by Cate Linden (Kentucky) When I talk to women about beauty and style, one motif surfaces again and again: “I feel like I missed a class all the other girls attended.” The first time a woman said this to me, I didn’t know how to respond. I was that girl too, and I thought I’d
Category: Personal Colour Analysis
Whatever Your Glorious Age: Colour Analysis at 50+
by Lisa Kelly (Ontario, Canada) (Series – Part 5 of 5) For my 50th birthday back in 2013, I did something very out of character: I spent $300 on my appearance, on a personal colour analysis. Me, a jeans-and-t-shirt casual woman, intimidated by anything stronger than lipgloss. And yet the decision felt simple, and the
Color in a Time of Crisis
by Brynn Kaufman (California) I am writing this to you on the seventeenth day that I and my family have been isolating ourselves, doing our part to slow the virus that is growing around the globe. Like I imagine yours has, my life has gone through some rapid changes – my kindergartener is home, there
The Right Polish for Spring Skin
by Christine Scaman (Prince Edward Island, Canada) Where agreement, order, and a sense of belonging exist between the elements of a composition, for example, apparel and hair colour, we sense harmony. Harmonious relationships give the colours the ability to interact. This is visual magic, as if the colours in an outfit are speaking to one
Love and Colour Analysis
by Anna Fraś (Poland) A fleeting impression An unusual smile awarded my queueing today at the department of motor vehicles. The lady looked up from her desk: I saw a truly extraordinary expression on her face. The smile was not only kind and welcoming, but radiant, showing gladness to be there and this kind of
That Moment of Wonderment
by Lisa Kelly (Ontario, Canada) That Moment of Wonderment in your Colour Analysis: A Valentine for you I can still feel my gasp, looking in the mirror when the headscarf (which had covered my hair during the analysis) came off. Was that MY hair? That subtle gorgeous mix of shades – bark, sand, teak, frost
Minimalism, Colour Analysis and Your Cosmetic Bag
by Terry Wildfong (Michigan + California) Are you a minimalist? Minimalism seems to be the in thing to do nowadays. There are many resources to help you remove unwanted and unneeded items from your house and life. There are numerous articles about how to reduce clothing items you may not often wear or no longer
How to Choose Gold for Your Skintone
by Christine Scaman (Prince Edward Island, Canada) In any given person, like you reading this for example, every colour sings in perfect harmony with every other. These eyes go with that skin. This skin would grow this hair colour, not that one. Harmony means getting along, implying at least two participants. Friction, or not getting
The Reluctant Bright Winter
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
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
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
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,