5 Morandi Hair Colours 'Yanxi Palace' Fans Need to Know

Lo and behold, the Chinese Wave we’ve all been waiting for is finally here… in the form of an intriguing historical palace drama Story of Yanxi Palace.

Are you as captivated as we are with the gripping storylines that make us sympathise with the ladies we originally hate at the beginning, the exquisite costumes that were embroidered according to each person’s rank in the palace during the Qing Dynasty and the breathtaking cinematography?

The drama is SO popular that it has racked up more than 18 billion views and sparked off nail and hair trends based on its gorgeous colour palettes. After all, the comment most commonly made about the drama is how perfectly coordinated the colours are. This is only possible because of the Morandi colours which were intentionally chosen by the artistic director for Yanxi Palace. Inspired by Italian painter Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings, the muted Morandi colour palette amplifies each of the characters’ sophistication and elegance in its quiet simplicity.

Want to know which Morandi hair colour suits you best? Read on to find out more!

Ash Blue

Blue is among the world’s most popular colour and for good reason. It is often associated with the colour of heaven, of authority and royalty but has evoked more complex and contradictory feelings than any other colour.

The tone used in Yanxi Palace is not the vibrant bright blues but the more subdued ash blues that echoe peace and serenity, an almost ethereal and graceful temperament displayed by the women who wear them. If you possess that inner calm and peace or at least wish to bring out more of that in yourself, you may just want to try ash blue colours on your nails,and even your hair. The icy blue makes you look chic and angelic without being too loud..

It works as well for short hair.

Or, you can mix both dark and light blue for added depth and mystery.

Ash Green

Green is traditionally associated with growth, harmony and renewal. It also relates to nature in the world around you, which is why there are usually floral motifs in green costumes.

As soothing as the colour may be, the colour can be deeply polarising. Particularly in the Chinese culture, green may also be associated with infidelity and jealousy, which is possibly why Consort Xian is mostly featured in green with the colour deepening as she schemes her way up the royal hierarchy.

For those of you keen to pull off this style, we’d advise you to stick to the pale greens or just subdued green florals on your nails to maintain your look of youthfulness.

Hair though is a different thing. Go too bright and you’ll find it hard to match your clothes with your hair or risk looking comical. We recommend a midnight emerald to bring out the unique greenish tone without worrying too much about your wardrobe or makeup.

Alternatively, you can also adopt an ash green ombre

or an ash green dip dye to indulge in the ash green hair colour without worrying about retouching your roots too much!

Rusty Red

Ah, red – the colour of extremes, of fire and of blood. The brighter the reddish tone, the stronger the passion, love, anger, danger and adventure. A character donning red in any drama is often empowered and about to take an important step in a scene.

In Yanxi Palace, however, you’ll find that almost no strong chroma colour is seen. Even when red is used, the tone is biased towards coral, and rusty red. This enhances the nobility and grace exhibited by these passive-aggressive ladies who maintain their composure and feminine charm even in the face of adversity.

To emphasize your inner strength amidst your sweet appearance, mix and match rusty reds with pale pinks for a balanced nail profile. This colour series is incredibly easy to pull off and elevates one’s femininity without being overpowering.

Rose gold hair colour is possibly the closest representative of this colour series. Opt for this colour and you’ll look instantly sweeter, younger and more elegant at the same time.

It’s one of THE trendiest colours to hit the hair scene and you’ll still find people going gaga over rose gold!

Lean towards pastel or lighter pinks if you prefer a more sweet, feminine pinkish hue.

Ash Purple

A marriage between the calm blues and the passionate red, purple is a unique colour that retains both its warm and cool properties. The less saturated purples calm the mind while the stronger purples tend to evoke stronger emotions of arrogance.

Yanxi Palace features a lot of lavender, or the lighter pastel shade of purple that has long been associated with refined, wealthy women of power. The addition of blue gives lavender a more well-rounded aura that makes it feel like the “grown-up” version of pink. For feminine and delicate ladies ready to graduate from pink, there is no colour more suitable than lavender.

Lavender nail colours are very easy to maintain as the colour does not deviate too much from our natural skin colour and definitely adds a touch of gentility and fragility that make you all the more attractive.

You can consider playing with darker and lighter shades to create a beautiful contrast and a hairstyle that stands out.

But if you are looking to keep it office-friendly then we suggest opting for the darker ash based colours so it doesn’t look too unprofessional.

Ivory Beige

Neutral, calm and relaxing, ivory doesn’t stand out by itself but accentuates the colours that it accompanies. This is a dependable colour that brings out one’s inner calm and grace while strongly emphasizing purity.

A very suitable colour especially for the plucky Wei Ying Luo who stands up for justice right from the first episode and the gentle Empress Fucha within Yanxi Palace.

As royal as this colour is, it is tricky to pull off by itself because the colour is too close to our nude skin colour. Add an intricate nail art, however, and you’ll see the colour come to life.

It is not that much of an issue for hair given that it is really close to blonde hair colour. While it is definitely more common among Caucasians, blonde is a colour we carry well if you know how to dress up and do your makeup well.

Somehow, we find it especially attractive on ladies with short hair as it seems to highlight their spunky personality even more.

You can also opt for Faux Balayage like the above if you don’t want to bleach your hair too much.

Ready to go back in time with trendier looks? Share your experience on BU.sg!