What is the beauty color theory?

You’ve probably been exposed to color theory since you were an elementary school student. Your art classes likely taught you the color wheel — a circle of hues showing the relationships between primary, secondary, and tertiary colors — plus the idea of complementary colors that sit across from each other on the wheel. You probably also learned about analogous colors, or the ones that sit alongside each other, nearly blending from one to the other. And you probably learned about color temperature, that the fiery colors (red, orange, yellow) are considered warm and that colors on the calming side of the wheel (purple, blue, and green) are considered cool.

What you might not have learned is how many jobs depend on knowledge of color theory for success. According to LinkedIn job listings, color theory-related jobs can include creative directors, product designers, digital content producers, fashion designers and colorists, retouching managers, graphic designers, web designers, art directors, and more.

And, unsurprisingly, color theory is an essential skill for those in the beauty industry. If you’re thinking about working in beauty as a hair colorist, makeup artist, or esthetician, you’ll need to understand color theory and how it can help you enhance clients’ beauty. Below, we’ll answer your questions, including: What is color theory? Why is color theory important? And what is color theory in makeup? In answering these questions, our goal is to give you an overview of color theory and how it applies to makeup artistry.

What is color theory?

In short, color theory is the art and the science of mixing colors. Color theory is a traditional element of art that offers practical guidance for mixing colors and understanding the visual effects produced by specific color combinations. These basic principles of color theory can guide you in creating harmonious color combinations that appeal to the viewer’s eye. In essence, color theory shows you how to make colors look beautiful together. One essential to know in color theory is primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. When you all three primary colors mix together, you get brown, and you can create various shades of brown by changing the proportion of primary colors it contains.

When any two of the primary colors mix, you arrive at a secondary color of orange, green, or violet (purple). When you mix a primary color (such as red) with an adjacent secondary color (such as orange), you get a tertiary color (in this case, vermillion). The tertiary colors are indigo, violet-red, vermillion, amber, chartreuse, and aquamarine.

Color theory will also teach you about creating tints, shades, and tones of different colors by adding neutral colors (black, white, and gray). For example, a tint is created by adding white to make a color lighter. Pastel colors are great examples of tints. Next are shades, which are colors to which black has been added. For example, adding black to blue creates a navy-blue color, which is a shade of the primary color blue. Finally are tones, which are colors with gray added; tonality refers to how light or dark a color is.

Why is color theory important?

What is the value in color theory? In short, using colors knowledgeably allows you to create different effects that catch viewers’ attention and evoke feelings and emotions.

In beauty, color theory helps makeup artists and hair colorists make corrections and harmonious choices. Makeup artists can use green corrector to tone down red patches and blemishes, orange concealer to cancel out bluish dark circles, and purple makeup to counterbalance yellow spots. Similarly, hair colorists can employ a purple toner or shampoo to counteract unwanted yellowish tinges in blonde hair colors. The corrective applications are nearly endless.

What is color theory in makeup?

Color theory underlies the makeup artist’s work at every step. From identifying and matching a client’s skin tone to foundation to color-correcting skin blemishes in order to minimize them, the makeup artist needs knowledge of color theory to make the client’s skin look its best.

How makeup artists use color theory

One key application for color theory in the beauty industry is understanding skin tones. Skin colors run from fair to light, medium to beige to tan, from dark to deep. But there’s more to think about than light or dark: Every skin tone can be also categorized by its undertone: cool (with some pink or rosiness to its hue), warm (or golden), or neutral (with both pink and golden undertones). Understanding both the tone and the undertone is crucial to finding makeup that matches the skin and looks natural and flattering.

This color knowledge is also essential for creating bolder, more vivid makeup looks: When choosing a bright lip color or a daring eyeshadow look, the makeup artist needs to understand the client’s skin color and tone in order to create color palettes that look best on that person.

Understanding the effects of lighter and darker colors will also help makeup artists highlight the client’s best features and shade to create depth and contrast or to hide a feature. For example, a makeup artist will apply a darker eyeshadow shade to the eye socket crease to make that area visually recede and thereby create depth that make the eyes stand out in a more striking way.

Are you interested to learn more about color theory and client consultation when it comes to makeup? Our makeup artistry program teaches color theory and client consultation, special events makeup, high fashion makeup, camouflage makeup, special effects makeup, and more. Request more information today to see how Cortiva Institute can make a difference in your career.

If you have ever found yourself wondering which colors will work best with your skin tone or eye color, you'll want to get familiar with the color wheel. The heart of color theory, the color wheel is a tool frequently utilized to help formulate complementary combinations in everything from painting to outfits—and, yes, makeup.

Ahead, with the help of makeup artist Alex Byrne, we've put together a comprehensive guide on how to use the color wheel to achieve stunning (and effortless) makeup combinations. Keep scrolling for everything you need to know.

Meet the Expert

Alex Byrne is a celebrity makeup artist and men's groomer based in New York City.

What Is the Color Wheel?

The most basic color wheel is composed of 12 colors:

• The three primary colors are red, yellow, and blue
• The three secondary colors are orange, green, and purple
• The six tertiary colors are vermilion (red-orange), magenta (red-purple), violet (blue-purple), teal (blue-green), chartreuse (yellow-green), and amber (yellow-orange)

"The way the color wheel works, colors near each other are 'monochrome,' meaning they are in the same family, and colors opposite are 'complementary,' meaning when placed side by side, they create contrast, and when layered, neutralize each other," explains Byrne. "A real-world example is how holiday colors like red and green make everything look vibrant when placed side by side."

How Can The Color Wheel Influence Our Makeup Choices?

• Creating makeup looks: Not every makeup look needs to utilize color theory, but the color wheel can certainly come in handy. "When you want to create a dynamic look that is more subtle, the color wheel [can help you] create stealth contrast and balanced harmony that makes the finished look truly exceptional," says Byrne. "Once you learn the placement of colors on the wheel, it's easy to make eye color stand out, to pop cheekbones, and to select a lip color that steps up your look."
• Figuring out your undertones: "Most consumers have good instincts for what works for them, but they might not realize that the color wheel impacts their choices, especially when it comes to foundation, concealer, and color cosmetics," says Byrne. These products come in undertones such as warm (golden/yellow) and cool (pink/blue or red/purple). "By trying on foundation shades and seeing which one disappears, we figure out if we need a warm, cool, or neutral undertone to match our skin," she says.
• Color correcting: The color wheel is instrumental in color correction as well. For example, orange is the opposite of blue on the wheel, so if you have dark circles with blue undertones, you can neutralize them with different tones of orange, soft pinks, and peaches before applying your concealer. This extra step can make a significant impact in covering up unwanted blemishes and more.

The Color Wheel and Skin Tones: The Basics

The beauty of humanity is that our skin tones vary and are unique, and there are ways to utilize the color wheel to pick complementary shades of everything from eyeshadows to blushes. "I find that very fair and deep skin tones have the most freedom to wear all colors; they're overall neutral, and I recommend always trying to mix in at least one warm or cool shade to keep the finished look dynamic," says Byrne. "For example, if you have peachy eyeshadow (warm) and a rosey lip stain (warm), try a cool pink cheek color to build quiet contrast."

Conversely, "medium to olive skin tones are generally neutral to warm, so when I want to create a more subtle look, I'll use warm makeup colors that harmonize with the skin," says Byrne. "For extra drama, I'll use cool eyeshadow colors like blues, plums, and purples or cool cheek colors like fuschia to contrast the warm skin tone and really [help the makeup pop]." She recommends MAC's Retro Matte Lipstick in Flat Out Fabulous ($22) and Revlon's Matte Lipstick in Pick Me Up ($10).

Choosing The Right Eyeshadow Colors

With literally millions of eyeshadow colors and combinations available, color theory can help you narrow down which color combinations might best complement your eye color. Byrne broke down some of her favorite ways to enhance blue, green, brown, and hazel eyes:

Blue Eyes

"Color pairings are fun because color cosmetics, especially eyeshadows, that contrast the color of the iris instantly make eyes stand out," says Byrne. "On the color wheel, the opposite color to blue is yellow, so a canary eyeshadow does the trick, but any shades with yellow undertones [will] also work magic on blue eyes." Look for anything with gold or ochre tones, like Nars' Eyeshadow in Tulum ($19).

Green Eyes

"For green eyes, the color opposite green is red, and for some, a vivid red or burgundy eye shadow is a favorite," says Byrne. "For a more subtle contrast, some red undertone 'neutrals' include Thrive Causmetics' Waterproof Eyeshadow Stick in Tai ($26), a cranberry matte, and e.l.f's Monochromatic Multi Stick in Luminous Berry ($5). Interestingly, since red is next to pink and violet on the color wheel, they also create brilliant contrast for green eyes."

Brown Eyes

"Brown eyes have a huge range—sometimes with flecks of yellow and even gold in the iris—and are blessed with the ability to wear all colors on the wheel with ease," says Byrne. To make those warm flecks jump out, try cool shades of plum and blue, like those found in Coluorpop's Aurora Struck Palette ($35).

Hazel Eyes

"Usually thought of as a mix between green and blue or green with yellow flecks, hazel eyes light up in orange undertone terracotta shades," says Byrne. "There is a good selection of peachy-orange colors in the Makeup Revolution Forever Flawless Eyeshadow Palette in Good Vibes Spirituality ($19)."

The Final Takeaway

From foundation to lipstick, understanding the color wheel can have a lasting impact on how you shop for and apply your makeup. You'll never look at color the same—and that's the most thrilling part of it all.