At sixty-two, Margaret had stopped asking why some mornings made her look older than she felt. She had accepted the occasional tired eyes and softer features as ordinary parts of aging. But one afternoon, while preparing for her granddaughter’s wedding, she put on her favorite black blouse and stared at herself in the mirror. Something was wrong. Her face looked pale, her eyes seemed smaller, and every line around them appeared sharper. Frustrated, she changed into an old cream sweater. The difference was immediate. Her face suddenly looked warmer and brighter.

Curious, Margaret began trying different colors from her closet. A pale lavender made her complexion disappear, while a rich emerald seemed to bring her eyes forward. A deep navy made her look tired, but cobalt blue transformed her expression. She thought it was simply an interesting trick until she visited her longtime friend Helen, who worked with women on personal styling. Helen studied Margaret’s face, then quietly said, “There’s something you need to know about the colors you’ve been wearing.”