#MiniMakeoverMondays: Colour Blocking

Welcome to Mini Makeover Monday! In this weekly column, Bianca Teixeira, our makeover maven, will find, test, and report back on an assortment of small changes that can be made to your daily beauty and style routine that can dramatically change your look. Let us know if you try any of her suggestions and what kind of effect they had on you!

When colour blocking was making waves on every runway and magazine cover, I was very busy thinking that adding a touch of grey to my otherwise completely black-on-black outfit was progress.

Colour blocking is one of those wonderful trends that can be implemented anywhere on your person. It can be the miniest of the mini makeovers, or something that overtakes your wardrobe. Let me explain…

Colour blocking is combining different colors that support and complement each other. One of my favourite incarnations of colour blocking came on the June 2011 Flare cover that saw Jennifer Lawrence in a gorgeous royal purple shade mixed with an orange skirt. Another fabulous example of top-notch colour blocking is Camille Belle, who wore a pantsuit that put orange, purple, green, and gold together.

Take it from a girl who loves her shadowy, shaded closet, those two examples of colour blocking are not for the faint of heart, but can add a much needed pop into your wardrobe. Not to mention, if you always wear muted shades you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the pick-me-up your complexion will get from colours. If a colourful wardrobe scares you, work your way up to it by trying colour blocked nails. Give yourself a mani with one differently coloured accent nail and gradually move into using two colours – one for every other nail. The small detail of a colourful manicure will brighten up any outfit immediately and the impact won’t be lost on others.

Once you’ve become accustomed to colour blocked nails (and even makeup if you dare!) it’s time to move into a bolder wardrobe. And it’s so easy to start – you’ll soon be colour blocking without even realizing it!

One of the easiest ways to input more colour into your everyday look is by pairing brightly coloured separates with light wash denim. The denim is already doing most of the work for you by being light blue, something you barely notice anymore. From there you can start to pair together pieces that are from the same shade family but are different tones. Every now and then you can mix a print in there, too. The only rule here is that there has to be a hint of colour.

Fun, colourful accessories can also help ease you into this trend (which is going to be huge once spring actually shows up) and are small details that, again, have a big impact.

Adding just a touch more colour into your everyday look is a fun, seasonal way to update an outfit. Colour blocking is absolutely simple.

What are some your colour blocking tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.