Mellow Yellow Mondays: 3 Ways to Always Nail Neon

Popping your weekday look with a flash of neon can be an intimidating trend to take on. And if it’s yellow you’re drawn to incorporating as your highlighter shade, the task can quickly go from fun and fearless to overwhelming and frightening. But FEAR NOT! Here are my full-proof ways to incorporate the oh-so-in electric tones into your warm weather wardrobe…

1. Start Small in Summer
Keep your pop of color isolated to accessories when experimenting with shocking tones for the first time. Summer is THE best time to try out a pop of neon, because tan skin and sun-kissed hair will support a neon tone much better than your mid-winter coloring will. Pick one color that speaks to you and try finding a shoe or a purse in that shade. These are the two best accessories to begin with because a colorful shoe or evening clutch lends itself to many more outfits than a neon mini dress does. I love a killer sunny-toned heel to show off your sexy tan legs on a summer night, and I can’t get enough of a bright-colored beach bag to accessorize a white bikini, white sundress, and big bold shades.

2. Neutralize the Neon
Remember that you are in fact “popping” your look with a bold dash of neon color. So in order for the strong shade to shine and look sophisticated, you need to create a neutral base for it to actually POP off of. White and black are always excellent options, and will always work with any neon accent. But summer camel, tan, and beige tons pair wonderfully with orange, pink, and electric blue. This season I love experimenting with the grey family as a neutral, as shown above, which gives yellow an amazing glow in the sunlight. So if you’re spending a little extra to purchase an unexpected bold and bright piece, use it to freshen up an old stand by white skirt or a beloved basic black maxi dress. This way your entire outfit looks and feels new, without breaking the bank.

3. Light Up Your Lips
When wearing neons, the biggest challenge I have always had is determining what to do with my makeup. My rule of thumb is to let the neon accent be the single source of shine shimmer or sparkle; that is, be careful not to compete with your accessories by using a matching neon eyeliner, or worse, adding a second neon to the look with an electric pink lipstick, this works on the runway, but rarely translates well to real life. Go for soft matte shades and powders. Think bronzer over blush. A smoky eye can work, but use matte grays and brown over deep black, shinny silvers, or sparkling gold lids. Now when it comes to your lips you can do more. I like to think about creating depth, texture, and color-play. NEWSFLASH: You CAN let your lips shine! Use a hydrating and highlighting lipstick or lip crayon, or a slightly luminous gloss over a trusted lipstick will achieve the same luscious pout. The challenge here becomes picking that right shade. Try complementing the neon accent color with the lip: for instance try a mauve lip with light neon pink; a dark rusty orange when wearing chartreuse, as I did above, or maybe a rich deep purple with electric blue or radiant orchid set off of a tan neutral. I am in love with Revlon’s new collection of Colorburst balm sticks in both matte and lacquer finishes. You can find them at CVS, Walgreens, online here at Revlon.com, and every shade in the matte collection will work with your neons! So yay! But if you do get confused or need more help in this department here’s what I would do: bring your neon accessory into Sephora and have a color expert find you some lip shades. Together you both can see what looks best when holding up the accessory to your face.