‘I want to know what colours & shades suit me best, and how to put colours together, so I know where to spend money, where to hold back, and how to make sure everything my wardrobe goes with everything else’

This was the challenge facing a recent Colour Analysis client.

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Based on her skin, hair & eye colour and tone, I figured out her ‘colour category’, or ‘season’; and then showed her exactly the shades within each colour family that complimented her characteristics best, where & how to wear them, and how to combine them.

A huge part of the process is understanding your best neutrals, as in most women’s wardrobes, the bulk of clothing is in neutral colours (think coats, blazers, suiting, trousers, footwear and leather bags & belts).

With neutrals, think outside the box slightly: the scope of choice reaches much further than black, grey, navy, browns & beiges, to include forest greens, deep burgundy, damson & aubergine, camels & oatmeal, navy & charcoal blues, sage green & light moss, etc, etc.

When coughing up for those investment buys, where we’re dropping a hefty enough sum of money (a Reiss wool coat or designer handbag anyone?), we usually default to black, thinking that these will go with everything & give us the most versatility.

While there’s no denying that black, greys and shades of brown have limitless potential, other neutrals can work just as hard in your wardrobe – and if a neutral is in your colour palette, rest assured it will go with every other colour within the palette.

So knowing your colours means your potential to make outfits out of what’s already in your wardrobe is massive – there’s a colour story, or consistency, throughout the wardrobe, whether for you that looks like lots of monochromatic neutrals, or bright & bold colours – if the colours are in you palette, and are in the best shade & intensity to compliment your physical characteristics, then off you go, you can mix & match to your hearts content, and yet always looks harmonious & put together.

The main thing with choosing colour is the shade you put nearest your face: here’s where the potential to look fresh & rested, versus drawn & in need of a good night’s sleep (or a week in the Maldives) lies.

So if the colour near your face is important, what about the colour on your face?
Colour choices in Make Up are every bit as – if not more – important than colour in your clothing.

All my clients can go to their chosen Make Up counter with confidence (and maybe slightly under my influence!), knowing what they're looking for, to work with their skin undertone & type, and what accent colours will really look amazing in lipsticks, blush & eye colours.

As this client put ot: ‘My god I’m going to save a fortune’ – yep, precisely: no more colour guesses, just educated (& empowered) colour guesses!

Book an In Person Colour Analysis here: https://www.bocimageconsulting.ie/product/colour-make-up-analysis

Book an Online Colour Analysis here: https://www.bocimageconsulting.ie/product/online-colour-make-up-analysis

The dramatic impact Colour can have on how you look

People are sometimes cynical when it comes to colour analysis, thinking what difference can it really make?

Look at these pictures of Cameron Diaz and ask yourself:

• Do some of the shades make the lines & shadows under the eyes more or less obvious?
• Do some shades bring out skin discolouration & indentations, or neutralise & calm redness?
• Do some shades help her look fresher, while others make her look more tired?
• Is the shade doing anything for her?
• Are you looking at the colour, or drawn to her face?
• Does everything seem to harmonise?

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Wearing the correct shade & intensity of different colours can drastically improve or disimprove how you look, helping you to look healthier & radiant, or dull & drawn.

So maybe next time you drop a bomb on skin brighteners & serums, think about how COLOUR may be impacting how you look.

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