Wellenburga asked if I could help, “Kim, I am a journalism student working on a service piece as my assignment for a lifestyle magazine. The story focuses on personal colour and exploring one’s true palette. I am reaching out to experts in the field to gather insights and opinions on my story. I have prepared a set of questions related to personal colour and palette analysis below. I would appreciate it if you could answer them. Thank you.”
Q1: Can you briefly explain the importance of determining an individual’s personal colour in makeup and styling?
A1: Wearing specific colours and styles on different occasions/events will help present the appropriate version of yourself so that you can get what you want, e.g., your first job, a better job, promotion, a partner, a loan, better service, more respect, etc.
Whether you like it or not, “What you wear tells other people how to treat you!”
Q2: What factors impact a person’s personal colour palette?
A2: Their hair and eye colour + their colour psychology personality type (Red, Blue, Green, or Yellow).
- If easily accessible, I will also add in their body shape and style personality type
- And no, I do not include their skin colour/tone
- At this stage, this is totally unnecessary
I never, ever diagnose a person’s personal colour palette based on their physical attributes only.
- We are not dressing a lump of meat!
- We are dressing a living, breathing human being who has feelings and emotions that can change daily or even hourly
- Just ask a menopausal woman how she felt half an hour ago!
Q3: Can you walk us through identifying someone’s personal colour palette?
A3: I observe what the client is already wearing – does he/she look well or, alternatively, is he/she in need of a large brandy?
- Observing their hair and eye colour combination allows me to diagnose the dominant tonal characteristic without using any drapes
If required, a diagnosis of the secondary characteristic will provide the seasonal analysis
- Some clients will be tonal only
- Some clients aren’t in the slightest bit interested in a ‘title’ and simply want a list of what to wear, when, and how
- so it’s crucial to understand their colour personality/psychology type as soon as possible
I add their colour personality type into the mix
- At this stage, I have already diagnosed this in the back of my head without having to involve the client
- I teach you how to do this in my colour analysis training courses
Using colour analysis drapes, I will then demonstrate my initial conclusions to the client in the mirror
- I will explain how and why I’ve reached those conclusions to those colour personality types that must have an explanation!
I always ask for the client’s opinion.
- I am a consultant, not a dictator
- I want to know how these colours make my client FEEL
I will then discuss with the client other possibilities and alternatives.
Q4: In your experience, what are some of the most common challenges people face when trying to identify their personal colour palette, and how can they overcome them?
A4: None of us can be objective about ourselves so consulting a trained colour consultant is my best advice
When people take my professional colour and style training, I always offer to help them diagnose their own physical colouring, psychological colour type, body shape, and their style personality type
- When I changed my own hair colour from dark to blonde, I made sure I consulted a colour consultant who I knew I could trust for objective advice
There are thousands of DIY online colour analysis services available… but as no-one can be objective about themselves, they often prove to be about as much use as a chocolate teapot
- Also, you can never guarantee that the digital colours you are seeing on your device are the exact same colours the consultant is talking about! And for that reason, digital colour swatches can be misleading
- As we all wear clothing made of fabric, I strongly recommend being analysed using fabric colour analysis drapes and also carrying fabric swatches of your best colours when shopping
Q5: Are there any common misconceptions about personal colour analysis that you’d like to address?
A5: People still believe all the nonsense from the Eighties when colour analysis first appeared and was all the rage.
For instance, people still quote Carole Jackson’s book ‘Colour Me Beautiful’ which suggests to some (!) that only Winters can wear black.
Utter nonsense!
I have loads of Autumns, Summers, and Springs who look fabulous in black, and plenty of Winters who look absolutely dreadful in black!
- And, in any case, the majority of us will HAVE to wear black at some point, for a funeral or work uniform, so the job of any colour consultant worth their salt is to show absolutely anybody how to look good and feel fabulous wearing black!
- The same premise applies to any other colour on the planet! I have simply used black here as an example.
Colour consultants need to reassure their prospects and clients that we, as an industry, have moved on over the last 40+ years and improved our personal colour analysis services in oh so many ways.
There are no rules in colour
There isn’t a central body that legislates on colour attributes or naming conventions, or on which shades/tones/tints each season or tonal direction should or shouldn’t wear.
The only person who can decide whether a colour consultant’s advice is right or wrong is the client.
Stuff the System. Put the Client First!
Q6: Are there any resources or tools you recommend for individuals who want to explore their personal colour palette further?
A6: That would depend on the reason for ‘wanting to explore their personal colour palette’
a) If they want a better job, promotion, to find a partner, to earn respect without having to say a word, and to learn who they really are…
- then I strongly recommend they book a personal colour & personality consultation with a professional colour consultant
b) If they simply love colour and want a fun pampering session
- perhaps with friends, I suggest they book a colour party/presentation which will introduce them to the concepts of the power of colour
- They can always upgrade to a professional one-to-one consultation later
c) If they want to explore how to work with colour
- then I recommend a professional training course in colour analysis, e.g., my world-famous Colour Analysis Training in a Box which covers:
- Seasonal and tonal colour analysis (because they’re the same thing!)
- How to run 1-1 consultations and workshops
- Colour psychology
- Business advice
- Franchise-free, includes certification and 6 months’ personal email support from me