Fashion Costume Jewelry:
How to Look Fabulous in Jewelry

"Guidelines to Choosing the Right Fashion Costume Jewelry
for Your Wardrobe, Face Shape, Body Shape and Complexion"

Image credit: Emitations

When buying new fashion costume jewelry, there are two important factors you should have in mind:

Versatility - how many outfits can you wear it with?

Your personal style - will it enhance your natural beauty (face shape, overall complexion, body shape)?

You might be thinking, what does jewelry really gotta do with all those things? I'm just buying a piece of jewelry! Yeah I know, that's what I also thought when I was younger and just lived in the "now" (you know, when your impulsiveness does all the buying and handling?)

Anyway, putting some weight on your choice of fashion jewelry with those two simple factors is actually a good thing for your wallet and not least style. Picking the right fashion costume jewelry maximizes your wardrobe options without splurging as well as helping you look your best!

It doesn't matter how gorgeous a piece of necklace looks on your favorite celebrity. If you don't share similar body figure, prportions, bone structure and complexion, then you're just wasting your money. Rather, ask yourself this question:

Will it complement YOUR appearance and YOUR own wardrobe?

Versatility

First it's important to buy something that you will be able to wear several times with different outfits. If you're buying trendy fashion jewelry to update your style then think thoroughly on how much you're willing to pay for a trend that is likely to fade in a couple of months... and probably won't come back in about 6 months.

Note: Of course, if you really love a trendy piece that you feel looks fabulous on you, then keep wearing it! However if it's a little too flashy and overly trendy, then try to find a similar jewelry but in a much more subtle and simple design. In this way you can wear it all-year-around without worrying that you'll look out-of-date.

Your Personal Style

The second factor is more of an image and looks thing. We're all built differently; some have a curvy body, others are skinny. Fashion-wise, the wrong jewelry style, cut, width, length, and even the wrong colors on your complexion can mess up your look.

Simply put, you and I have to face this fact: Some fashion costume jewelry just doesn't look good on you!

I advise you to buy fashion jewelry that brings out the best in your face shape, body shape, complexion and style. Having a great sense of style is about wearing pieces that will enhance your beauty. It doesn't matter how hot a jewelry is, because if it doesn't look good on you you'll end up looking funny.

Back to Top

Now let me go into further details on how to choose the right jewelry to save time and money:

Do You Suit Gold or Silver
Fashion Costume Jewelry Best?

If you're buying jewelry worn near your face -- like earrings and necklaces -- pick the right metal and colors for your skintone, eye and hair color.

Basically, gold and warm'ish colors look best on those with a golden/peachy skin tone, hair and eye colors. Silvery metals flatter cool-tone women (with a bluish-pinkish skin tone).

Colors worn above your waist will affect your appearance, good or bad. So I advise you to pick colors and nuances that make your face glow and that can really bring out the natural beauty on your eyes and hair color. Eg. Coral and warm turquoise flatter tanned skin. Bluish-purple will make it look a little dicolored.

Want to learn more? Click here for more information on how to find your best colors.

Back to Top

Will it Suit Your Face Shape?

Imagine a pair of large drop earrings on a woman's face with a wide jawline compared to her forehead. Or a square face with wide pendant necklace.

What does these examples have in common? Yup, they're wearing jewelry that emphasizes their face shape. A woman with an inverted triangle face shape wearing drop earrings make her jaw look even more wider, attracting more attention to the part she probably is self-conscious about. And the one with square face shape will only bring out the masculinity with a wide pendant necklace.

By picking the right jewelry you can balance out your face shape and make the heavy and wider parts look less intruding. We're all attracted to symmetry and a lean vertical line. In fact, an oval face shape is considered the most ideal face shape because it's proportionate and it looks appealing.

Learn more about picking the right fashion jewelry styles for your face shape.

Back to Top

Your Body Shape

Image credit: Kiyonna

Believe it or not, but jewelry can have a huge impact on your body frame and size. By wearing the right jewelry, you can slim down your shape, add more volume to a straight shape, draw attention to your best features like a lean neck, womanly cleavage, nice manicured nails, a pretty face. The accentuate-your-best-features is a no-brainer because it'll automatically minimize the parts you're not that proud of.

On the hand, wearing the wrong jewelry can add non-flattering pounds to your frame, emphasize a round or wide face, make a lanky woman look smaller and fragile, make a full-figure woman look heavier, etc.

A good rule of thumb is this:

Enhance the parts you like with jewelry with details or/and in light/bold colors. And the parts you don't like? Don't place anything there. Or atleast wear something simple that doesn't draw too much attention to those areas.

Learn more about determining and dressing your body shape here.

Scale Baby, Scale!

The dimension of any fashion costume jewelry (or any ornament worn on your body) should be in balance and harmony with your body size and proportions. Not sure if you understand what I'm talking about? Here's an example:

A voluptous, tall woman wearing a dainty necklace will look invisible on her frame and at the same time, make her look bigger in comparison.

A petite, often skinny woman wearing a wide and chunky necklace will look over-empowering her figure, making her look fragile and can even emphasize her petite frame.

Here some basic guidelines on working with your proportions:

Plus Size Women -- you can wear dainty jewelry but make sure you wear them in groups for a cascading effect. Opt for thin but large earrings hoops, strong and oversized pieces (cuff bangle, cluster necklace, cocktail rings, etc.), large and bold beads, wider wrist watches
Petite (5'4 or shorter) Women -- choose minimal and clean jewelry. Avoid overwhelming your short figure with too many jewelry all over the place. Go for ultrafine chain, large hoops in thin wire, stacked ultra-thin bangles, two-three strand of necklaces from size small to medium. Take a note of the size of your wrist and hand and pick a jewelry with a similiar proportion. Stick to accessorizing only one focal point and leave it there.
Full Bust -- pick necklaces that fall at the base of your throat to mid-chest. Make sure that the focal point falls right above your breasts.
Full Necks (short and sometimes wide neck) -- slim down your neck with long earrings that create a vertical line raising the eye up and down. Avoid anything that create a horizontal line at your neck. Opt for faceted diamond studs instead of full and rounf buttin earrings. Stick to long necklaces to make your neck appear longer and leaner.