Let me tell you guys a little secret about myself: I love color. But I believe there is a time and place (and season) for it, and as winter rears its ugly head, my wardrobe makes the transition from pastels and florals to black, black, and more black.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore black. It looks great on everyone, it's very slimming, and it's perfect for every occasion. But an all black outfit almost everyday can be tiring and, dare I say, a little boring.
Today, I'm going to share with you some ways to incorporate a bold splash of color into your favorite all black outfits!
A Bold Lip
This is probably the easiest way to get eyes to zero in on your face and makeup! Depending on your skin tone, you can pick from a variety of shades in red, maroon, and even purple and brown! One of my favorite tips to follow comes from Allure, and it's to help determine if you have warm or cool tones in your skin. Once you determine this, it's so easy to help find shades that compliment you, while contrasting the all black outfit. If you're not sure if you have cool or warm tones, the best way is to check your jewelry box. If you wear more gold and find that it looks more flattering, you're most likely home to warm tones. If it's silver you fancy, you're cool!
If you pair a fancy lip with a bold cat eye and some luscious lashes, you'll frame your face and pull eyes upward, and away from an all black outfit.
The best way to pull off a bold lip is to first outline your lips with lip liner that is a little darker than the shade of lipstick/lipgloss/etc. that you're trying on. For a bit of pizazz, try selecting a lighter shade with a gold or sparkly tint to it, and apply it on the inner parts of your lips, and blend carefully!
A Scarf
We all know how much I love scarves! They are the perfect way to add color, patterns, and texture to an outfit! My current favorites are from Aldo.
Depending on your all black outfit, you might opt for a more thicker or thinner scarf. If you chose a black sweater that's bulky and hides your frame, you might want to pick a blanket scarf to match the vibe. If you chose a black long sleeve shirt, you may want to do a thinner scarf. But it's completely up to you!
Statement Jewelry
Remember how I said you can use jewelry to determine what tones you have in your skin? Well, you can use it to spice up all black outfits, too! Especially when we're talking about bulky, statement pieces. These will add a ton of attitude to your outfit! My favorite is to pair a few bracelets together (some chunky and some more delicate), a statement necklace, and a pair of dangle or hoop earrings.
Hair Scarves and Other Accessories
A hair scarf is something that really came into style last Spring, and I sincerely hope they're here to stay! Just adding a hair scarf as a headband or as a scrunchie really adds a colorful pattern to your outfit. My favorites come from Anthropologie!
Bonus points if you can match your purse or bag to the hair scarf, but if you can't, you can still totally add color with your bag alone! I am personally a fan of larger bags with all black outfits because it gives the eyes more to look at, but a small bag will have the same effect!
Even a pair of shoes in a bold style or color will add extra "umph!" to your outfit!
Mood Dressing
Something that I recently stumbled upon is mood dressing, which is exactly what it sounds like! People will dress themselves according to how they are feeling that day, and I never realized that this was such a thing. The more I think about it, the more I realize how often I do it... ALMOST EVERY DAY! If you think you've hit a rut when it comes to pulling off bold colors in a sea of black, here are a few options:
Green: Nurturing! Did you know that green is one of the most healing colors? Think about it! What color is your jade roller?
Blue: Calming! While your mind may wander to blue being associated with sadness, it's actually quite calming! Think of the sky and the ocean! With so many shades of blue, you can easily pick out something that reflects your mood.
Purple: Fun! Remember when you were little and you got your first mood ring? Purple was the color we strived for! It meant we were happy, content, and over the moon! We were fun loving!
Red: Power! Come on, have you ever seen a pop of read and haven't thought about how powerful someone must feel wearing it? Why else are all of the celebrities pulling off bold, red lipstick?!
Yellow: Happy! It's the color of the sun, of simple things, and when you mix it with black, you get Pittsburgh colors!
If you're ever struggling, mood dressing is a great way to put yourself back into the game!
Thank you guys so much for reading! As always, please let me know what you think in the comments! Or feel free to leave me a message on the contact page!
I'm so ready to jump into 2019 with yinz! I'm hoping to be a lot more invested in my style, and my blog and Instagram!
Be on the lookout for my January Lookbook coming out soon, and be sure to check out my Pinterest at the bottom of the page, because one of my goals in 2019 is to utilize that a lot more for my blog, rather than just personal use! ANDDDD be sure to check out my Facebook page for my latest blog updates!
That's all the housekeeping I have for you guys today! I'll see yinz soon!
xoxo, Madison
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