1. There is life after black and white
Granted, Coco Chanel cemented the LBD as the
must-have item in every woman’s wardrobe.
Despite her love of black, she also said, “The best
colour in the whole world is the one that looks
good on you.” This is not to say that everyone has
to ditch their black and white items entirely but
rather add a cheerful burst of colour to your look.
A punchy red bag or vibrant yellow scarf will do.
Octavia Ephraim, the founder of Octapear Image
Consulting in Pretoria, says “Don’t get rid of all the
‘wrong’ colours in your wardrobe; just wear the
right colours closer to your face or from the waist
up.”

2. Wear happy clothes
Just like that dress you wore to a disastrous event
remains hidden at the back of your closet; the
sundress that you bought five Decembers ago
while on honeymoon gets a regular outing. Why?
Simple! It reminds you of a happy time. Australia’s
University of Queensland did research and found
that quite a few participants mentioned that they
used clothing to change or boost their mood. “If
they get up and aren’t feeling great, they would put
on something that would brighten them up.” As if
we needed research to tell us that!

3. Go green (The Beloved Prophet, pbuh’s
favourite colour)
The Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam has found that
green puts you, and everyone who sees you
dressed in the punchy colour, in a good mood
because of its close association with nature. It is
uplifting in the same way as a brief respite out of
doors, making it the colour to wear if you need to
improve your mental acuity.

4. Pick me up, buttercup
Psychologically, yellow is the colour that has the
strongest effect when it comes to boosting
confidence and making us feel more optimistic.
That said, yellow is also associated with anxiety
and you may want to use it in moderation – it has
been found to make babies cry!

5. Think pink, or red
Imagine a flash of fuchsia or red in a sea of black.
A striking image, is it not? That’s because shades
of pink and red, like orange and yellow, are warm,
energizing colours. This applies to lipstick too!
Spruce up your look and boost your mood by
adding a smudge of colourful lipstick paired with a
brightly coloured statement piece. When you’re
feeling down and boring, pack away your neutral
shades of lipstick and go for something pink or
red. It won’t just perk you up, it will also change
the way that other people respond to you.
Octapear’s Ephraim emphasises that the clothes
you choose to wear will make an impression if you
concentrate on visualization: “Imagine how you
would like others to react when you enter a room,
and then work to achieve that.” In other words,
fake it till you make it!

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