About That Color Thing...

Does color matter that much?  It sure does.  It matters as much as determining and dressing for your body type.  Knowing your colors is winning half the battle of dressing to look your best.  The natural color of your complexion, hair and eyes determine whether particular colors make you look radiant or washed out, youthful or aged, energized or exhausted. 

Now, color can be tricky.  May of us have general misconceptions about what looks good and what doesn’t.  The biggest misunderstanding is that black is a universal color that looks great on everyone.  Actually, it isn’t that way at all. 

First, let’s determine which category you are in.  There are 6 dominant color categories: light, deep, soft, clear, warm and cool.  Here are the descriptions:

Light

Light blonde hair

Fair skin tone

Light to medium eye color

Deep

Medium to dark brown hair or black hair

Medium to dark skin tone

Hazel, brown or black eyes

Soft

Light to medium brown hair, sometimes described as mousy or dishwater blonde

Light to medium skin tone

Medium intensity eye color like hazel, brown, blue, or green

Clear 

Dark medium brown to black hair

Very fair to light or medium skin tone

Bright eye color like green, blue, hazel or dark brown

Warm

Red hair or golden blonde with natural reddish highlights

Any skin tone; sometimes with freckles

Green, blue, brown or hazel eyes

Cool

Silver, gray or ash brown hair

Light to deep skin tone, most often with pink undertones

Blue, green, hazel or brown eyes

So…hopefully you’ve figured out which color category you are in.  If it helps you any in determining where you fit, I am in the clear category.

Now for the fun part!!! Here are the best clothing options for you based on your color category:

Light

Color Intensity:  Pale to medium hues

Accessories:  Silver and gold

Best Neutrals:  Charcoal, navy, light camel

Pop Colors:  Turquoise, pink, lavender, sapphire blue

White or Ivory:  Either works for you.

The Truth About Black:  Beware of black as it will overpower you.  If you insist on wearing it, keep it away from your face.

Best Shoe and Purse Color:  Because you are blonde, opt for light camel, taupe or charcoal for a general, all-use purse.

Stay Away From: Very dark or very bright colors.

Deep

Color Intensity:  Medium to deep shades, some brights

Accessories:  Silver and gold

Best Neutrals: Black or dark brown

Pop Colors:  Purple, true red, persimmon, royal blue

White or Ivory:  Both

The Truth About Black:  Yes, it’s for you!  Anytime, anywhere!

Best Shoe and Purse Color:  If your hair is medium to deep brown, choose dark brown for your best all-purpose shoe and purse color.  If your hair is dark brown to black, choose black.

Stay Away From:  Muted colors.

Soft

Color Intensity:  Medium hues

Accessories:  Silver and gold

Best Neutrals:  Charcoal and medium brown

Pop Colors:  Butter yellow, teal blue, coral, mint green

White or Ivory: Soft Ivory

The Truth About Black:  Never!  Sorry, I know this really hurts your feelings, but black ages you and drains the color from your face.

Best Shoe and Purse Color:  Medium brown

Stay Away From:  Black, black and black!  Oh did I say black?  Did I make it clear yet?  Also stay away from very bright colors and combinations of high contrast colors like black and white together.

Clear

Color Intensity:  Bright hues

Accessories:  Silver is best, but shiny gold works too.

Best Neutrals:  Black, navy, and deep charcoal gray

Pop Colors:  Bright purple, clear red, sunny yellow, hot pink

White or Ivory: White

The Truth About Black:  Yes for you!  It looks especially great when worn with very light or very bright colors.

Best Shoe and Purse Color:  Black

Stay Away From:  Muted and dusty shades; beware especially of wearing brown and beige together.

Warm

Color Intensity:  Hues with a yellow undertone; autumn-like shades

Accessories:  Gold or silver/gold mix

Best Neutrals:  Any shade of brown

Pop Colors:  Rust, butterscotch, copper, turquoise

White or Ivory: Ivory

The Truth About Black:  Not good on you, especially because chocolate brown is so much better.  My advice?  Move black out of your wardrobe or keep it only on the bottom half.

Best Shoe and Purse Color:  Brown

Stay Away From: Pink, pink, pink!

Cool

Color Intensity:  Light to medium, but always with a blue or pink undertone

Accessories:  Silver

Best Neutrals:  Black, navy and gray

Pop Colors:  Ocean blue, royal purple, blue-red, soft pink

White or Ivory: White

The Truth About Black:  It’s definitely for you!

Best Shoe and Purse Color:  Black or charcoal

Stay Away From:  Brown, beige, yellow and orange.

I hope you enjoyed learning about what colors look best on you!  Have a wonderful Fashion Friday!

XOXO

Amberly

*Taken from Shari Braendal’s Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad.

Skin Isn't In...

Looks Do Matter. 

There. I said it. If you are a Christian, then your faith plays a part in every aspect of your life.  Or at least it should.  Faith affects your personal life, your career choices and your relationships.  Faith affects your music and movie selections, where you hang out and what you do for fun.  Faith even affects your clothing choices.  As a Christian female you have a responsibility to make sure the way you dress reflects who you really are.  I’m not saying you should walk around wearing “I love Jesus” t-shirts, but you should live knowing that what you put on in the morning says something about your character. 

So what’s with all the fuss about modesty?  First and foremost, remember the previous blog about the King being enthralled by your beauty?  Think about that again.  The King of the universe thinks you’re amazing!  He thinks you have the perfect size feet.  He thinks your nose fits your face exactly the way it should.  Those hips you complain about? He made them for you.  And…He thinks you’re pretty cute!  The reality is that most of don’t think that about ourselves.  We’ve decided that we’d look better as a blonde, so we dye our hair.  We’d really like a smaller nose, bigger breasts, thinner thighs so we do whatever it takes to get it.  We start searching out the answers to our issues (or paying for surgery), and end up deciding that everyone else is prettier so why even bother?  Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and we should take care of it so its okay to take care of your skin, to go to the gym and diet, and all those things.  That’s taking care of the temple…but remember that beauty is not what you think it is.  Beauty is not where you think it is.  Beauty is you.  Beauty is me.  Beauty is God.  What do I mean?  Beauty is in the natural.  It’s not about airbrushing or tons of make-up.  Beauty is found in us in our natural form, before we mess with anything.  One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” 

As a Godly young lady, it is your responsibility to represent Jesus well.  For some, you may be the only representation they ever see.  How does that make you feel?  Are you confident that your outer appearance accurately reflects who you are on the inside?  We have a responsibility to present ourselves modestly.  Not old-fashioned, boring and fuddy-duddy.  Modesty is about taking care not to cause our brothers in Christ to sin in their minds and often, in their actions.  It’s caring that you don’t show your underwear to the cashier when you bend over at the store.  It’s not dressing so sexy that you attract the wrong kind of attention and present the wrong message.  Modesty shows other people what’s going on inside of you.

This story is in the book Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad by Shari Braendal.  It’s an awesome book and we are going to be using some of her tips later in this blog and also in future blogs. 

Recently I attended a football game with a friend of mine, and her beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter ran into the stands to say hello to us.  I have known this family for a long time, and this young woman, who has heard me speak several times, respects my thoughts on fashion and modesty.  As Tracy made her way through the bleachers, I noticed she had on the shortest shorts I had ever seen a girl wear.  She might as well have been wearing just her underwear…It was hard not to notice her barely there clothing.  I couldn’t not say anything.  I looked her straight in the eyes and said ‘Tracy, why, oh why, are you wearing those shorts? You are such a positively stunning girl.  But guess what? No one is going to notice your amazing face because all they’ll be looking at is your bottom half.’

I was sure of one thing.  Tracy’s self-worth was tied up in the response she was getting from guys who made suggestive comments about her appearance.  And no one, not a peer or an adult, had the guts to speak out against it.

So many young girls today are dressing to impress the boys…even Pentecostal ones who don’t ever wear shorts!  Just take a look around you at church.  Short skirts, tight skirts, tight shirts, exposed body parts.  Shari Braendal interviewed several young men when writing her book.  One of them said “They (girls) think they’re dressing to get our attention, but they’re getting the wrong kind of attention.  When we look at them in their barely there clothes, we don’t think the thoughts they wish we would think.  We actually think less of them.  They want us to find them attractive, but we end up thinking things about them that we know they wouldn’t want us to think.”  Wow!  He basically said he would rather his female peers not display their bodies in immodest ways. 

Most of you probably think of words like old-fashioned, boring, out-of-date, puritan and nerdy when you hear the word modesty.  Do you realize now that your outer appearance reflects who you are on the inside?  If you answered yes, then I want to create a picture in your mind.  Imagine a teenage girl wearing a sheer blouse with her red bra straps showing through…when she bends over you can see her underwear over the top of her low-rise skirt.  Is that image clear?  Now think about your impression of her.  What kind of girl do you think she is? 

Now, let’s put a second picture in your mind.  This girl is wearing a tank top under her too-low shirt, but you can still see a little cleavage peeking out over the top.  Her skirt is a little too short, but she has leggings on underneath.  What’s your impression of this girl?  Obviously, the second girl is dressed more modestly than the first.  I mean, she covered her legs with leggings and her cleavage was only slightly peeking out of the top of her shirt.  So what’s the big deal?  The big deal is…guys are visual.  God created their brains with some extra stuff that we don’t have.  The fact is, when a boy sees a girl wearing a short skirt with leggings, his mind may not go into overload; but when he sees that cleavage peeking out over the top of her shirt he will immediately think “Hmmmm…wonder what it looks like down there?”  You can argue that it doesn’t matter.  You can say you are big-busted and you can’t help it.  It won’t change my mind.  You CAN help it and you SHOULD help it.  Dressing modestly means having an attitude in dressing that reflects a respect for God, yourself and the opposite sex. 

I love fashion, especially the new trends and crazy styles that come out each season, and the cool thing is – I can wear the popular styles and do it modestly.  Modesty is about learning how to take each style and make it respectful.  Doing this will bring out the fashionista in you by allowing you to be creative with your clothes.  For example…I can wear a see-through blouse and still be modest by wearing a cute t-shirt underneath it.  So here are Shari’s rules for modesty.  The 5 Bs of beauty and the 5 Bs of style…

The 5 Bs of Beauty

Be yourself.  Dress in what you love and what loves you back.

Be colorful.  Always wear shades that flatter you and your personality (we’re going to talk more about this Friday).

Be satisfied with your body.  Wear the size that fits, not one size too small.

Be beautiful.  Remember you are amazing exactly the way you are!

Be respectful.  Ask yourself “Would this outfit trip up a guy?”

The 5 Bs of Style

No Bra straps.  Don’t let yours show…anywhere, anytime!  It’s sloppy.

No Bust exposure.  Don’t choose clothes that show your cleavage.  Make sure your tops aren’t too tight at the bust.  Get a bra with a little padding…I don’t want to look at your chest and know that you’re cold.

No Bellies.  Treat your tummy as a private part.  Make sure your shirts are long enough to cover your belly when you move around, raise your arms, etc.

No Bottoms.  Don’t wear anything with words written on your bottom.  Don’t wear your skirts above your knee.  Don’t wear low-rise skirts without a long top.  We don’t want to see your underwear.

No Bubbling.  This is what happens when your skirt is too tight.  If you look in the mirror and you have a cute little bubble in the back…your skirt is too tight.  Trust me…I know how much this stinks.  I’ve given away a lot of cute skirts in the past year because I’m too lazy to exercise and my hips keep expanding.  As painful as it is to give away that cute skirt, it isn’t Godly to continue wearing it.

So there you go.  Skin isn’t in.  As Godly young ladies, we are called to a higher standard.  Before you walk out your door, take a look in the mirror and ask yourself “If I were to run into me today, what would my impression be based on what I’m wearing?”

Happy shopping!!!

Amberly

"My Glory" -- Guest Blog by Kelli Orange

--This is a note that Sis. Kelli Orange wrote on Facebook a couple of years ago.  The Lord has really been dealing with my heart about the importance of our hair and the protection of the angels that we have through not cutting it, and I remembered this note! Sis. Kelli graciously let us use it for a guest blog, and I know that it will touch your heart!  I think one of the main reasons that I have been thinking about this subject so much recently is the fact that there has been so much sickness in our church...especially the children.  Now, I know that this is supposed to be for "young" ladies (un-married, no children, etc.), but I think it's important for YOU to understand that the consequences of your actions TODAY can either harm or protect your future children! But even more than that, it's YOUR protection every day. Also, I know that several mothers read our blog as well, and I pray that this is an encouragement and inspiration to you as well! 
--Natalie


April 16, 2009
By: Kelli Orange
WOW!!! I didn't know that a simple status update would lead to this! However, I LOVE to share my testimony, and never even thought about doing it with all of my Facebook friends. I would like to say that this is MY conviction, MY belief, and MY interpretation of the Word of God. If you don't believe it, that is fine by me. However, please have the decency to withold all negative criticisms since this is really my heartbeat! 

A few years ago, I had a knot in my hair that took my mother over four hours to get out. I decided right then and there that I needed to know WHY I didn't cut my hair! I knew it was "my glory", but I was thinking right about then that maybe I didn't need all that glory! ;-) I began to do an in depth study on hair to understand why the Lord would ask this of us. I went to a hair conference that was very enlightening! Proverbs 29:13 says, "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law." Many people discard so many of our beliefs because they do not have the revelation. I did not have one at this time! I began to pray for one! 

Ezekiel 28 talks about a war being waged in the spirit realm about holiness. Lucifer had a very special place of anointed ministry, and his primary function was being a covering cherub. The cherubim, seem to be particularly assigned to the responsibility of guarding the glory of God. Lucifer, being the anointed cherub, was set forth as the chief guardian of the glory of God. Ezekiel 28:14 says that God put him in this place of delegated authority. He was honored above all of the other angels, so what could have been the root of his rebellion? Ezekiel 28:17 declares. “Thine heart was lifted up because of thine beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness…” Vanity caused him to become so proud of his outward magnificence that it began to overshadow his relationship with his Maker. When Lucifer was cast out, he lost his covering. God delegated Lucifer’s guardianship of the glory of God to the woman. I Corinthians 11:10 and 15 says “For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. But if a woman have long hair, it is a GLORY to her: for her hair is given her for a COVERING.” So to this day, Satan tempts mankind, especially women over and over to tamper with the covering because it symbolizes to him everything he lost. 

A woman’s hair signals to the spirit world whether she is in rebellion or in submission. The angels can tell by looking at her. That is why it is so important for us not to even trim our hair. The purpose is not to have long hair, it is to be in submission to the word of God by not cutting your hair… at all. What is one of the first thing a woman does when she backslides? She cuts her hair, losing her glory just like Lucifer did when he was cast out. She is now separated from God just like he is. 


The only other place that you see the covering, the angels, and the glory mentioned together is in the Ark of the Covenant. The mercy seat covered the law. The cherubim, (the angels) were assigned to guard the glory, covered the mercy seat and were actually attached to it. Dwelling in the midst of the cherubim was the glory of God. If ever the covering, the mercy seat was removed from the Ark, the angels were removed with it. They were attached to the covering. The glory, mercy, and presence of God were removed as well, leaving only naked law, no mercy. To forfeit the covering was to forfeit divine protection! The woman, as God created her, is a picture of the Church – the Law on the inside; the covering of her submission to that law on the outside; the mercy and the angels covering her; and the glory and the presence of God dwelling over, around, and in the midst of her! The woman’s uncut hair is a part of what makes her visible and recognizable as the covered bride of Jesus Christ. 

The protection is not only for the woman, but also for her family! Ezekiel 10 indicates that wherever the glory was the cherubim was as well. In verses 18 and 19, when the glory of the Lord departed from the house or the temple, the cherubim lifted up their wings and departed also. They were committed to the glory! We are the temple of the Holy Ghost and we have the glory as long as we are in submission through obedience with uncut hair. When a woman cuts her hair, she actually severs the glory of God from her life. The angels will lift and depart, for they are committed to the glory. Where there is no glory, the angels are absent, leaving only harsh judgment. Have you ever noticed that the armor of God does not make a provision for the back? Isaiah 58:8 says that the glory of the Lord shall be our rearguard! Titus 2:5 says that women are to be “keepers at home”. This phrase in the Greek language has a much deeper meaning than simply housekeeping, cooking, cleaning, etc. It also means “a guard, to beware”. Ladies, your job description involves more than housekeeping. You are to be a guard that will beware of any evil that would try to come into your homes. 

We can actually open up our homes for evil spirits to come in if we are in rebellion. Your uncut hair brings protection to the entire family. The devil is the ultimate liar. So, before you cut your hair, ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” and “How will this affect my family?” Do you dare forfeit divine protection for the sake of vanity? Sometimes in the darkest trials of your life, you will feel the urge to cut your hair. During the hardest trial that I have ever been through I was on my floor in the bathroom sobbing for hours. I felt the strongest urge to cut my hair, not to get it styled, but whacked off. There was a spirit fighting HARD for me to "just shock everyone, just cut it!" Thank God that I did not give in because if the devil can just get you to cut your hair, he has stripped away your army of angels that were protecting you. 

What a comfort it is to know that the angels of the Lord are encamping around about our families, diligently on guard against any intrusion of the enemy forces. I cannot always be with my husband or my children 24 hours a day, but each day as I watch him leave for work and as I send them off to school, I can plead the blood of Jesus over them, pray the armor of God on them, and ask for the angels of the Lord to encamp around about them. We can ask this with confidence if we are in obedience to God’s Word and have not severed the glory in our lives. Only eternity will reveal how many times your family was protected because of this promise of power on your head. 

There was a Holy-Ghost-filled woman that claimed this promise at a very desperate time in her life. This lady’s son was in a very serious car accident. When he was brought into the emergency room, the doctors did not even work on him because the said he was too far gone. They left to go work on other patients that they thought had a better chance of survival. Somehow, this frantic mother managed to get into her son’s room along with her husband. As she stood at his bedside, she began to pray. She reminded God of how a scissors had never touched her hair. She prayed the promise of I Corinthians 11:10 and claimed the power that was available to her because of the angels. God heard that prayer, and immediately things began to happen. The doctors came back, expecting to see a young man who possibly was dead. Instead, they found that he had regained consciousness and was responding. Within a matter of days, this young man was out of the hospital. His mother had guarded the glory, and she had power on her head because of the angels! Upon hearing this story from Penny Watkins years before I read it again in Ruth Rieder’s book, I began to pray for my son, Skyler. He had the most severe form of asthma. He took six breathing treatments that lasted about ten – fifteen minutes each treatment. Phillip and I were literally afraid to sleep at night fearing that, that would be the night he wouldn’t be able to catch his breath and we wouldn’t know. Anytime he would do something active, such as jump on the trampoline he would just start throwing up, and he couldn’t stop or breathe. Now, here I was expecting LaMarq, and I remember thinking now God is going to have to help us. I didn’t know how I would physically take the stress of staying up with an infant on top of all this with Skyler. So, when I heard this story, I went home, I let my hair down, and I began to pray the same prayer that this lady had. I began to plead the blood over Skyler. He was miraculously healed. A couple of weeks without any treatments, and no attacks, I testified in church of the miracle God had done. That night Skyler had the worst attack that he had ever had. The doctor told us that there was nothing else he could do, any more medicine would mess Skyler up. He told us that we would just have to start taking him to the ER every time we saw one coming on. So, I was thinking, “ Ok, God. I know that you healed him.” So, I did the same thing, I prayed again the same prayer. Again Skyler was miraculously healed, and I do mean all the way. So I waited about a month, when I was sure, and I testified again. Again THAT NIGHT Skyler had another attack. It hit me like a ton of bricks that this was an all out war with the devil. He was scared to death of me getting a hold of this revelation. This happened 3 more times. I mean the very night I would testify, Skyler would just get a horrible attack. Phillip told me to stop testifying or Skyler was going to die. So, one night I just started rebuking the devil in JESUS name, and I told him that it didn’t matter how many times we had to do this, that it was too late, I already knew the power that I had in my hair, and that he might as well leave me alone, and He did. Skyler has not had one more attack to this day. 


God has miraculously healed LaMarq, too. He had begun to start breaking out in horrible whelps all over his body. We couldn’t figure out what was happening. When we discovered it was latex, the doctor told us that his reactions were so severe that an inhalation (like a balloon) could be fatal. Ok, right. How was I going to keep my three year old away from balloons or make him understand that he could die if he tried to blow one up? So, I have to say… I’m not afraid to ask my heavenly father for anything! He has never ever ever let me down!!! So I did the same thing I layed my hair over LaMarq’s little body and prayed. Since then, not one break out!!!! We have power through our uncut hair! 

Women, isn’t there something in your life you would like to have the victory over? Let your hair down… walk around your house… lay your hair over your children!!! When your unsaved husband is sleeping, lay your glory over that man and use that power you have with the angels!!! If your body is in pain…. if your finances are in trouble, if your marriage is on the rocks, if your children are straying from this truth… WHATEVER you need WE HAVE THE POWER!!!! 

Skyler is old enough to understand, and when I talk to him about it he becomes very emotional. He’s not embarrassed of my hair, he knows that because I was submissive to the Word of God and didn’t cut my hair he can have a normal childhood without six breathing treatments a day… no drugs in his little body. Ladies… WE HAVE THE POWER!!!!!!!!! Whatever your need is, whatever your problem is!!!

There is a story that Bro. Stoneking tells about a woman who heard a scream, she ran to the window and looked down, and her child was standing in the grass beside a woman trembling. The lady said, “ You left you window open and your child climbed onto the ledge. He fell down two stories, but there was a man standing there who caught him. The man disappeared; I don’t know where he went.” This mother had power on her head because of the angels. There are times when this power is at work on our behalf when we are not even aware of it. Our hair is our covering, just think of it like an umbrella. Oh, yes, we are going to walk through storms, but we are protected!!!!!!!!!! I just want to thank the Lord for this huge responsibility and awesome privilege! WE’RE COMING AFTER WHAT BELONGS TO US!!! WE HAVE THE POWER!!! 

This was not meant to condemn, judge, or offend anyone that has cut or cuts their hair. This was meant as encouragment to all of my Pentecostal ladies/friends who do not cut their hair. I love you all!!! 

Are you salty?

Yesterday when I saw Tiffanie's post on facebook about witnessing to her friends on the bus, I was so immensely proud of her.  She was doing what we are all called to do.  The Bible says we are to be "salt."  When people put salt on their food, it makes them thirsty.  When we are salt to people around us, it makes them thirsty for "living water." 

I think sometimes that the church has become too sophisticated and respectable to be a light to our generation.  Columbus was called crazy when he decided to sail an uncharted ocean.  Martin Luther was crazy when he defied the religious hierarchy of his time.  Patrick Henry was crazy when he cried "Give me liberty or give me death."  George Washington was crazy when he decided to continue the war after seeing thousands of his men die during the winter at Valley Forge.  These men had a goal and pursued it at all costs - in unconventional, unsophisticated ways.  Today, we tend to be so normal that we have lost our flavor.  I want God to make us so dangerous to the world that people could consider us crazy...crazy for believing in a life beyond this one.  Crazy for believing in healing.  Crazy for living life differently.  Crazy for seeing the good in other people.  Maybe then we will truly be salt...  "Good salt is worthless if it loses its saltiness; it can't season anything.  So don't lose your flavor!" (Mark 9:50, TLB).

:)
Amberly