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Color Related Articles and Information - Page 20

In this section, you will find articles about the use of color within various industries. Click to subscribe to our Color Articles feed in your newsreader.

Fall and Winter Nail Trends: Embrace the Seasons Hottest Colors and Styles

Date: 2011-09-22 21:09:28, By: ColorCombos

With cooler autumn weather arriving, many women choose to adjust their nail colors as well as their wardrobe. Because popular nail shades and styles tend to follow the newest fashion trends established on runways and celebrity finger nails, the choices for fall and winter are easy to spot and duplicate. However, one carry-over from the summer months is the clean look of nude nails. This type of manicure is especially ideal for the professional workplace where bold colors can seem less serious. Because chips are less noticeable, nude nails are also ideal for busy women who use their hands continually and have little time for touch-ups.

New nail colors are slightly lighter than last fall but darker than the summer shades. Reddish browns are rich and earthy. In fact, a variety of powerful shades of red will once again be adorning lovely fingers as the most popular color for seasonal holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Deep, dark royal plum has been gathering a following as well. The color goes well with almost every outfit and can be worn at both casual and formal events. This new plum shade is considered a little edgier than the more traditional reds, but it remains softer and less intimidating than black.

Speaking of black, this color has no longer been relegated to the Goths and other sub-cultures. While it is still a bit rebellious, it has become increasingly popular among the celebrities and even in some career tracks. For those who want to tame this look down a bit, dark metallics can make an equally powerful statement. Graphite nails offer an industrial chic and tough edge with an air of sophistication. Charcoal overlaid with silver sparkles creates an impact that is both bold and yet still feminine. Putting glitter over dark shades will continue to be popular this fall and winter as a way to customize your own personal look.

Tags: nail trends, fall nail colors, winter nail colors, manicure, nude nails, royal plum, metallics, mismatching nail colors, green nails, midnight blue, icy blues

From Blue to Brown: The Evolution of Eye Color in the United States

Date: 2011-09-11 10:09:16, By: ColorCombos

Before the turn of the century, more than half of the residents of the United States were blue-eyed Caucasians, but that is no longer the case. In fact, the odds are that a baby born in this country today will grow up with brown eyes. By 1950, fewer than 35 percent of the American population had blue eyes. Most recently, that percentage has dwindled to about 17 percent. Worldwide, the number of people with blue eyes is even less at only about eight percent. In the United States, both the huge influx of immigrants from Hispanic and Asian countries and the increased acceptance of interracial relationships and the children born of those unions have caused this shift from a blue-eyed to a brown-eyed population.

Interestingly, how we are treated by others still plays into the stereotypes that are associated with famous people and literary characters. Dating as far back as the Middle Ages, blonde hair, fair skin and blue eyes were indicators of beauty, fertility and success. Marilyn Monroe and the fashion models of the '70s and '80s were more recent examples of this Hollywood image, but Paris Hilton, whose eye color is naturally brown, carries it on today by wearing bright blue contacts to support and preserve, in her own words, "her iconic image." Those "baby blues" may be soft and calming or as piercing as Superman's. However, the connotation behind the "blonde with blue eyes" stereotype also reflects lower confidence, self-esteem, intelligence and aggression. People with blue eyes are more susceptible to eye diseases such as macular degeneration. They are also more sensitive to light. Boys are slightly more apt to have blue eyes than girls.

Like Paris Hilton, many people choose to change their eye color by using contact lenses. Blue is still the most popular choice, with green second and brown following. The "Twilight" series has created an interest in honey, Topaz and amber contacts as well. Lady Gaga wears gray lenses, which are specially designed to make her pupils appear larger. Brittany Spears covers her brown eyes with green contacts.

Tags: eye color, blue eyes, brown eyes, United States population, stereotypes, contact lenses, green eyes, hazel eyes, gray eyes, amber eyes, changing trends, attractiveness

Colorful Baby Names Inspired by Celebrities and Nature

Date: 2011-08-28 22:08:16, By: ColorCombos

From the first moment a happy couple learns that a baby is on the way, the question becomes, "What shall we name our new son or daughter?" With so many names to choose from, picking the perfect one for a baby whose personality and appearance are still unknown can be daunting. Baby names abound. In fact, the choices are almost endless, which makes the decision even more complicated. Some couples want to carry on a family tradition by repeating a name that honors someone already known and loved. For others, biblical or classical names hold special meaning. However, many couples would define the name they want for their baby as "cute." By this, they mean either unique or trendy or a creative spelling of an already familiar name.

Parents-to-be are finding inspiration in the seasons, locations, famous persons, toys, weather, events and even in the broad range of colors of our world. Some of these have long been favorites anyway. Violet, Scarlet, Amber, Ruby and Sienna have been around for ages. Scarlet, Scarlett, Sienna, Siena and Violet are experiencing a revival at the moment and may become the popular favorites of the near future. Softer, gentler baby names such as Sky, Rose and Sunny are also showing up a little more frequently these days. In their attempt to be unique, some parents opt for the foreign version of a color for their baby"s name. Azure or Azura is the lovely color of blue in Persian. So is Neela or Nila in Sanskrit. Carmine is Latin for deep red. Bianca, Blanche, Blanca and Alba are all words for white in Italian, French, Spanish and Latin, respectively.

While at present no baby names chosen from color themes have made the top 100 list, Olive has become a softer, sleeker variation for their ever-popular Olivia. Ruby is returning as a big favorite, especially in the United Kingdom. Virtually any color or representation of it can become a baby's personal name, but it always seems that famous celebrities lead the way, and whatever they choose will soon start showing up in birth announcements across the country.

Tags: colorful baby names, celebrity baby names, unique baby names, trendy baby names, colorful names, Scarlet, Jade, Hazel, Fuchsia, Violet, Ruby, Sky, Rose, Sunny, Azure, Neela, Carmine, Bianca, Blanche, Blanca, Alba, Olive, Olivia, Roan, Jett, Iris, Reign Beau

The Fascinating World of Animal Colors: Adaptations, Mating, and Survival

Date: 2011-08-22 23:08:17, By: ColorCombos

Color is an integral part of this world, not just for human beings, but for many creatures in the animal kingdom. Numerous insects, birds, and aquatic animals such as fish and reptiles have highly developed systems that recognize and use color differentiations in a variety of situations and adaptations. The fact that many larger mammals cannot distinguish colors would indicate that they have other heightened senses or abilities to compensate for this disadvantage. A bull really can't see red or any other color, but he has his strength to rely on in most situations. Dogs are color blind, and cats are trichromatic, yet both possess an especially keen sense of smell. Humans, on the other hand, are highly aware of and sensitive to the changing colors in the world around them.

Animals may use their unique coloring for protection, for aggression, for attracting a mate or for finding a meal. In some cases, extra melanin pigments serve as environmental protection from the harmful rays of the sun. On the other hand, there are also those animals that live in such dark environments that color is meaningless, and they manage to survive completely without it.

Perhaps the most common use of color is for camouflage, especially among smaller, more defenseless forms of animal life. A sea creature's transparent blue coloring can make it almost invisible in the ocean depths. A sandy-brown snake or crab may disappear against the similarly-toned shore or desert sands. More specific coloring adaptations involve body-coloring that looks like something it is not-such as a twig, stone or bark. Since most predators normally show little interest in consuming these things, a creature that can mimic them and stay very still has a better chance of surviving undetected.

Tags: animal color adaptations, camouflage, warning colors, mating displays, predator and prey, color perception, aquatic animals, insect mimicry, pollination, animal communication

Exploring the Many Meanings of the Color Green Across Cultures and Time

Date: 2011-08-09 19:08:45, By: ColorCombos

Depending upon what part of the world you call home, the color green has many different meanings. For example, the Irish consider green to be their national color. There's nothing quite like the "luck of the Irish" and green four-leaf clovers. Traditionally, green was once considered a restricted or forbidden color in parts of Indonesia. A Chinese man who wears a green hat is telling the entire world, or at least his neighbors, that his wife has been cheating on him. Residents of the Middle East consider green to be a lucky color and the holiest color of the Islamic religion. South Americans think of the dangers of the jungles and death when they think of green. In India, however, new beginnings and a fruitful harvest are attributed to the same color, and some Eastern countries value green as the symbol for eternity, prosperity, peace and good health.

Historically, green was the symbol of fertility and worn by brides during the Middle Ages. Even earlier, it was the popular eye shadow for lovely Egyptian women. Green jade has long been known as the sacred stone of Asia.

In America, we too have attached a variety of meanings to this color. If you are a "greenhorn," you are inexperienced, and if you are "green with envy," you are jealous. On the other hand, if you have a "green thumb," you are really successful at growing plants in your home or garden. Then, of course, there's the "greenback," our expression for paper money. "Green rooms" are the places where TV guests and performers wait for their turn on camera. The color is supposed to be calming. Darker shades of green are considered more masculine and conservative.

Tags: color green, cultural meanings, history, green symbolism, green technology, going green, eco-friendly, organic, environmentalism, relaxation, balance, good health

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