The colour red is one of the boldest and most exciting shades that one can wear, which explains its unwavering popularity.
No other colour is so rich in symbolism. Red is the colour of extremes. It's the colour of passionate love, seduction, violence, danger, anger, and adventure. Going into the red means you're in debt, but in China, red is associated with good luck and prosperity. Throw in Coca-Cola and Santa Claus, and you have a hue that means a lot of things to a lot of people.
Red makes an impact. When you wear red, people will notice you. You can wear red in a subtle way by wearing a red accessory or you can make a bolder statement with the colour. Whatever your comfort zone with the colour red, there is a way to add this colour to your wardrobe for everyone.
This Friday is Wear Red Day, a day to raise awareness about heart health and cardiovascular disease, so let's explore all the different ways on how you can wear red! For your chance to win a copy of my accessorising e-book, The Finishing Touch, join me on my Wear Red Challenge Week, details below.... 
Red has a physiological effect on us. It stimulates and raises blood pressure. Research conducted during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens showed that competitors in taekwondo, boxing and wrestling who wore red clothing or body protection had a higher chance of winning.
Its warm overtone makes it the most noticeable colour which is why it's used to alert us - stop signs and traffic lights are two such examples.
Red also stimulates the adrenal gland, making us more prone to take action and giving us more energy. Because of its stimulating effect, it makes time to appear to go faster.
It's the colour of attraction. In fact, men will spend more money on a date with a woman who is wearing red.
Red is an exciting colour. Research has found that men are really attracted to women wearing red and they have a positive attitude and feelings towards women who wear red on their first date.
Red is a versatile colour. It doesn't just represent passion; it also is used to represent power and prestige. Men wearing red are seen as more dominant and aggressive, this is why a red tie, is a power tie, but shouldn't be used when you want to win friends or gain consensus. Red can be a great colour, in small quantities in a job interview if you want to be seen as strong.
Red also affects you feel about your own attractiveness. In research where participants were asked to wear a red or a blue shirt and rate their own attractiveness, participants in the red shirt indicated a higher level of self-attractiveness than participants in the blue shirt
Red comes in many guises - from bright to dusky, from warm to cool, light to dark. The right red will make our skin glow with health; the wrong red will make us look like Rudolf the red nose reindeer.
The colour red is especially good for women with a warm skin tone as it brightens up your complexion and makes you shine even more. However, even if you have a cooler skin tone, you can still wear this colour and look amazing. All colours (apart from the orange spectrum) have a warm and cool undertone version so matter what your skin tone, there's the perfect shade of red for you.
Check which reds suit you best by holding up a host of different reds under your face in good lighting, and dropping each in turn and watch as the colours change how your skin reacts to the particular shades, tints and tones of red.
The brighter shades are more dominant and can be seen as more aggressive, particularly if you don't have the bright personal colouring to match the shade. Subtler shades such as a softer version or slightly deeper version are powerful, but without the "angry" appearance it can provoke.
Choose a red that relates to your colour properties and replicate it. The right red will really make you look more vibrant and alive as it's a skin enhancer and can make you look really healthy.
Red is a very versatile colour. Easy to combine with black, white, blue, grey, violet, camel and so many other colours.
Unless you have a very dramatic personality, red is not usually great to be worn head to toe, keep it to one garment at a time, or 2-3 accessories. Too much red can overwhelm us and aggravate our senses. Red has been shown to stimulate and give us an appetite, but it can start to annoy if overused.
Depending on your colour contrast (and you can find out how to discover yours here) and personality, you may want to add red as an accent colour to your outfit to make it pop.
The easiest way is to repeat the colour up to 2-3 times in accessories - shoes, belt, and necklace for example. You can also add it as your lipstick or nail polish colour as well without it looking overdone
Don't let the thought of a bold lop colour scare you off. Red lipstick can look stunning, but it does come with a few trickier aspects such as bleeding and getting the colour right for you skin tone.
There are many shades of red. Reds can be soft, rusty, bright, cool and warm. It's more noticeable than many other colours, so when it's wrong it creates a mouth focus and makes your lips look more unrelated to the rest of your face.
Finding the right red lip colour comes down to your personal colouring. Do you have a warm or cool undertone? If you're warm, look for an orange red (tomato) colour. If you're cool, then go for a blue-red (raspberry) shade.
If your colouring is bright - and bright coloured clothes suit you, then you'll want a brighter lipstick shade. But if you have more subtle, soft colouring, then opt for a more softened shade of red, something that is more related to your natural lip colour rather than a bold red.
Wear Red Challenge
Join me on my #WearRedWeek challenge! Enter a chance to win a copy of my book, The Finishing Touch. Post or comment and tag me on your best #WearRedWeek outfit. It can be a picture of you wearing red clothes, red lipstick, red accessories, or anything RED. Be creative!
The first Friday in February is WEAR RED day - so make sure you've got some red on to show your support!
Wear Red Week is 8-14 February - so plan your outfits now!
Mechanics:
1. Like my page https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutStyleBlog/
2. Follow me on Instagram @insideoutstyleblog
3. Tag me @insideoutstyleblog and 3 or more friends
4. Use the hashtag #WearRedWeek
Submission of entry ends on Friday at 12pm AEDT. The winner will be selected at random and notified via Facebook or Instagram within 24 hours.
Further Red Reading
How to Distinguish the Undertone of Red and Burgundy
Red Lips - Choosing the Right Shade
Psychology of Colour - Red
How to Add an Accent Colour To Your Outfit
