Will you wear a coral lipstick with a leopard print shirt? Of course not! Similarly, you cannot match scarlet red hair with dark skin. You need to determine your skin tone and eye color to get the perfect hair color.

•    If you have a warm skin tone, colors like warm golden blonde, copper, mahogany, and chestnut would suit you the best.
•    If you have a cool skin tone, you can easily carry off ash blonde, platinum, deep plum, and ash brunette.

Can’t determine your skin tone?

Do this:
Hold a pink scarf or shirt next to your face. Then hold an orange scarf. Skin with pale tones or golden ivory, peachy, golden beige, beige, or bronze looks better with the orange scarf. Skin with cool tones like beige, pink, alabaster, or rose looks better with a pink scarf.

Next comes your eye color.

•    If your skin tone is cool and your eyes are green, brown, or blue gray, the hair color for you is cool, light shades of brunette or blonde.
•    If your cool skin tone is teamed with dark or intense eyes that are black, brown, blue-green, violet, or hazel, the hair colors for you are shades of plums and cool, very dark shades.
•    If your skin tone is warm and your eyes are green, blue, hazel, or amber, choose shades from golden blonde or warm light brown to strawberry for hair.
•    If your warm skin tone is teamed with dark or intense eyes that are green, topaz, amber, or warm brown, your hair would look best in copper, honey blonde, chestnut, mahogany, and auburn.

Want a contrasting look?

Here are some examples:
•    If your skin has a warm tone, you can combine your copper, mahogany, or auburn hair color with red, golden blonde or strawberry highlights. Remember to keep only a few highlights.
•    If your skin has a cool tone, you can combine your ash, platinum, or raven hair with gold, red, auburn, or warm blonde highlights.

Keep the highlights off your face. For the perfect look, let a hair stylist do the job. Enjoy your party and the attention!

Winter is the time when the skin generally tends to become dry, parched, or chapped. The weather is frigid; heaters/blowers are used in buildings and in cars, and our skin ends up being dry and flaky while we are trying to come to terms with the changing conditions.

Is there a way out? Of course there is. Follow certain essential skin care tips to keep your skin healthy and glowing during winter months.

Drink more water – Drink at least seven to eight glasses of water every day to keep your skin looking and feeling good. Increase the water intake if you are following an active lifestyle. If you are dry inside, it would also reflect on the condition of your hair and skin.

Keep your skin protected from the sun – Use a good quality sun block to keep your skin protected from UVA/UVB rays. Most of us do not forget to wear a sunscreen during the summer months. This habit is just as important during the winter. Wear a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher to protect skin from photo aging. Dab some on while going out in the snow, since it reflects the sun and can damage your skin.

Keep your skin moisturized – Use a moisturizer every day, more so if you have dry skin. Apply some on your face and neck every time you wash your face. People with acne prone skin should be a bit careful, and not overdo the moisturizing part. They can use an oil-free product or one that is specifically formulated to go with all skin types.

Go easy on the heating – Most of us cannot forgo the comfort of heaters and air conditioners to bring the temperature up during winter months. Excessive heating dries out the air and our skin. The temperature difference outside our homes and inside also makes it really hard for our skin. Do not overuse heaters. You can use a humidifier to maintain the moisture level in your home.

Adhere to these practices and keep your skin radiant and youthful, even during the harsh winter months.

Diet plays an important role in deciding our mood and level of happiness. The way we feel is often affected by what we are eating or not. The results of a new Finnish study show that people who take food rich in folate and vitamin B12 are less likely to exhibit symptoms of depression. According to Tanya Zuckerbrot, a New York City nutritionist, the recommended daily amount (RDA) of these vitamins is 400 to 800 mg, depending on individual requirements.

In this particular study, researchers analyzed 12 month food-frequency questionnaires of 2,840 Finnish adults. The answers were compared with a standard 21-question survey. People with the highest intake of folate and vitamin B12 reported less sadness, irritability, changes in sleep and appetite, and other signs of depression.

These vitamins affected the symptoms of melancholic depression, which were due to biological triggers like chemical imbalances in the body. The non-melancholic symptoms of depression like anxiety and low self esteem caused by external factors were not affected by these vitamins. The vitamins affected different types of depressive symptoms differently. Further research is needed to understand the reasons behind this phenomenon.

Folate and vitamin B12 produce serotonin, the chemical in the brain responsible for a feeling of happiness. If we do not take enough of these vitamins, we tend to feel anemic, fatigued, and grumpy.

This is just what is happening to most women today. They are not taking the recommended dosage of these very essential vitamins in their diet, which is making them really anxious and depressed.

What can they do to reverse this trend?  They can include meat, eggs, and dairy products which are rich sources of vitamin B12 in their daily meal plan, and keep depression away.  They can also talk to their doctor about taking supplements to ensure they reach the recommended daily amount.

1. Start by brushing your hair with a paddle brush to smooth it and remove any knots, then use your fingers to separate a two-inch section of hair from your hairline back to the crown.

2. Use your fingers to divide the piece into three equal sections and begin braiding by crossing the strand in your right hand over the strand in the middle. The right strand should now be the middle strand. Then, cross the left strand over the middle strand. The middle strand should now be the left strand.

3. Keep the hair tight by pulling the sections away from each other and hold the hair that you’ve already braided in your left hand. Use your right index finger to part your hair horizontally, just above your right ear, from your hairline back to the center of your head to form a new right strand.

4. Incorporate this section into the original right section and cross the entire right section over the middle section. While holding the hair that you’ve just braided in your right hand, use your left index finger to horizontally separate the same section of hair as step 3 on your left side. Hold it tightly and incorporate it into the original left section. Cross the left section over the middle section.

5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 with the next section of hair starting just below your right ear, and then with the section of hair starting just below your left ear.

6. Begin a traditional braid by alternating the right section over the middle, the left over the middle, and the right back over the middle, etc., until only three inches are loose.

7. Secure your hair with an elastic and spritz with hairspray.

Next year is all about natural, undone hair that is not too perfect, yet pretty in a casual way. Some of the hairstyles that are expected to rule the roost on the ramp are breezy waves, low ponytails, and unfussy braids.

At Dolce & Gabbana, the hairstyle is as simple as a woman pinning her hair up and putting a scarf on. To get the look, you need to blow dry your hair straight back to remove any hint of a part. Place the scarf around the head about an inch from the hairline, and tie it at the nape of your neck. Tie it off-center and allow the ends to just touch your shoulders. Roll the hair up and fan it out on top of your head for a Riviera feeling.

At Marni, hair stylist Paul Hanlon creates a tousled, side-swept knot, which is very organic and very real. To get the look, use a good quality hair spray and blow-dry your hair. Create a deep side part, sweeping the hair gently against the forehead, and fastening it at the nape of your neck. Divide the ponytail in two sections, spray on a hair spray, and get the slept in texture. Tuck one section under and wrap another section around the base of the ponytail. Tug the knot to make it look real and not too clean.

The hair this season at J.Mendel is relaxed and unfussy. Hairstylist Orlando Pita creates flat and natural looking waves for the models. To replicate this look, part your hair down the middle. Use a hair spray to smooth the front sections and push the hair behind the ears. Run a flatiron over one-inch sections of your hair, rotating it toward and away from your head to create the soft waves.

At Balenciaga, the look is ethereal and very natural. Part your hair, draw the two sections back, and pin them separately at the crown. Secure metal hairpieces to the back of the head, and also above the pinned section and complete the look. 

At Balmain, the look is not glamorous, and not polished. To get the messy braids, roughly dry the hair and spray it with a good quality hairspray.  Braid the hair and secure the ends with  thick black elastic. Add another elastic at the base of the neck and pull out some random hair sections from around the ears to get that lived-in look.

All these styles are simple, yet elegant. You can try them at home and even attempt them yourself. Follow the trends this season and become the most stylish in your group of friends.