The new black

Breaking out of your usual colour palette is like trying to give up any other addiction. You get an initial buzz and general feeling of "on top of the world-ness", only to be plagued by thoughts of, what the hell was I thinking when I threw out all those fags/poured the vodka down the sink/decided to wear lime green eye shadow for a change?

But the fact is, change for change's sake is often liberating. And, as you can barely move for citrus colours at the moment, I thought I'd have a break from my staple diet of reds, pinks and the occasional purple, to give them a try.

I've never really got on with yellow. It looks great on flowers, walls can just about get away with it, but on human beings it's seldom flattering. Forget about being taken seriously if you're wearing yellow, and don't expect to get many compliments - I mean, have you ever heard the words, "Wow, her yellow skirt was amazing"? Exactly.

In fact, all citrus colours - yellow, green and orange - are notoriously hard to pull off, especially anywhere near your face. But lime greens and lemon yellows are everywhere just now, and that's as true for make-up as it is for clothes. So it's either ignore them and hope they'll go away, or figure out how to wear them without looking like a human beach ball.

"Never try to shade using citrus. It's a fashion statement, so don't try to give yourself better definition using it," advises make-up artist Mary Greenwell, who has worked with the likes of Naomi Campbell and Alek Wek. "With black skin, don't forget that silvers become greys, so when you are using citrus, make sure you stay away from the silver side - if you are using yellow, stay on the gold side of yellow, if you are using lime, stay on the gold side of lime, and the same with orange. The darker your skin, the warmer the colour you use has to be."

One word of caution: yellow nails don't work. No matter how many coats or how bright it is, you'll end up looking like you've just put out your 50th Woodbine of the day. Classy.

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