Old Hair vs New

In June, I went from auburn to pale blond hair. Some of you like the change and some of you don’t, but I gather that most of you were curious as to how the color change might affect my wardrobe. It took some time, but I think I’ve tried every one of my oft worn colors and can compare the contrast between the old hair and the new.

I’ve organized the evidence into four categories. There are shades that looked best with red hair, colors that look better with blond, and those that seem to look equally well with both hair colors. Finally, there are colors that I struggle to wear no matter my hair color.

Best With Red
The only color I don’t seem to be able to wear well as a blonde is mustard yellow. Without the red hair for contrast, it really washes me out. I have to work in a secondary color near my face to save my complexion.

Better With Blond
Cherry red might be my new favorite color because I love love love how it looks against my white blond hair. It clashed in a not-so-good-way with the red hair.

That sickly pink color sometimes known as “dusty rose” seems to work better with blond hair, too.

I wore the coral blouse in the left photo A LOT as a redhead. I thought coral looked great on me then. It’s even better with the new hair.

Good Either Way
The following colors seem to work well with both hair colors. Perhaps you have another opinion? Presented for your consideration are:

Kelly Green. I can’t go wrong with this color. I think it would be good with black or brown hair too.

Blue Green. Another failsafe color for me.

Purples. The red purples are easier for me to wear, no matter the hair color. The bluer purples require strong makeup. The hair color does not seem to matter with either shade.

Reddish Purple

Bluish Purple

I'm afraid it's hard to see the difference between the reddish and bluish purples because of the lighting.
Fuchsia. This used to be one of my favorite colors. I still like it and I like it with both the old and new hair, but I’ve just tended to favor other colors lately. My fuchsia lipstick, though, is a still a favorite.

Orange. Oh, how I “heart” orange. If I couldn’t wear it as a blonde, I’d weep. I’m glad it still works.

By the way, that sweater vest has held up well. The right photo was taken the first time I wore it, in February 2007. The color difference is due to lighting, again.
Lemon Yellow. Unlike mustard, a clear, almost green yellow looks good with the blond hair. It looked good with red, too.

Black. I don’t wear a lot of black, but I love the way it looks against pale skin and blond or red hair.

Navy. Alas, I don’t have any great blond-navy photos. It’s a lot like black, though: a nice contrast with both hair colors.

Still Doesn’t Work
Beige, khaki, oatmeal, whatever you want to call it, is my nemesis. I love that it’s a neutral and makes such a nice background for other colors, but it just doesn’t play nicely with my complexion. I continue to wear it, though. I usually pair it with a swath of strong, flattering color near my face. The below pictures are exceptions.

Gray isn’t as bad as beige, but it also tends to wash me out. It brings out the gray in my eyes and even gray undertones in my skin. Unlike, beige, though, a little makeup (even just a lightly colored lipgloss) saves the day.

I’ve concluded that whether a color is flattering or not depends more on one’s skin tone than hair, or even eye, color. When a shade is a bit iffy, makeup can add just enough of a flattering color to make it work. Hair is like an accessory; it adds an accent color. It doesn’t determine the palette.

If you’ve been keeping track, I’ve listed more colors that I can wear as a blonde than a redhead. Admittedly, I could be a little biased because I'd prefer my current hair color choice to be the most flattering with the most colors.

What do you think? Have I misjudged any colors? Did I miss one?