What’s all the fuss about colour?

Colours is making a big time Comeback and I’m all for it, because colour is the key to our Image Success.

I mean who doesn’t want to look younger, more vibrant, more attractive, more stylish and chic?

It’s a no brainer when it comes to fashion, colour can quickly transform your appearance.

So what’s all the fuss about and why are so many stylists and of course colour consultants and Image Consultants, hopping on the colour bandwagon?

Colour is so exciting.

I do think the most elegant, beautiful and stunning women know how to dress in their colours.

Think of the stars of the 50’s in those amazing gowns and extravagant wear, looking absolutely breathtaking in their gorgeous colours.

Colour is not only the most exciting way to dress but also the most individual way to dress.

Wearing your colours will make you not only more beautiful and stylish, but more creative as you learn how to use your colours well and create great colour combos and accessorise in an interesting manner.

How does a colour analysis work?

As a colour consultant the first thing I explain to my clients when having their colour analysis is what to look for in the draping.

Wrong colours highlight shadow, lines, dullness, redness, pigmentation and other flaws in the skin. They make our teeth look more yellow, the whites of the eyes not as white and our hair duller.

The correct colours even out the skin. They bring brightness, less shadow, lines and wrinkles.

Pigmentation, redness and aging are all less noticeable in the right colours. Our teeth look whiter, our hair looks brighter, when we wear our colours.

It’s really good to learn how to “read” your colours as you’re draped and a trained colour consultant should be able to point these things out to you.

This understanding helps immensely then when you’re shopping on your own with your own seasonal colour swatch.

Have a colour analysis

The first thing to do to learn about your colours is to have a colour analysis.

This can be done online or in person

It’s just a simple 15 minute process that will change your Image world and transform your look overnight.

The consultant starts with a warm (coral) drape and then a cool (pink) drape to show the client how warm and cool reflects on their skin.

At this stage it should be obvious to the consultant, who informs their client, what each shade is doing and how it shows on the skin.

You have draped the warm and the cool and then you will go on to drape 4 red, blue, green, yellow and white colours in each season.

One of each, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter drapes are only necessary as every colour belongs in only 1 of 4 palettes.

The analysis uses colour groups from the 4 seasons.

Every colour has a value of either Cool Dominant which is classified in the Winter range of colours.

The Summer colours are classified as cool (blue based) muted colours

Autumn shades are yellow or red based warm strong colours.

Spring shades are warm also and yellow based but are much lighter than the Autumn colours and often appear brighter than the Summer shades.

Every single one of the infinite number of colours can be placed into 1 of these four categories.

This is the best place to start with colours.

Every client fits into only ONE of these categories.

It is impossible to be able to suit warm and cool colours at the same time.

Colours are warm and cool and neutral, not people. This is where some confusion has crept into the colour world.

Another confusion is when certain colours are placed into the wrong category of colours, so best to find a consultant that is experienced with working with colours.

If you have for example one of every green, 1 spring, 1 summer, 1 winter and 1 autumn green as you drape the consultant will be able to see just how each colour reflects upon your skin.

As they drape you with each colour component eg. All the reds, yellows, reds and blues, a pattern should form as in the same season will appear as the most flattering.

Everything in the draping should agree so that you can see that only ONE season comes up as the best season for you.

What a colour analysis is not.

In the past we have been told to determine your colours by your veins, or your hair or eye colour.

This is not an accurate way of telling your colours and should be avoided as a guide.

The hair needs to be covered and the drapes are accessed by your UNDER skin tone.

It can become very confusing, so I would suggest you find a good colour consultant with lots of experience and good reviews.

If you would like more information about having your colours done and having an accurate colour analysis please contact your colours and style.

Colour analysis for your Personal style

Have you ever had your colours done?

Are you aware of the benefits to your look by wearing your colours?

If you're a young woman or a mature woman, wearing the right colours is really a style game changer.

(Young woman before and after wearing her colours)

Certainly if you are a mature woman, wearing the right colours is so important.More so than when you are young.

If you notice yourself, often looking a little dull and drab , it will most likely be because you're not wearing colours that suit you.

(Even celebrities can improve on their colours)

An example of her wearing the right colours. To maintain a youthful look, she should refer to the colour palette on the right.

Women in the right Colours

A professional colour analysis, will help you find ALL the right Colours in your Seasonal Colour Palette.

It's all about the underskin tone

Colours really change the way you look.

To show the client  the right colours that suit them, the stylist will have a serious of cool, warm, dominant and muted coloured drapes.

The draping kit will have a variety of shades to demonstrate  just how much the skin colour is affected by placing swatches against the skin.

It's up to the colour consultant to reveal to the client just how each colour affects the way they look

At first glance the coral swatch may appear suitable but the clarity of the skin, eyes, hair and lips is muddied on the left.

The wrong colours are less noticeable on younger skin, as a younger woman has less things she wants to conceal.

The pink swatch shows how flattering the cooler shades are on this model.

(Note how the Coral colour adds an orangey warm tone?)

Once the cool tones are deemed best on this client, the colour consultant goes on to reveal how the cool tones are a better fit.

The cool shades are made up of 2 palettes, one cool dominant and the other cool muted.

(It's obvious just how much younger, slimmer and more attractive this mature woman appears when she wears the right colours, on the right)

The process of a colour analysis

Since the 60's Colours has gone through major changes.

Originally Colour me Beautiful and other Colour Companies and Franchaise had just 4 seasonal palettes. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

From there many Colour systems emerged, making way for many different interpretations and mass confusion.

The 4 Colours system is and was accurate, but many untrained and unskilled analysts misdiagnosed clients, hence many confusing systems appeared.

The analysis is only as good as the consultant interpreting the colours and their clients colours.

Step by step Colour analysis

The client needs to be firstly draped with one cool and one warm pink tone.

Then one of each of the groups of seasonal colours.

The analysis will reveal that all the colours from the one palette will suit that client.

From that one palette, the analyst can then show the client the thousands of colour choices that fit within that colour palette

Why are the 4 seasonal palettes so accurate?

There are an infinite number of colours

When you think of it, every colour on the planet can fit into one of 4 categories.

They are either Cool Dominant, Cool Muted, Warm Brights or Warm Deep Colours.

So when the colour consultant does your analysis, they need to find the right palette that "blends" with your underskin tone.

They also need to have a good knowledge about how to slot the 2.5 million plus colours into the right category.

There are so many different seasonal colour swatches on the market, and many have combinations of all the colour categories in the one seasonal palette.

Women are confused and go back to wearing any old colour.

I have seen so many women like this, which is a real shame and they never experience the beauty of colour

For more information contact Your Colours and style