Color Me Beautiful

There are companies claiming they have invented magic weight loss pills, miracle food gadgets that whip up food in an instance, and the list goes on and on. But my question is, can their be colors that can make ANYONE look good? Pantone, the well-known color institute, has deemed that certain colors are in fact perfect for all skin tone, hair color, and eye color. These colors are said to be neither really warm tones nor really cool tones, making them nearly neutral in tone but packed with color. Here is a sampling, in all of their splendid color (shown to the left), in no particular order:

• Eggplant. Dark eggplant tones are perfect when paired with dark blue jeans, a grey skirt or nearly any other color. This deep purple tone works well no matter what skin tone or hair color you have. But wait, there's more...eggplant is also touted as a slimming color. So go pick up a fantastic eggplant blouse today! (PANTONE 19-2814 Eggplant)
• Red. But not just any red, true red because it is both a universal color and it lies in the center of the color spectrum. True red is the shade between the warm tone of tomato orange-red and the cool tone of cherry bright red. Studies have found that making a bold color statement, like wearing true red, have been shown to increase a persons confidence as well as the likelihood of good things happening to them. enter Tiger Woods every Sunday during his last round of tournament golf. Who is going to argue with that kind of success? And, if everyone looks good wearing it, it is like winning the "I look great and it shows" lottery. (PANTONE 19-1664 True Red)
• Teal. Dark teal such as Indian teal, also called an artisan-style teal, is the perfect finishing touch to your wardrobe. It will make your skin tone look healthy and bright and will put a sparkle in your eyes. It has a ton of versatility and can be worn with pretty much any other color making it a great universal piece to add to your wardrobe. (PANTONE 17-4919 Teal)
• Sand. This light sand color has pink undertone that make it not too light and not too dark. Pair a top of this color with virtually anything color including khaki pants, dark jeans, black trousers, or even a fantastic mocha brown. Dress up your outfit with a multi-toned scarf with matching purse and shazam! you are a walking fashion statement. (PANTONE 13-1008 Bleached Sand)

More color to choose from include:

1. PANTONE 17-4402 Neutral Gray
2. PANTONE 1-5203 Pewter
3. PANTONE 19-1020 Dark Earth
4. PANTONE 16-1210 Light Taupe
5. PANTONE 13-0822 Sunlight
6. PANTONE 19-5920 Pineneedle
7. PANTONE 14-4318 Sky Blue
8. PANTONE 19-4020 True Navy
9. PANTONE 19-1521 Red Mahogany
10. PANTONE 19-1840 Deep Claret
11. PANTONE 19-0000 Raven
12. PANTONE 16-0613 Elm

If you need a great website to look up the color matches above, visit:

http://www.newerahd.com/nep_search_by.php?show=color

For more information on Pantone's perfect colors by specific skin tones, hair color and eye color, visit:

http://www.pantone.com/Pages/Pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=19445&ca=4

There is no better way to start the Fall shopping season than knowing how to go from drab to fab no matter your skin tone, hair color, or eye color! Click on the swatch above and print it off to take along on your next shopping trip...you go girl!!!

Personal Branding by Cindy Baldwin

It was a pleasure to welcome Cindy Baldwin to our August meeting to discuss personal branding. With the changing economy, it becomes even more important to know your personal brand and be able to articulate it to others. Below is an excerpt from Monday evenings speech from Cindy.

1. What is Brand YOU? What are your ideas, beliefs, talents? Develop a “two-minute elevator speech” that conveys who YOU are and how YOU want to be perceived.
2. Become an invaluable asset to your colleagues, clients, and peers. Networking is key! Use Linked In, Facebook, professional organizations to stay connected and visible!
3. Position yourself as the “go-to” person with a specific skill or set of skills (i.e. Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Access, etc.). Your VALUE is part of your brand.
4. Gain self-confidence and rise to the occasion! Speak in public! Never lose faith in your abilities. Grab the opportunities to shine!
5. Focus on SOCIAL equity rather than monetary equity. Social networking is key! Pick your friends wisely and carefully! Align yourself with QUALITY social networks.
6. Build that contact list NOW! Who can you count on to help you down the road? Business people, church friends, people with similar hobbies, neighbors, etc. Use Twitter, Facebook contacts, too!
7. Make your brand (YOU) visible to all potential clients! Get out there!
8. Become SO REMARKABLE that complete strangers talk about you all the time! Be aware of your presence and your behavior.
9. Be a content PRODUCER and not a consumer. Post remarks on Twitter & Facebook and other media forms. Don’t be a casual observer. Be mindful of the quality of your content and your intentions.
10. Have an “endorsement” mindset! Embrace things that align with your ideals, your values, your beliefs, and your spirit. KNOW WHO YOU ARE and where you want to go!

Cindy Baldwin’s is the Senior Account Executive of 2.0 Group. The excerpts were taken from a presentation given to EWI of Indianapolis on August 10, 2009. 2.0 Group is a proud member of EWI of Indianapolis.