Global colour authority, Pantone, has named not one but two colours of the year 2021. The colours are a neutral shade called Ultimate Grey and Illuminating, a lively shade of yellow. According to Pantone, “The selection of two independent colours highlights how different elements come together to express a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting, conveying the idea that it’s not about one colour or one person, it’s about more than one.”

Ultimate Grey is emblematic of solid and dependable elements that are everlasting and provide a firm foundation, while Illuminating is a bright and cheerful yellow, sparkling with vivacity and imbued with solar power.

The union of an enduring Ultimate Grey with Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. By incorporating these gorgeous hues in your wardrobe and makeup, you will surely make a statement.

Here are some tips on how to wear these stunning colours and be bang on trend.

Wardrobe needs

According to fashion designers, grey and yellow can prove to be a beautiful duo when incorporated into your wardrobe. While most of us have a cosy grey sweater in our closet, have you considered illuminating your winter wardrobe with a pop of yellow? Adding some yellow accents, like a yellow sweater or scarf, to your grey outfit is a great way to colour block. You can also pair yellow and grey with black.

Another way is to opt for a tone-on-tone look — you can have dark and light grey paired together. The same can be done with yellow. Symbolising positivity and strength, this colour combination looks great together. If you are wearing grey pants, you can opt for a yellow t-shirt. This is better than the yellow dominating. While yellow can be the highlight colour, grey can be the toned-down colour. It gives a nice overall balance.

Beauty alert

Since face masks aren’t going anywhere in 2021, using these two colours on your eyes is a great way to show off your trendy side. There are many gorgeous ways to rock both the colours when it comes to makeup. Love the graphic cat-eye trend? A neon yellow or grey eyeliner to create the basic cat-eye will look gorgeous, chic as well as trendy.

The easiest way to spice up your makeup look is by using bright yellow tones on your eyes. Those who want to shine bright, iridescent illuminating makeup is a perfect choice. All you have to do is paint your lids yellow and apply a cat winged eyeliner, finished with black volumizing mascara for a dramatic effect. For an everyday illuminating makeup look, add a pop of yellow on the inner corners of your lids. It’s an easy trick that will accent your eyes and make them appear bigger. Remember to apply nude lip colours to keep the focus on your illuminating eye shadow.

If you want a classic look, the best way is to go for smokey eye makeup and blend the ultimate grey with black eye shadow. You can start by applying black shadow near your lash line and blending it upwards. Now apply the grey hue – it can be shimmery or matte – and blend well. Pat some more of the grey shade in the centre of your eyelid and blend in both directions. You can also go ahead and create an edgy eye look by using grey on the outer corner to create a smokey cat-eye and yellow on the rest of your eyelids. Make sure to blend it well so that it doesn’t look too harsh.

Nail affair

Incorporating a colour in your beauty regime in no way means you have to apply it all over. Instead, you can simply add the shade here and there and rock the trend. Opt for a nail paint in either ultimate grey or illuminating yellow - it is not only low on effort but also high on style. Whether you opt for shimmery shades or matte, both yellow and grey will look great on any skin complexion. You can either go for gradient nails that involve painting each nail a slightly different shade of a similar colour, or an entirely different colour altogether. You could also paint one nail yellow and keep the rest grey and vice versa.

Shoes and bags

No look is complete without the right shoes and bag. Your accessories are, after all, an essential part of your wardrobe. If you aren’t bold enough to sport a yellow outfit, you can go for a bright yellow bag. You can even colour block by opting for yellow shoes. A grey handbag looks gorgeous with an all-black outfit; it is all in the details.