Wall colours and lipstick shades: our mood influencers

Brick red. Out of the blue. White lie. Green with envy. Black magic. White as a ghost. Seeing red. Drop of golden sun. Apple green. Purple prose. Baby blue. Pink eye. Snow white. Painting the town red. Sand beige. White elephant. Tickled pink. Green room. Black tie. Silver lining. Blue laws. Taking the red eye. Raspberry beret, little red corvette and purple rain. (Lol, just kidding. I threw the last three in just for my own fun!)

We constantly use colours to describe objects, and to relate to things. Some days we feel like wearing the red shirt that says “Hello, I’m here!” and other mornings, we just want to be wrapped in grey or black and disappear into the crowd. Our wardrobe is a reflection of what’s going on inside. We use words, clothing and accessories to express our true colours. It appears that the colours on the walls affect our moods as well!

Studies have shown that certain colours affect our minds and therefore our moods and even… yes, hormones. Cooler tones are known to ease the mind, to bring calm and help putting our psyche at rest. Warm tones will stimulate, entice, excite and energize. Did you know that warm tones appear closer than cool ones? On a printed page or painting, if placed at equal distance, the red parts apparently seem closer to the eye than the blue ones. Intriguing, don't you think? What do you think when look at this painting?

"Untitled September 2008", Painting by Richard Terry

Blue soothes; it expresses calm, serenity, open spaces and strength. Apparently, heavy weight champions can lift more weight in a blue room than they would in a differently coloured room! Blue symbolizes royalty (we’ve all seen Kate Middleton wearing Princess Di’s huge sapphire ring), loyalty (it’s even recommended to wear blue to a job interview) and increases productivity. Employees would apparently be even more productive in blue offices. On the other hand, it is not recommended for dining rooms or kitchen because it is not a common food colour in nature, aside from a variety of berries and grapes. In addition, (you might want to jump right to the next sentence for this one if you have a fragile stomach) our brain associates blue with food that is usually… rotten. Conclusion: blue is not a top selection for dining room deco! Red wins in the kitchen and dining room as it increases the appetite and, on walls or through accessories, it is a hue often found in restaurants. Red also evokes love and passion and can even provoke physical reactions such as increasing respiration and blood pressure. Dynamic and restless, it commands attention. Red lipstick is a huge trend this year and has always been the ladies’ favorite go-to hue in times of recession or depression. When economy is in the red, are lips usually are too ;o)

Most of us consider yellow as a bright and happy colour. However, according to scientific research, people get angry the most and babies will tend to cry most often in yellow painted rooms. It attracts attention, improves concentration and stimulates metabolism. So yellow walls are good for one’s diet, but awful for our tempers! (Note to self: do not attempt to diet in a yellow room).

Green is a non-dominant and relaxing colour; hence the use of the expression “green room” to determine a waiting area where people are asked to kindly and patiently wait their turn. It is commonly used in referral to anything “nature”, organic, the environment and ecology. It is also famous for its link to fertility, growth, renewal, prosperity, hope and the obvious American green: money.

Even if Pink was a huge hit for Aerosmith (“Pink it was love at first sight / Pink when I turn out the light and Pink gets me high as a kite”), it is not always the colour of victory and may even cause for chaos. Certain manly locker rooms used by the opposing team have been painted pink because it evokes frailty and innocence, diminishes energy and would also imply that the players are “non dominant and weak like a little girl”. Who knew pink was not a macho shade?

What’s your colour today? Participate in our contest daily and get a chance to win a Rouge Xpression Lipstick or the grand prize: a chance to paint the town red with your girlfriends!

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