Colorimetry
Colorimetry is a psychophysical discipline that aims to measure and organize colors. Here the way this science applies to our body is actually much simpler than one might think. Concretely, it aims to find a color palette that will highlight your skin as well as your eyes or your hair.
The first information to identify is your undertone.
Your skin not only has a color but also an undertone as we have already mentioned in the page dedicated to complexion. It's all about nuance. The color of your skin is really only there to tell you if you are darker or darker while your undertone determines its color. There are two types of undertones:
Cold undertones which are characterized by the presence of more cold than warm undertones in your skin (your skin is rather pinkish).
And the warm undertone which has more warm than cold undertones in the skin. (your skin is rather golden)
You can see the difference between undertones of the same color below
To better understand what is happening below. Most colors are actually made from two codes
RBV code (acronym of the first letter of what makes up the code
The amount of red
The amount of blue
The amount of green
And the CMY code
Composed of yellow
Magenta
Cyan
These two codes actually correspond to summaries:
Primary color
Here is the correct way to decipher these syntheses
Subtractive synthesis
By subtracting from cyan my green I get yellow
By subtracting all the colors from my white I get black
Additive synthesis:
By adding blue to my green I get cyan
By adding red, blue and green to my black I get white
Indeed white being the color comprising all the colors
And black being simply the absence of all colors
Before explaining to you why there are two different syntheses, I will first briefly explain the relationship between light and colors.
The human eye is composed of cones on its retina (well everywhere except on the optic nerve that's why you have a blind spot in your field of vision, yes you are not aware of it because your brain recreates the missing part) These cones actually react to a wavelength of light entering your eye, hence the name given to them (photosensitive)
I'm so sorry to destroy the magic of rainbows but it's for a good cause. Rainbows are actually the image of the light spectrum. In other words it is the decomposed white light
As we have said before white is the presence of all colors.
Here is an image of what a rainbow looks like on paper
When the light of the sun, therefore composed of all this light spectrum, arrives on any object, it is reflected or not by this object depending on its color. It absorbs the colors of the light spectrum that it does not have and reflects those that correspond to its color.
This principle of reflection is very important for what follows. Moreover, you can see this phenomenon of reflection very easily by putting a sheet of bright color under your face, you will have reflections of this color on your face.
It is for this same reason that black in the sun heats up more, because it is the absence of all colors, the entirety of light (the entire light spectrum) is therefore absorbed by it. On the other hand, white, which is the presence of all colors, heats up much less because it reflects the entire light spectrum.
Baa yes the waves heat up, it's the very principle of your microwave
Our eye therefore perceives this reflected light, which corresponds to a certain frequency of the light spectrum and transmits it to your brain.
For example, if I observe a red apple in white light (the one that includes the entire light spectrum) the apple will therefore absorb the entire light spectrum except for the red that it will reflect; this reflection of waves will reach my eye which will react to this wavelength and tell my brain that this apple is red. This situation therefore uses the principle of subtractive synthesis (since we have white light, we subtract the cyan and yellow which was absorbed by the apple)
To experiment with additive synthesis, all you need to do is to perform a very simple experiment, which is to draw something in the dark with a single-color light (which does not include the whole spectrum light) So if you put to draw under a red light, the blue felt-tip pens will appear very dark while the red ones will disappear. Quite simply because red plus red gives white while red plus blue gives pink
Now if we think about the difference between these two experiences, the different factor is that of light. Indeed in one case we have a white light and in the other a black environment with a red light. Since black is the absence of colors, we find ourselves obliged to add the colors to have one, whereas precisely, in an environment lit with white (the entire light spectrum) we are obliged to subtract colors since white contains them. all.
It is for this same reason that TVs use additive synthesis (yes, screens are made in the following way: each pixel of your TV corresponds to a mini LED capable of performing this additive synthesis to display the correct color). Because it's easier to start from nothing and add than to want to subtract.
Now that you are real experts in physics, we can resume our stories of codes
In the case of RBV we add to find a color
In the case of the CMY we subtract.
These codes are actually like location on the very large color plane
You will quickly understand that these codes are like a dosage
If you put more blue or less blue the shade of your color will change
And that's exactly where the secret to undertones lies. If you put more blue your color will be cold. On the other hand, if you put less of it, it will be warmer. Since blue is considered a cold color and red a warm one. Green is neutral
You can experiment on writing software for example, when you create new color from RBV code
Finally to make red you will enter this code or following dosage:
R255 B000 V000
255 being the maximum
This is therefore the code for "pure" red but if you want to have a cold red you will add blue in it, in a smaller quantity than the red otherwise you will get pink
R255 B100 V000
If B > 125 then we switch to rose
R255 B150 V00
To analyze a color, it is therefore necessary to know what color it is mainly composed of, which gives us its family (red, blue, green) then the quantity of other colors to have its undertone (Bordeau red, cherry red, etc.).
Let's talk little, let's talk well. how to recognize your undertone? there are several ways to know your undertone
The easiest being if you have an Instagram account, I recommend you check out the following account : @_magnifisenses_
who is a colorimetry professional and who, to our delight, has made filters allowing you to recognize your undertone (golden or silver) among other things.
If you are lucky enough to find several single-colored fabrics of different undertones, put the turns above your shoulders in the front. If you're having trouble determining your undertone, step back from your mirror to get an overall feeling. Don't hesitate to ask other pairs of eyes for help. Another technique is to put a white sheet under his face and look at the reflection of your skin on the sheet. If the leaf looks more pink then you have a cool undertone, but if the leaf looks more yellow you have a cool undertone. Finally a last technique that I could hear, it is to look at the veins of the interior of his wrist. If you have green veins then you have a warm undertone, if you have more blue veins then you have a cool undertone. However I very much doubt this last technique since the color of your blood changes according to its oxygenation so it is not a safe comparison value.
As you can imagine for a question of harmony if you wear colors that match or have the same undertone as you, you will be closer to the criteria of beauty. It's the same principle for color palettes, we combine colors that have the same undertone so that they go well together.
Wearing colors opposite to your undertone will "cut more" but the risk being that the eye will move towards the most present color, therefore certainly your outfit and not your skin, finally if your clothes cover the majority of your body.
The main thing is that if you wear a family of colors opposite to your skin tone, choose a color from this family that has the same undertone as your skin tone. For example, if you have a cold undertone and want to wear red, which is therefore a warm color, it is better for you to go for burgundy reds which are therefore reds with cold undertones. Conversely, if you have a warm undertone and want to wear blue, which is therefore a cold color, go for turquoise blues which have warm undertones since they have shades of yellow. So this type of blue pulls more towards green, a neutral color.
As we talked about above, objects reflect light, so your clothes will reflect their colors on your skin, and the same goes for your environment. so if you want to take beautiful photos that show you off, choose a background with a majority of colors that match the undertone of your skin. Do not sacrifice the beautiful souvenir photos in front of historical monuments that you have been able to visit. Even if the monuments are not your skin tone, you can fix this problem very easily with photo editing by adding filters on them.
The third parameter to be determined is that of the Intensity which can be either high or low
This is actually what corresponds to saturation if you have some notions in painting it is in fact to dilute your pigments more or less. The purer the pigments, the more the color will be flashy, however the more it will be diluted the more it will appear pale
Finally, the last parameter to take into account is that of the Contrast, which will be high or low. Contrast corresponds to the difference between colors (their tone and undertone, their chromatic value as well as their intensity). This comparison is made between the color of your eyes, your hair and that of your skin. For example, a person with dark skin with a warm undertone and polar blonde hair (cool undertone and pale intensity) will have a high contrast. While someone with a light complexion and a cool undertone will have a lower contrast with the same polar blonde
Your contrast can therefore change if you change your hair color or if you tan a lot knowing of course that sun protection is essential as you can read on my page dedicated to complexion
Finally when you know all these parameters you can determine the color palette that suits you. There are 4 different palettes: summer, autumn, winter and spring which refer to the tones most present during these different seasons.
Summer and winter are seasons corresponding to cold undertones
On the other hand, autumn and spring correspond to warm undertones
The difference between summer and winter being the chromatic value which is light and dark respectively. It is obviously the same for the difference between autumn whose chromatic value is dark while that of spring is light.
Once you have compared yourself to Botticelli's 4 spring nymphs, you can detail your colorimetry by adding your contrast, for example:
Deep summer (therefore cold undertone, clear chromatic value and high intensity)
As we talked about above, objects reflect light, so your clothes will reflect their colors on your skin, and the same goes for your environment. so if you want to take beautiful photos that show you off, choose a background with a majority of colors that match the undertone of your skin. Do not sacrifice the beautiful souvenir photos in front of historical monuments that you have been able to visit. Even if the monuments are not your skin tone, you can fix this problem very easily with photo editing by adding filters on them.