire/heat, violence, ripeness (fruit) and blood.  It is said to be the colour of energy and drive, with dark red implying success achieved.  When working with my son recently he was very clear that while yellow is a happy colour, red relates to anger – he must feel this at some instinctive level. 

In researching this blog the power of red is obvious, arguably, the most powerful.

·         Seeing Red - becoming angry, losing self-control

·         Red Rag to a Bull – deliberate provocation sure to bring an adverse reaction

·         Caught Red-Handed – caught in the act of a misdemeanour or crime with visible
     evidence

·         Red Herring – a distraction from the real issue

·         Red Tape - rules and regulations especially involving excessive or unnecessary
     paperwork

·         In the Red - in debt

·         Scarlet Woman 

      o   Prostitute or

      o   Symbol of Pagan Rome

And my favourite, because it reminds me of my childhood and the Cornish skylines:

·         Red Sky at Night – an indication of the weather.

It is a colour associated with passion and confidence so wear it with pride but equally be aware that some will see it as an angry colour. 

A conversation with a bank manager recently related to her early years’ training and a recommendation to avoid wearing red because it is an angry colour.  With ‘anger’ being the energy in Eastern philosophy which drives a snowdrop up through the frozen ground, I think passionate would interchange well here.  Maybe with the stiff upper lip synonymous with the British culture, we need to keep a lid on ‘passion’ as much as anger lest we can’t handle it!

Having spent 12 years demonstrating how amazing the right red lipstick for you looks in spite of fears and opinions, it was really refreshing to see two women at a recent function proudly and confidently wearing strong red lipstick.  It also reminded me of the L’Oreal campaign earlier this Autumn.

Reds in the House of Colour range are fabulous - use the table below to identify from your skin tone which are your best colours:

Ideal Reds
Spring (warm & clear)	Poppy / Geranium
Summer (cool & soft)	Cherry / Coral Red
Autumn (warm & soft)	Brick / Geranium
Winter (cool & clear)	Burgundy / Carmine / Scarlet

Great Reds for your Season	Soft	Clear
Warm	Autumn – L12, L606	Spring – L12, L55, L606
Cool	Summer  - L28, L50, L307	Winter – L27, L28, L50, L55, L302, L307, L499, L512, L673

As the colour at the centre of the colour wheel, the most adaptable of all colours and the first colour the eye sees, resulting in it being the colour of ‘sale’ signs to attract spending customers in a retail environment; in the words of Bill Blass, 'When in doubt, wear red.' 

Pink

As a child, pink was an emotive colour, going through phases of loving it and hating it with equal measure depending on when you asked, what the specific shade in question was and my peer group at the time.  From the amazing pink and grey anorak of my early teens to the pastel pink jumper knitted by my Mum and proudly worn until its demise through my mid-teens. I’ve always secretly if not openly, enjoyed pink – but not fuchsia!

The Colour of Love, pink is also associated with femininity, ranging from pastel to hot pink and coral to magenta, there is a pink for everyone and I would hazard a guess that if asked to visualise the colour pink, each individual would immediately picture the colour relating to their Marmite moment, i.e. the one they either love or hate.

My ‘Winter’ son loved the magenta pink bowls and cups as a toddler but soon realised that favouring the blue would enable him to worship his older brother and create competition for attention. 

Barbie & Co have perpetuated the use of pink for girls (candy through fuchsia to magenta) to the extent that some girls don’t feel they can wear, nor choose, any other colour - especially blue - which might be a boy’s colour.

Borrowing our friend’s daughter's fuchsia wetsuit wasn’t a problem for me because it was clearly one of his 2-star colours! (and ever the pragmatist, was cheaper than buying one for a week’s worth of wear on a summer beach holiday!)  I know someone who responded to the question ‘What’s his name?' with ‘HER cousin is Oliver’ because the baby was wearing a blue hat! 

There does seem to be some evidence around the use of pink for boys and blue for girls in the early 1900s which shifted around the time of World War II. If you’re interested, the linked articles provide a fairly full account. 

·            Tickled Pink – delighted

·         In the Pink – to be in great condition, particularly health and emotions

·         Pretty in Pink

·         Pink Pound – relating to the spending power of the Gay community

As with any colour, men as well as women need to ensure they employ their best shade, in this case, of pinks: 

Your pinks range from:	Strong to:	Light / Bright
Spring (warm & clear)	Flamingo / Shocking Pink	Shell, Peach
Summer (cool & soft)	Deep Rose / Cyclamen	Pastel Rose / Pastel Pink /
Autumn (warm & soft)	Rosewood / Coral	Peach
Winter (cool & clear)	Magenta / Fuchsia	Ice Pink

  

Great Pinks for your Season	Soft	Clear
Warm	Autumn – L174, L303, L697, L709	Spring - L22, L30, L347, L611, L697, L709, L710
Cool	Summer - L17, L35, L61, L301, L 302, L495, L635, L686, L714, L718, L719	Winter  - L61, L62, L711, L712, L718