Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green

I am sure you’ve heard of the brilliant book Blue and Yellow Do Not Make Green. It was written by Michael Wilcox, and no one explains color better than he does.

Why did he choose this catchy title? Because blue and yellow don’t always make green. It depends on the base of the yellow and the base of the blue. So, you get the idea. The base of the color will change the outcome. 

Here’s an example that pertains to permanent makeup: Why do we see so many purple eyebrows? If the base of a brown pigment is purple, it had to be made with a blue and red or a blue-based black and red pigment. If you add a warm yellow-orange or an orange to warm it up (Butterscotch), you will end up with a very purple eyebrow. The reason behind this is that red and yellow made the orange that you added to warm up the brown, which was made with red and blue or a red and blue-black pigment. This made the purple base.

The red from the orange, which was added to warm the brown, already had a purple base. This purple base that was obviously made with red and blue just became more prominent. So… you never want to use a brown with a purple base. How do you tell? Smear your colors out on white paper and run them under water. You’ll see the base of the color right there.

To correct these purple brows, you need a green-yellow (Goldfinch), and not a warm one. The green-yellow is cool, and it has no red to accelerate the purple in the brows. Goldfinch with a little Milk Chocolate is a terrific corrector for purple eyebrows. I use a 5 round and don’t go as deeply as I would in a regular or initial procedure. You want the corrective formula on top and not at the same level or below the purple residual.

I think it is important that we understand what creates purple brows. If they are occurring in your practice, consider changing the browns you are selecting or try another pigment line.