Color science as a science: what is important for a makeup artist to know

In the article, professional makeup artist Oksana Stolyarova focused on general concepts about the science of color science, spoke about the color wheel, color contrasts and color harmony.

What is color science

Color science is a science that consists of several sections. One of them comes into contact with the field of physics, others explore our visual perception, develop a classification of colors, and establish the laws of color harmony. Color theory itself is very complex and extensive. Particularly popular in the field of color art is the color circle of Johannes Itten, which is fundamental in the study of color science.

Primary and secondary colors

According to the color wheel, there are three primary colors (yellow, red, blue), which are placed in an equilateral triangle. These colors are called primary or primary colors because they cannot be obtained in their pure form by mixing. When mixing two primary colors, we get second-order colors: orange, purple, green. The six remaining colors are formed by mixing colors of the first and second order: red-violet, red-orange, blue-violet, blue-green, yellow-orange, yellow-green. Two colors are considered complementary if they are located on opposite sides of the color wheel.

Basic pairs of complementary colors : yellow and purple, red and green, blue and orange. By using two complementary colors you can achieve particularly beautiful shades of grey. When placed side by side, these colors light each other up to maximum brightness and cancel each other out when mixed. Additional colors are often used in facial color correction (to level out imperfections in the client’s skin or highlight the natural color of the eyes).

Colors are divided into chromatic (colored) and achromatic , colorless (black, white and a number of gray shades). It is advantageous to use achromatic colors to create b/w photos. Chromatic colors have three qualities:

• the main feature by which a primary color differs from others is called hue ;
• color saturation (color purity) - the closer the color is to the spectral, the more saturated it is; when black, white and gray are added, it loses its saturation;
• lightness (brightness) - spectral color mixed with white.

Types of contrasts

Warm and cool tones

Warm colors are usually called yellow, orange and red. The group of cool colors includes blue, green and purple. Red-orange and blue-green are the two poles of the contrast between cold and heat. If we approach a color from the side of the warm pole, we see its warm shades, if from the side of the cold pole, we see cold shades.

As a result, we can say that all cold tones are distinguished by the presence of a blue tint, and all tones of the warm group are distinguished by the presence of yellow. It should be remembered that makeup done only in cool colors will look calm, as if lifeless. Warm tones will help create balance and vice versa. Warm colors always seem closer to their location. Their function is to zoom in and out. Cold shades, on the contrary, distance and reduce. Makeup artists use this principle to correct and create shapes of the face and body.

Neutral tones

Neutral tones include beige, cream, light gray and all their indeterminate shades.

Contrast of light and dark colors

Saturation Contrast

1. Monochromatic harmony is based on a combination of colors created from the same color tone that is present in each of them. These colors differ from each other in lightness and saturation. Often used in wedding and business makeup.

2. Harmony of related colors (analogue triad). Related in the color wheel include all intermediate colors between two primary colors, including only one of the forming ones. Such harmony is based on the presence of impurities of the same primary shades in the tones used. Example: pure yellow + yellow-orange + orange.

3. Harmony of related and contrasting colors is the most extensive type of color combinations. A combination of colors located in adjacent quarters of the color wheel. Example: yellow + orange + purple + blue.

By combining colors, you can vary their brightness and saturation, resulting in hundreds of different combinations.

In coloristics, light performs an important function. When creating makeup under artificial light, you need to take into account that shades lose 1/3 of their own color. This means that makeup should be done in more saturated colors. However, lip makeup done in rich red shades turns into dark brown.

I would like to summarize with the words of the great W. Goethe: “Our life is in the reflections of color. Color has a certain effect on the sense of vision, and through it on the mood of the soul.”

Color can decorate a person, emphasize his individuality, add brightness to the image, and expressiveness to the look.

The article was first published in MAKEUP&YOU Professional magazine.