by Jorunn Hernes (Norway) I see quite a few Bright Winters. Their reactions when their colour tone is revealed can roughly be divided into two categories: The first category is the client who exuberantly embraces her colours, squeals with glee at finally being able to unchain all her favourite colours, and hops out the door
Blog
How I Built a Kickass Wardrobe at Thrift Stores
by Cate Linden (Kentucky) I rarely buy my clothing new anymore, and I’ve never been so excited by my closet. Switching to thrift stores wasn’t a momentous or even a very conscious decision for me; I was just finding so much amazing stuff that I lost the motivation to look elsewhere. A couple of weeks
Colour Journey #3
by Florentina Mossou (The Netherlands) As an analyst, many people ask me how my own colour journey turned out. Well, my colour journey was long. Very long. Long to the point of ridiculousness. For ease of reading, I’ve broken up the story in seven short chapters. Here’s the first part about how I discovered personal
Hair Color for Dark Winter (and Dark Autumn)
by Courtenay St. John (Connecticut/Massachusetts) As a Color Analyst, I usually encourage clients to approximate their natural hair color as much as possible. The color that you were born with is always in harmony with your skin tone, so the chance for unwanted oranges, overall ashy-ness, intense color blocks or other disjointed effects that distract the
How I Stopped Buying More Clothes
by Christine Scaman (Prince Edward Island, Canada) Colour analysis (or PCA, Personal Colour Analysis) is for people who understand that appearance impacts relationships. It is an eye-opener to hear how decisions as simple as the clothing or cosmetics we reached for that morning affected how others responded to us all day. Their decisions are unrelated
How Long Should a PCA Result Take?
by Terry Wildfong (Michigan + California) At first blush, time may seem somewhat irrelevant; but believe me, it is significantly important. It may be one of the reasons some clients have a negative, instead of positive, draping experience and/or conflicting result if previously draped. Answer: A minimum of 1.5 to 2.5 hours for the draping process
Sign-up for a FREE course: Choosing Lipstick
by Jorunn Hernes (Norway) Choosing Lipstick If you are afraid of lipstick, this course is for you. Maybe you’re just a little intimidated, or feel you need a little guidance. If you want to ease into using lipstick as part of your self-care routine, step into Jorunn’s office. She’ll give you some baby steps to
3 Reasons to Wear Lipstick
by Jorunn Hernes (Norway) Let me be crystal clear. You don’t have to wear lipstick. It is perfectly possible to live a rich and fulfilling life without it. However, lipstick is one of the most powerfully feminine icons of our culture. It is difficult to be a grown woman and not have a relationship with lipstick, whether you are
What is ‘Contrast Level’?
by Terry Wildfong (California/Michigan) We often hear analysts and clients say that people are low, medium, or high contrast in explaining how to wear their clothing colors. But what does that really mean? Value What I learned it to mean in the ’90’s, and how I still use the terms today, contrast levels are determined
Where Are You Going?
by Cate Linden (Kentucky) When I meet someone for the first time, they already know who I am. I used to feel surprised when someone read me accurately upon a first meeting, but I shouldn’t have. My outfit was speaking for me, communicating my confidence in my choices, my sensitive nature, my fizzing intellect. It
The Right Polish for Autumn Skin
by Christine Scaman (Prince Edward Island, Canada) In the autumn time of year in the Northern hemisphere or the late afternoon of any given day, light from the sun travels a long distance at a low angle. Colours are imbued with particular qualities as a result, appearing rich and warm with emphasis on shape and
What is Under My Overtone?
by Terry Wildfong (Michigan + California) What exactly is an overtone? It’s the coloring of a person’s outward appearance: skin, hair, and eyes made from each person’s unique levels of melanin (black, blue, brown), hemoglobin (pink, red) and carotene (yellow, orange, red). We make assumptions about coloring based on how cool or warm they look,
Colour Journey #2
by Debi Rushworth (New Brunswick, Canada) The Invisible Woman This was me. At least, it reflects how I felt in my 30s and 40s, and I think there are many other people in our image-saturated world who feel invisible… Unknown. The mom struggling to have time to have a shower who feels haggard and old before
The Minimalist Travel Wardrobe
by Jorunn Hernes (Norway) A simple rule to keep in mind when travelling: Everything you bring shall match all the other items. Travel Wardrobe = a condensed capsule wardrobe. If there is something you pick that doesn’t match the shoes you are thinking of bringing, choose something else instead. This is much easier if you
The Industry Doesn’t Care If You Look Good
by Rachel Nachmias (Pennsylvania) Top Trends For Fall Yep, it’s the middle of July, but Fall is just around the corner… if you ask the garment industry. Maybe an email or two has already even gone out advertising a little something we in the industry call “Pre-Fall”. Once upon a time designers showed one collection
A Light Summer Hair Story
by Courtenay St. John (Connecticut/Massachusetts) As a Color Analyst, I usually encourage clients to approximate their natural hair color as much as possible. The color that you were born with is always in harmony with your skin tone, so the chance for unwanted oranges, overall ashy-ness, intense color blocks or other disjointed effects that distract the
Makeup: Finding Balance
by Florentina Mossou (The Netherlands) With colour analysis, I spend a lot of time around makeup. While I was swatching, testing, and applying makeup, I started to wonder… What separates normal, average, seen-it-everywhere makeup from totally great makeup? Before we begin, please don’t think makeup for PCA is obligatory in any way. It’s not. You’ll
The Right Polish for Summer Skin
by Christine Scaman (Prince Edward Island, Canada) Feeling imbalance I went to a meeting. As people arrived, one woman distinguished herself immediately as a leader in any crowd. Her physical presence was noticed first because she was quite tall and strongly built. Her face was equally strong, in the colours of coffee, cream, and golden
Tips For Great Hair Color Without Going to the Salon
by Courtenay St. John (Connecticut/Massachusetts) A Personal Decision Not To Go Gray… There are two things I remember Grandmom saying that must have deeply imprinted my ideas about hair color. Grandmom unfavorably viewed those blond TV personalities whose “roots were showing.” And, in her 90’s, Grandmom still crowed, “I have never seen a gray hair
