Oh, Lucia - even here it can be hard to be a redhed. I think it's because we're so rare! Redheadedness is traceable to a genetic variance with a specific gene sequence, and it occurs in approx. 4% of the population worldwide, irrespective of race, actually.

In my fmaily I'm the last redhead. My mom is, one of her sisters, her father, both grandmothers, probably all the great grandparents and so on. Mom suffered greatly, too - her own mother told her her hair - red and curly - was ugly, and apparently my mom cried when I popped from her womb with bright copper strands on my tiny little head. Growing up in San Francisco I ached to be either Jewish or Chinese - all my friends had such lustrous straight dark hair, and skin without freckles. I wanted so badly to look like they all did! Oh well.

Now, I'm happy to be a redhead, and I LOVE it when redheaded children come into our gallery. I always ask how they feel about their hair, and the older ones, boys and girls both, tell me they like it well enough. FOr the younger ones, I remind them that red hair means that they have magic powers - perhaps they haven't yet figured out what those powers are, but they are there. Sometimes the magic is being able to wiggle one's ears! The little ones have a good giggle with that!

My mom is an English Rose - quite pink skin, and delicately colored hair. I've always envied you ethereal gossamers!

btw - my own daughter has lustrous, straight dark hair! I made a child to be the way I wanted to be when I was growing up! Now that she's all grown, I wish I had a little redhaired baby, too, to pass on all the magic of redheadedness to!

-b.

Hi Bridget,
Yep - Melanocortin1 I believe the gene is! And red hair is a dying 'breed' apparently!
I'm the only red in my family too but in both sets of Great Grandparents one had red hair!

I always wanted my hair to be curly! Its dead straight and quite fine though I have lots of it (rather like a blonde) I always envied the thick luxurious hair that most red heads seemed blessed with.
I have to say that now I'm older I love being a redhead.
Interesting what you said about your mum crying when you were born and had red hair, apparently my mums reaction was 'OMG where did she get that hair from! LOL! A close relative of mine said to me when I got married - "gosh I hope you have girls..." I asked why and she said 'well at least if its a ginger girl it won't be too bad but a ginger boy...that would be awful!'Charming!

As it happens I've not got any children but I suspect they'd be redheads as my husband is a glorious 'mouse' colour but both his sisters are strawberry blondes and one had a boy last year who is too!

I love what you said about the magic - that's beautiful! I will pass that onto my strawberry blonde nephew (hubbys side).

Anyway I know I've already said it but thanks for the brilliant write up about the make up colours!

I just read this thread for the fun of it even though I'm no redhead

I can't believe how much fabulous information you have here, Bridget. This must have taken some time to put together. Not only are you a great Concierge for the forum - but you're now the spokesmodel for the redheads here. You are the One to come to with all those redhead-related makeup questions.

I sure do hope you come out with a Brunette version when you have the time.

Loida

Loida, I've been thinking and mulling and ruminating over both a Brunette typology and a Blonde typology. I'd really like to do this - and I'd love any help anyone wants to offer up!

I"ll start another thread - I'd love to develop as many categories as possible - Brunette and Blonde both have such delicious variety!

And of course, the naming of the groups - that's where the real fun is!

-b.

Amazing Bridget!

I have always concidered myself a brunette, but have had aburn hair. I have done a lot of different color experiments since the teen years. Recently I started using Henna (thanks Loida!) which gives me the color I have now. Much richer, but not too far from the original. I'm very happy with it, espesially since it seemed like all of a sudden I looked in the mirror one day and sprouts of gray here & there. As I read this post I felt that I could relate to several points in the different RH types. Could you lend me your expertise a step further and tell me which group you think I fit into most? I'd really appriciate it.

Thank you soooo.... much, Bridget!
--Amber Leigh

Hi, Amber - So happy you enjoyed the piece!

When I look at your pictures, I see overall a warmer rather than cooler coloring, high contrast, and slightly muted - not enough to pute you in the middle of the muted category, but enough that you can wear some of the muted shades really well. I would say that overall I'd consider you a high contrast redhead, since what one sees first is the depth difference between your hair and skin. On some of our lovely ladies, what we see first is the similarity between skin and hair tone - they are our low contrast lovelies. From there, the next thing we register is the relative clarity to mutedness of their coloring. Warm vs cool is the last thing, and often not really noticed at all, unless someone strongly warm (like me) is wearing a very cool tone, like an icy lavender - the contrast between physical coloring and the clothing or makeup is suddenly very high due to the variance in warm vs. cool. So it would be iether a dramatic, successful look, or it would be just a complete miss. It really could go either way, depending on all sorts of factors - what other cosmetic colors I chose to wear, other clothing, time of day, and so on. If I were to be forced to wear, say, and icy lavender bridesmaid's dress, whitish pearls and silver metal, pale pink lipstick and blush, and silver lilac eyeshadow, I'd look really awful. Ellen would look gorgeous, and you'd probably look just fine. Keep the same dress for me and for you, let me use makeup that is in the warmer pink family, and I'd be ok. Do your face up in stronger tones of slightly muted plums and lilacs with a nice subtle bronzer and fleshy pink cheek and a medium-toned berried lip, and you'd look fabulous!

Does that help a little bit? I'm getting pretty excited about working with everyone to do a Blonde and Brunette typology, too!

(And sugar, if you are rockin' the red tones in your hair, you are a redhead - it's as much a state of mind as a hair color!)

-b.

Thanks Bridget, It helps more than a little & I appriciate every bit! Thanks so much for taking the time to personalize it for me! I'm happy your so excited about creating a version for blondes & brunettes. It's a win win situation whan you get to help people & do something you enjoy!
THANKS AGAIN!
--Amber Leigh

WOW!!! Thank you for ALL that wonderful information Bridget! As you know, I'm not a redhead but my sister is. I will have to pass this info onto her! She is really good with colors and things of that nature for herself but I think she would really get some good info out of your writing. She is a strawberry blond and I've always wanted her color hair, even tried dying my hair her color, LOL. Any way, thank you for taking your time to help all the beautiful redheads out there!

Gina

LuciaW, ouch! In my experience red heads *sometimes* get called names in grade school, but everyone seems to go through that, not just redheads. (My son has been called "two eyes" at school, because he doesn't wear glasses. I was called "four eyes" because I did! It's a funny world.)

On the other hand, it seems to be generally accepted as fact among adults that red-heads are sexy, smart, and self-assured.

Bridget,

How wonderful for you to put so much time, effort & thought into a subject I've been fighting with for years! And may I say that your missive was not only informative, but also very well written, which made it a joy to read.

I'm a natural strawberry-blonde who was a carrot-top in my younger days. My hair has gotten lighter as I have gotten older. And now that I've hit the big 40, the white hair (and I mean WHITE, not grey) that's started to appear is slowly making it even lighter. For now, I'm letting nature take it's course, but I might have to give nature some help in a few more years. Both my parents & my brother are redheads, as was my paternal grandmother and other relatives in my maternal grandmother's family.

The first time I was color-type-casted was in high school when my mother dragged me to one of those "color-me-beautiful" parties. I came out of there as an Autumn, of course. But the foundation they recommended was 1)too yellow and 2) not pale enough. And I thought there were colors across all the seasons that looked good on me! But what did I know? So I threw that concept away & just bought clothes in what ever colors I liked. Even now, my closet is home to all kinds of colors. I think it's more about intensity of the hue, rather that the actual color. Some colors you can wear in a paler version, but not in it's deepest shade. While reading your post, I thought "This chick is so right! I love her! Hurrah!"

Although I've done okay clothing-wise, you've given me some great ideas on others I should try; so thank you very much. I think I best fit in your English Rose family, although my eyes are a very dark blue. And I realized while reading the description that even my home is decorated in English-Chintz fabrics! How funny is that?

In comparison to picking out clothes, my biggest problem has been with foundation. After about 10 years of searching for the right color in the drugstore, I tried the Prescriptives line. At first, they typed me in the yellow family, but a more experienced make-up artist typed me as blue-red. (Which, frankly, I agree with, to a point; my under-the-freckles skin is pinky-pale w/blue veins showing through) I finally found something that worked: custom-blended make-up & powder. Beautiful, but VERY expensive. However, even their oil-control formula didn't cut the shine from my face! And the amount needed to cover my acne (which, at 40, I STILL have!)looked like a mask. And in the summertime, I had to change the formula to take my freckles into account, which cost more money since I had to buy two versions of everything.

Two years ago, I discovered Bare Minerals & was happy with the oil control it provided, and the coverage which didn't need to be heavy to conceal. But again, they really didn't have a perfect color match for me. Especially for my summer-skin. And even though it did a good job w/the acne, I thought it made my pores look worse.

Today, I ordered my first samples of Aromaleigh and I can't wait till it gets here! Everything I've read on this forum has me convinced that I may have FINALLY found the make-up I've been searching for all this time. And with your wonderful advice, I know I'll be able to choose the colors that are best for me. Thank you so much! And please keep your ideas & advice coming!

L-A

Hi, L-A - Welcome to Aromaleigh! I am so happy that you found my little treatise to make sense for you. That's the biggest compliment possible to me. I'm working up a version of this sort of typology for blondes and brunettes, too. It's slow in coming, as we've got so much going on right now, but it's never far from my mind.

I think you will really love Aromaleigh cosmetics - the Voile and Glissade are both beautiful foundations, and I wouldn't want to be without the Porcelain mattifying powder - I'm an oily gal, too. If you like a full coverage concealer, the Pure Cover really can't be beat - and there is a terrific range of shades, including a pale alabaster tone and a pure white one - both are super for lightening a different shade of concealer, or even to make a subtle, non-shimmery highlight.

You will have so much fun with all the colors, though - at last count there were around 488 colors of eye shadow. Can you even believe it? The Rocks! shadows are really spectacular, and I think Detination Unknown and New Rose would be really gorgeous on you. Definitely try some samples - the colors look intense on screen, and in person they are very buildable and blendable and wearable. You will love them!

Keep posting and let us know how you fare with your goodies - we love to help!

-b.

I have a red headed sister who is just covered with freckles. She was always trying to bleach or cover them up. Many years later, she was at a class reunion and one of the men told her how pretty he always thought she was with all those freckles.

Anyway, I now have a red headed daughter-in-law and a darling little red headed granddaughter. From my experience, it appears that the red hair/coloring gene is pretty strong. My cousin has very dark coloring and we figured that when she and her red headed husband had children that they would have her coloring. Instead, both of their children and all 3 of their grandchildren have his coloring. They are beautiful.

Anyway, that said, I know that it can be hard to find the right colors. My sister was very into the "color me beautiful" system for both herself and her children and has done very well with it. She seems to be a true autumn and her coloring is so differnt from mine - which is more a summer but needed bright pastels.

I am new to this line of make up after watching all the ads about mineral makeup on TV. I decided on this line because you can purchase the samples and they do not try to put you into a category with shades that may not be exactly what work as other companies seem to do. I received my samples this week and so far the 2N seems to work well and I have used one of the sheer colors over it. May try my hand at mixing later on, but do like the texture and how it stays on. I also know I do not have the right brushes, but will buy those next. I have also read that some in the group use a spritz of water or other mixture to set the makeup and I am going to try that as my face is feeling more dry than normal and our humidity is already so low out here.

Will go - have written much more than I intended, but couldn't pass the chance to comment on "red-heads". Now, in my family we have every other person as a "leftie" which I think is also unusual

Thanks for this wonderful thread! I think I qualify as a redhead, because I was born with bright red hair -- and yes, my mother cried too. Since she and my dad both have dark hair and dark eyes, my mother had a lot of "splainin" to do, but since her father was irish with exactly the same coloring, it made sense. It is rare for two dark eyed, dark-haired people to have a blue-eyed child (I think the red hair is even more rare), but with one blue eyed grandparent the percentage is about one in sixteen. I'm not mathmatical, but perhaps that is about the 4% someone else mentioned.

Anyway, when I was about three, my hair started coming in white blonde. It was actually blonde on top, and still bright red underneath. My mother (she of the perm passion) got more dirty looks, now there's a blue-eyed child that needs "splainin," and my mother is apparently bleaching my hair as well -- and doing a very incompetent job of it. My parents used to tell the story of an gossipy friend who looked at my older sister with her dark hair and dark eyes and said, "Well John, that's ONE child you can't deny." My father responded, a bit sternly, "I don't deny ANY of my children."

After I grew up, I developed my dad's charming bow legs and one crooked tooth. I also got his long, pointy nose. I think people had stopped talking by then. My dad used to carry an Ann Landers article confirming that two dark eyed parents can have a blue-eyed child. Sometimes he pulled it out as proof when he was very frustrated. You know, if it's printed in the paper, it must be true.

Anyway, back to the REDHEAD thread. So this red hair turned white. It was white for several years, and gradually went ash blonde. I have the transparent white skin, with blue veins showing clearly everywhere. I still am a bright redhead in certain unmentionable locations. I've had several doctors nearly faint -- because my hair (on my head) is NO LONGER red at all. I've had to explain several times that NO, THAT is not a DYE JOB! Oddly, my mother with her dark hair, dark eyes and fair skin has exactly that same bi-color situation herself.

My HEAD hair is now naturally a dark, dirty blonde, and I feel ugly and plain when it is untouched. This doesn't seem to be me. I don't like to lighten it all over, because there is the nasty root situation to deal with. Highlights are wonderful, but because of that RED hidden in my hair, the highlights go to a cheap brassy color, unless the color is lifted all the way to beige or champagne color. This seems to be the only successful look for me.

Occasionally someone gets the look too light, and then I have to really up my make-up quotient. More color needed everywhere -- eyes, eyebrows, lips.

Recently a new hairdresser completely muffed this. She changed my base color all over my head. Guess what? It went RED. I wouldn't mind being a beautiful red head, but so far I still haven't had a true color -- I still get that cheap, coppery brassy look. I've been soaking my head in purple shampoo and champagne blonde glazes for six weeks now. Very shiny (like my face), but still not quite me.

SO, I'm still looking for the right colors. I used to wear a lot of pinks and lavenders. Only one color of lipstick and nail polish looked right on me back then, but I am branching out a bit. I do wear cool plum colored lipsticks mostly, but tend to lean toward taupey eyeshadows and eyebrows. I tried a AL bronze blush which was too intense, and I've cut it down by half with a regular face powder. That's looking nice, but is a bit of a clash with my favorite taupe eyeshadow.

I think I need a good all over look to wear every day. I don't think my head or face really know if I'm a bright copper red-head, or a light ash blonde. I think the red hair showed up just to give us all a lot of trouble, and was a warning this color thing was never going to be easy.

As you can tell, I tend to write a LOT. Sorry for the long post, but thanks for any suggestions!

Pamelaj

Hi, Pamela - I LOVE your story! How unique to have been a copper top AND a tow head as a child! ALthough I can sure understand about not matching - my daughter is so different looking than I am, particularly when she was little. Dark, straight hair, very pale skin, no freckles to speak of, very Asian shaped olive-green eyes, with a hybrid fold - not quite a single fold lid, not quite a double fold lid, and a very low-bridged, tiny Eskimo nose (her father was half Aleut). When we'd move and get a new physician, it was always a challenge explaining that she really was my natural-born child. We look a little more alike now, and I can see some similarities around the eyes, of all places.

Anyway, about colors - I would think that your coloring is definitely Ethereal - what foundation, if any, do you like to use?

Taupe shadows are really beautiful and classy and polished and gentle looking - and there are so many tones of taupe, too - Foxglove is perhaps the most neutral AL shows, and Circe is a bit cooler and more plummy to my eye. Slate is a cooler and bluer taupe, and Latte a bit warmer and pinker a taupe. Look also at the Carolina Summer tones - some really beautiful ones in there, too. To freshen up your taupe, add just a bit of a saturated color, or a flush of pink. I bet Kiss and Cupid would be really beautiful on you - slightly cool, delicate pinks. Wish is gorgeous, and generally an easy one to wear since it is slightly golden - if you want a cooler version, look at Colette - so pretty, and just a gentle flush of rose, which is so pretty on the eyes. Add your taupe in the crease and some mascara and you'll be good to go. I also think detinationunknown from the Rocks! line would be really pretty - it's a saturated, clear and delicate tone, and although it looks sort of turquoisey on screen and in the bag, on most of our eyes it transforms into the most exquisite iris blue/periwinkle shade I have ever seen. I know- I recommend it to almost everyone, but that's because it is such a soothing, delicate, beuatiful shade, I am thoroughly enamoured with it!

You might also experiment with some of the delicate aquatic shades like Tide, Lagoon, Wave, Celadon and such. I think theire intensity might be about right for you - neither too opaque white nor too deep and muted, just balanced.

For those times you go with a bronzier blush, try a slighty warmer shadow - maybe like Sophie - and do just a delicate wash of color, maybe with your favorite taupe in the crease, too, to balance out the warm/cool aspects. And a cool plum, rose or even a fuschia lip looks terrific with a golden taupe eye and bronzed cheeks - very fresh and new and beautiful! And right now I'm really loving a pop of bright color on it's own on the cheek or with the bronzer on the cheekbones. Look at Pomagranate and other shades of similar vibrancy, and apply sheerly for a natural looking flush.

I bet Lady and Oleander and Cameo lipsticks would be awesome on you, and also Exciter Heavy Metal lips from the Rocks! collection. It's a beautiful metallic rose tone that can go on opaque or sheer, over other lippies to spark them up, or topped with a gloss to make it more translucent.

What sorts of clothing colors do you feel best in? And what colors are your eyes? Those colors can give good clues about other tones to look at for makeup, and also for clothing colors - if a color appears in your iris, it's likely to look super fantastic on you!

hth -
-b.

I got the "looks" when my son, blue-eyed blonde, was born to one light brown/hazel-eyed mommy and one dark brown/dark eyed daddy. My MIL had months of fun. But, she knew there were plenty of blue-eyed great-grandparents. Turns out my third child had the same coloring. The long posts brighten my day, Pamelaj. Keep 'em coming. Kathy.

Pamelaj .. I'd Loooooooooooove to be a fly on the wall sometimes when you go to a new dr.. After all.... they think they've "seen it all, heard it all"..

I was the first redhead in our family in 3 generations or more.. and the first girl in about 40 yrs..
Both of my parents - brown hair, dad grey eyed, mom brown eyed. Brother blonde , blue eyed (changed to brown eyes at about 3 or 4 yrs old though, then brown hair by 5 or 6 yrs old)..
So we got lots of "looks" too.. And my hair was a very vibrant auburn..not a subdued red brown or strawberry blonde at all.. so I stuck out like a sore thumb..
Luckily my paternal aunt( matriarch), was able to tell my folks which long lost relative had the red hair ! right before my dad passed out.. upon seeing me for the first time..

quote:

Anyway, about colors - I would think that your coloring is definitely Ethereal - what foundation, if any, do you like to use?

***Bridget, I'm still kind of stuck on liquid foundations, like L0re@l Age-Defying (trying not to advertise), in the very fairest color. I use a primer now, then apply this with a sea sponge for very fast, with a flocked sponge for better coverage (works very well but seems to use a LOT of make-up). Then cover with Jane's mix, some Bronze lightened with face powder, some regular loose powder powder to cut the shine, some more Jane's mix to soften everything. I just tracked down some translucent rice powder today, but haven't tried it yet.

quote:

Taupe shadows are really beautiful and classy and polished and gentle looking - and there are so many tones of taupe, too - Foxglove is perhaps the most neutral AL shows, and Circe is a bit cooler and more plummy to my eye. Slate is a cooler and bluer taupe, and Latte a bit warmer and pinker a taupe. Look also at the Carolina Summer tones - some really beautiful ones in there, too.

***I really LOVE Taupe colors, not because they are, but because they aren't. I don't really use this as an eye "shadow" on my lid, I use it under the brow bone to deepen my eye. Because it looks so natural to my coloring, it doesn't look like I'm wearing any shadow, it just looks like my eyes are larger (I think? Maybe I'm kidding myself!). I haven't really worn any color on my lid for years, or deepened anything in the crease like everyone else has described.

quote:

You might also experiment with some of the delicate aquatic shades like Tide, Lagoon, Wave, Celadon and such. I think theireintensity might be about right for you - neither too opaque white nor too deep and muted, just balanced.

*****I just ordered Marsh, Seaglass, Slate, and LAGOON from the Carolina Matte line. I'm guessing I can mix these. NOW, does anyone have a suggestion for just going lighter on one of these? What do we use to lighten a color?

(snip)

quote:

What sorts of clothing colors do you feel best in? And what colors are your eyes? Those colors can give good clues about other tones to look at for makeup, and also for clothing colors - if a color appears in your iris, it's likely to look super fantastic on you!

***My eyes are very royal blue, and really pop with blue sweaters. My skin color seems to love crisp white contrasted with Navy blue. My mother used to insist that if you were very fair you should wear white so the contrast would make you look tan. This never helped me, I just looked completely washed out. I picked navy blue swimsuits and she just had fits!

I also used to dress a lot in rose and plum and lavender, which I think looked well on me, but I think I'm just kind of past those colors now. A red top is not good on me on its own, but with a navy top over that, looks good. I also like white if I have a black blazer or sweater over it.

I've been fooling with the "quote" function, so I hope I haven't messed it up! Pamela

I love the Aromaleigh products and have ordered several samples. I, too am a redhead, but am confused as to what kind I am. I read your article and I don't seem to fit any. I have deep red hair (not auburn), just very red and it has become darker over the years. (I am 36) but underneath it is lighter with blond highlights. My eyes are dark brown, sometimes you can see green in them when I cry. I can burn, but I can tan, too. i have tried Voile 2YL, 2C, 2WL and 2N. I don't see much difference in them on my skin exept that they all blend well with my neck, but over all seem too light. I hope I am making sense. Now that summer is coming, I do need to go darker. I like to use bronzer powders on my shoulders and neck. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you,

Anne (Ariona)

quote:

i have tried Voile 2YL, 2C, 2WL and 2N. I don't see much difference in them on my skin exept that they all blend well with my neck, but over all seem too light. I hope I am making sense

You lucky dog you !! THat is the beauty about AL MMU for some of us.. Some find it confusing at first. But , it can be a blessing too!
If it seems too light, it could be several things. ONe is you are now not seeing the flushed red of skin that was there prior to the evening out of your skintone..
or .. you need to add a touch of a darker level. such as adding in some 3N or 3L , 3W ..
Or even using a medium or Dark Bronzer over the MMU can work.. mixing Dark bronzer in the MMU for summer, or mixing dark bronzer in the Illuminator powder as a finishing powder can also work well.. So many options with Al !
Jane

Hi, Anne - it sounds to me like you are more of a high contast red, then - given the depth of your hair and eyes and the relatively paleness of your skintone.

One way to determine if you have more yellow or more pink in your skintone is to stripe some straight Linen on your jaw, your neck and your chest. If the Linen looks orangey, then your skin contains more pink. If the Linen looks more rosey or even blue, then your skintone contains a greater proportion of yellow. Have you tried any level 3s? Sometimes, if you can get the depth matching well, you can then better see the undertones and determine which shade(s) are your best matches. I do know what you are saying, though. When I first started my sampling, I tried 1W, 1N, 1C and then also the 1Y and 1L. First I was convinced the 1L was my ideal match, and I think it was initially as my skin was quite a bit redder then. Then one day it looked a little dark and a little pink to me, like I was fighting a sunburn. So I addes some 1Y. That looked really nice, but still a little pale. So I went to straight 1Y. Then my daughter decided to try 1W/L and I sampled that one - liked it but it seemed a little flat, so I chose 1W, which is what I wear now, and I swear, I can put a blob of it on my chin, or my neck, or my chest or my cheek and leave it there unblended and you can't see where it begins and ends. You can tell that the freckles are a bit more diffuse, but that's about it.

My advice to you would be to try some level 3s to see if the increase in depth makes it more apparent what undertones your skin contains. Also, Jane gave you superb advice for summering a complexion! With my 1W skintone, I really like the medium bronzer applied sheerly under my cheekbones and accented with a bright pink, coral or sheer red right on the apples of my cheeks. The perle powders are also wonderful for this, and give you a wider range of tones, as well, including some really beautiful, cooler tones of tan. And sometimes just going a little deeper and/or a little warmer is enough to give a sunkissed glow, too, so if you end up wearing and liking a 2C, for example, adding a little bit of 3N or 3W/L could be just the right thing for a touch of bronze look without going full out coppery, bronzey or tan.

I hope this helps you a little bit!

-b.