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Style and beauty

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Original poster

You know this colour thing? Don't want to sound arrogant but...

28 replies

LeoandBoosmum · 11/10/2013 17:11

...don't you sort of know what colours suit or not? I know just by looking in the mirror, for example, that I can't wear olives, oranges or mustards without looking like I'm going to throw up! I know I can't wear black because it makes my face look redder, whereas navy and certain shades of purple (not reddish ones) tone that down and makes my complexion look more even...
I'm just intrigued...

OP posts:

naturelover · 11/10/2013 17:14

Yes but sometimes there are colours we've never considered that do suit us. I guess it's worth it to some people and not others to spend the money finding out!

treaclesoda · 11/10/2013 17:18

Maybe for some people, but I found it very helpful, because I genuinely am not all that good as understanding what colours suit me.

ihatethecold · 11/10/2013 17:18

Have you ever looked at old pictures of yourself and realised how crap the colour looks.
I think sometimes its trial and error.
Maybe knowing your colours will save you money and your wardrobe looks more together.

ElizabethBathory · 11/10/2013 17:20

What naturelover said. Like you OP I always knew I looked awful in mustard, orange, beige etc. But I didn't know how much electric blue, scarlet and emerald green made my eyes and skin look amazing and would never have gone for them before, thinking I was too pale for bright colours. I had quite a few washed out pastels and creams in my wardrobe that made me feel blah but never knew why (assumed it was the item itself rather than the colour). So yeah, getting colours done is not exactly essential and most people know roughly what suits them, but it's a fun day out - I just went along with a friend for her birthday and had a laugh.

Gillybobs · 11/10/2013 17:24

As mentioned above there will be tonnes of colours you hadn't thought of, all of which will go brilliantly with those you are aware of, it really shakes you out your comfort zone. I've always been into clothes but now I have a much better understanding of colour, I genuinely feel much more confident putting outfits together colour wise.

SundaySimmons · 11/10/2013 17:24

For me, I wouldn't bother. I have fun trying on loads of clothes in all different styles and colours before deciding for myself what suits me.

I also can't understand how they can get it right for me because I am quite an artificial looking person. Some weeks I am quite tanned, some I am not, so how could they match colours to my skintone?

My hair is dyed dark, quite unlike my natural colouring.

The only thing true about my looks is my eye colour and at nearly fifty I have coextensive years of trial and error of discovering what suits me or not!

I do understand that if you have a very hectic lifestyle this could be a good idea but for me, I'm out!

Department · 11/10/2013 17:35

Well I didn't think I knew anything about colours/clothes and I went along to a HoC thing for a bit of fun when I had a year when I had an awful lot of time on my hands.

It turned out that all my favourite clothes were in my right colours, so I'd pretty much been doing it right all along.

It does help to "know" though, I make fewer bad buys now and I did learn how to make an outfit without any black and to put colours together - before I would have worn a colour with black, or shades of the same colour iyswim.

RubyGoat · 11/10/2013 17:47

I know what you mean OP. I've recently been on this website & diagnosed my own colour using their quiz - it was pretty accurate. I suit a few of the colours in the 'neighbouring' palettes as well though, & I'm glad I didn't pay someone a lot of money to tell me what colours to wear - as I already mostly wear the colours on 'my' palette.

But, some people don't have as much of an eye for
colour. I can do colour , apparently, but can't do fancy hair styles (can barely blow-dry it properly!)

SundaySimmons · 11/10/2013 18:02

Legocaltrops, it says the quiz is $99!

Is there a free one?

QueenCadbury · 11/10/2013 18:20

Like others, I knew what definitely didn't suit me (orange, yellow, olive etc) and I knew that blues and greens suited me but I was unsure of the purple/pink shades. Like elizabeth I always avoided anything too bright and stuck to muted shades. They didn't look bad as such but they don't look as wow as my winter colours. It's also made me more confident at combing colours.

charitygirl · 11/10/2013 18:24

Not me - I'm a fair, blonde English rose type so was always dressed in/steered towards blues and clear colours, and away from olives, mustards, browns etc. turns out I am an autumn and look brilliant in those colours. People always told me that with my hair I looked so striking in black...well yes, blonde and black is striking, but that doesn't mean my face looked its best. So for me it was well worth it.

mypavlova · 11/10/2013 19:13

I never went near bright pink, and wore too many dull colours. Also used to choose brown because my hair is brown & it seemed that it should work, but no, it is all wrong for me.

Hopefully · 11/10/2013 19:19

My mum was the ultimate cynic, and was appalled when I announced I was training as a consultant. She always looks amazing and has always only worn colours that suit her, but she couldn't believe how many more colours there were that suited her. Shopping has got far far easier for her since discovering her entire palette, not just a few safe colours.

I, on the other hand, found it utterly life changing as I didn't have a bloody clue . I think my reaction is very typical, but particularly for people who fall into the more unusual season types, as it is less obvious what we might be just from looking in the mirror.

Chopsypie · 11/10/2013 19:19

I'm quite tempted as I've read a lot about it but don't know which I would be. I'm naturally blonde, but dye my hair a deep red. And depending which colour I put into the quiz depends what answer I get!

NigellasGuest · 11/10/2013 19:26

I went for a HOC style day because I felt I didn't want to waste my time having my colours done. The style thingy (actually half a day) was fantastic - I was scared of being told I was some frumpy sounding thing but actually was diagnosed a "dramatic gamine" which vindicated a lot of my natural instincts as well as empowered me to ignore many of the so-called trendy/stylish/whatever looks that everyone seems to think are the bees knees but which somehow don't look right on me.

Colour-wise however, I had actually previously self-diagnosed as a summer (using the wonderful internet) but in fact was informed I am a winter. Didn't go in-depth into colour, because like I said, I'd booked a style day not a colour day. However, being told I am winter has still helped me enormously - and I was incredibly dubious about it before. I had thought it was something matronly types had done in the late 1980's to help them be more assertive in their careers in call centres

VillandraMcTavish · 11/10/2013 19:33

I've tried this many times online, and just tried the one LegoCaltrops suggests, but I can never find myself!
I have very dark hair
pale skin with a LOT of pink in it
dark blue eyes, not bright and clear but a proper navy in some lights

What am I?

HoleyCow · 11/10/2013 19:34

No, I was totally clueless. Had this conversation a million times now. I am not good with colour at all and in fact have trouble telling some colours apart. Spent my 20s and 30s wearing black and then over compensating for it by wearing too much much make up to undo the damage simply because I didn't know why I looked so crap. Guess you are lucky if it all comes so easily - me, no chance. Best £100 I've spent in a long time. I look better/feel better now than I did 10 years ago.

SundaySimmons · 11/10/2013 19:37

Right! I found the free link to the quiz!

I am a deep winter which to be honest was stating the obvious when the colour suggestions came up. This is based on how I look with dyed hair and tanned skin. If I had entered my natural details then I would have a different result.

Hopefully · 11/10/2013 19:43

sunday if you're doing it with dyed hair colour you're not getting the right result. Mind you, you might as well use dyed hair colour when doing it online, since it's basically complete guesswork if you're not having a real life analysis.

RubyGoat · 11/10/2013 19:53

Sunday - I think they generally recommend you assess yourself on your own, natural colours.

Villandra - I can't tell, only that you're a 'deep' (dark hair & pale skin).

HoleyCow · 11/10/2013 19:57

Just tried that test but it seems to be predicated on the fact that you know which colours suit you best which seems to defeat the whole reason for doing it.......... If I knew which colours suited me best, I wouldn't need to do it................... (and it got me wrong!)

TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge · 11/10/2013 20:01

I would love someone to tell me my season and colours,but I think the price is ridiculous so would never do it.

I'm also not convinced that changing hair colour doesn't make any difference,as many of us know that a change of hair colour often means colours look different on us!

Hopefully · 11/10/2013 20:06

Changing hair colour doesn't affect your skin tone, so doesn't affect the colours that make you look younger/healthier/more vibrant. It might affect how other colours go with your hair, which is why we suggest a whole load of colours clients might want to dye their hair which will still look good with their palette (I have a client with vibrant purple and blue hair, but it's a good purple/blue for her). However, if they choose to completely and utterly ignore the ideas we give them re hair colour we don't chase them down and throttle them with brightly coloured scarves

I charge what I charge because to analyse a client and give them the tools to use that information correctly for their entire life and never again make another mistake buy that makes them feel rubbish and wastes money is the best part of a whole day's work, and I need to earn a living wage from my job. Can't speak for those who manage to do an analysis and get people out the door in 90 minutes.

SundaySimmons · 11/10/2013 20:41

Hopefully, can you explain to me how a suntan would affect your colours, please?

I am naturally fair skin but am often tanned. When I am pale I can wear softer paler colours but with a tan I can wear bright Jewel colours.

If I came to you with a tan would you analyse me completely different to when I am pale?

Hopefully · 11/10/2013 20:52

Nope. Season stays the same. Partly our confidence in wearing brighter colours changes with a tan because that's what the media tells us to think, and occasionally there is the odd colour that might go from being a reasonably good colour to being an outstanding colour with/without a tan, but it really doesn't affect things much at all. IME (and I have no proof for this, but anecdotally I have found) that the wrong colours are the ones that change when we do/don't have a tan - eg black looks less draining when you have a tan because it takes more draining to make you look ill when you have a healthy glow, but actually it's not the best colour on you even at the best of times. Hope that makes sense!

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