Getting your colours done was something that maybe your mum did in the 80’s…it was even referred to in the first Bridget Jones movie! Colour analysis has been around for some time!
Maybe you had your colours done years ago and somewhere in the bottom of your handbag or in a drawer you have a plastic wallet filled with little strips of materials. You’ll remember being told, these are ‘your colours’ and whilst some people may have really embraced it, others will remember being told only that ‘you must not wear black’. From the entire session, that will be all they’ve remembered, deemed the whole experience as nonsense and not used it ever since.
The good news is that Colour Analysis is now having a bit of a revival, and there are many reasons why wearing colour is so important. With much focus being placed on mental health, wearing colour can help you in more ways than it just being the colour of your jumper.
Colour influences everything we eat, drink, touch, and are surrounded by. It affects our moods and our emotions. We speak of ‘having the blues’, of ‘golden opportunities’, of ‘seeing red’…yet most of us take colour for granted. Colour is all around us and affects our everyday life, and we can learn to use colour to make positive changes in our lives. Colour goes beyond the surface – what we see with our eyes actually goes deeper and further. Wearing colours can not only have an effect on our own emotions, but in those we come into contact with too!
For example, yellow is the perceived colour of sunlight. How much better do we call feel on a sunny day? When you wear yellow, it’s like you become the sunshine, especially to those you come into contact with. Most people believe that they can’t wear yellow when in fact they can. As with all the colours, it’s about finding the right shade for you.
So, what is Colour Analysis? The purpose of Colour Analysis is to provide you with a range of your most flattering colours, to help you look your best and co-ordinate your wardrobe more easily. Wearing the right colours has lots of benefits – it evens out our skin tone by diminishing lines, blemishes and dark circles; it helps the complexion to look more radiant; it brings definition to the features; and imparts a general look of well-being.
Whilst the wrong colours can cast shadows onto the face, exaggerate uneven skin tones, accentuate lines, blemishes and dark circles, and makes the complexion look dull, tired, drained, washed out, flat, grubby or sallow, giving a general look of poor health, whilst ageing the face.
The colour palettes are divided up into the four seasons of the year, and you will be one of those seasons depending on the natural colour of your hair and the undertone of your skin. A stylist will work out what season you are by holding specially selected drapes up against your face and noticing which colours radiate or drain the complexion.
Most people don’t realise that you will be the same colour palette your whole life, even if you are sun-tanned or dye your hair. Also, colour analysis can be done at any age…even the guys and kids are getting in on the act now!
Knowing which colours really suit you will help you to shop, whether in stores on on-line, and will also help to introduce more variety of colour into your wardrobe. This will, in turn, have an effect on your mental health and wellbeing. Knowing your colours will shrink your choice in stores, making shopping less overwhelming, and means you make less mistakes. On the whole, trips to the shops (when we are allowed) will be quicker and more effective.
Many people really struggle with knowing what to buy, or when trying to put outfits together. Most people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. When you know your colour palette, you can confidently choose items in the right colours that suit you, and build yourself a beautiful wardrobe of colourful clothes. When you buy all your clothes in the colours of your palette, ALL of your clothes will mix and match and work together, making your wardrobe work harder for your, thus saving you money.
The main reason why people avoid having colour analysis is because they are worried the stylist will tell them they can’t wear black. The truth is that black, if not in your palette, has the potential to age the face by up to 10 years! Wearing black is not overly kind to the skin. However, I would never tell a client to throw all their black clothes away. It simply isn’t realistic. There is a place in our wardrobe for black, and there are simple tweaks that can be made to make the black work for you.
I believe that everyone should have their colours done. It not only ensures that you look amazing, wearing the right colours really makes a difference to how you feel. It is so important that we feel good in what we are wearing as this can have a knock-on effect to how we go about our day and even in our relationships. When you wear your colours, people will notice something different about you, you will receive compliments like ‘you look well’ or ‘have you lost weight?’ – now who doesn’t want to hear those kinds of compliments!
Wearing colour has the ability to calm you, but also to empower you. It doesn’t mean that you have to walk around in bright colours all the time. Some people can really rock the brighter shades, while others find that the more muted shades of their palette suit them best. What matters is that you wear the colours that compliment and work in harmony with your skin tone and that will give you an elevated and stylish look. Even just a pop of lipstick can make difference! Colour Analysis is an investment in yourself that lasts forever.
My thanks to Elisa for writing this very informative blog post. I hope you’ve all found it helpful, and inspiring!
For more information, for you can find Elisa at: