Is there another way to know your colours?

[myotherusernameiswittyandgreat]

I can't afford a consultation yet but I want to stop wasting money on clothes that probably don't suit me.

I'm 5ft4, size 16 so quite big. I'm pale skinned with dark hair.
I have no idea what I should be wearing. Has anyone managed to teach themselves without paying HOC?

Milminge - please, please do me as well! I've had a CMB consultation in the past which came up as something like light, soft & warm (she didn't call it a season). I more recently saw a JL consultant who thought the first one had got it all wrong and said I was a Summer of some sort.

Green eyes, med - dark brown hair with both red and blonde undertones in it (but dyed blonde, which I think may be what causes the confusion), pale skin but with rosacea so rosy cheeks. Can never decide whether I'm warm or cool toned. I do think gold jewellery naturally suits me better than silver though, FWIW. God knows what suits me, I'm really confused about it all.

Please advise!! :-)

Happy to help Pusspuss.

How do you feel you look in black? What is your best colour and what do you know to look awful?

Thank you so much! That's an easy one - I look terrible with black next to my face. Navy or charcoal grey are better. Light grey makes me look ill.

Good colours - I really like myself in royal blue and chambray shirt blue, but think it might be because those work with the colour my hair is dyed. Jade green and dark brown look quite nice. Some pinks are nice on me if they're not too blue-toned. Is that any help?

Ps DH has told me in the past than an orangey-toned red dress is not my colour!

here

I think the JL person called it right. You sound like a true summer from what you say.The light grey would be too contrasting. True summer is full of medium toned cool colours and has some beautiful greens. Does this seem about right?

Can I play too?

I have mid-dark brown hair that gets gingery natural highlights - so that's Autumn/Spring rather than Summer/Winter (I think).

I tan well, skin is yellow-y rather than pink-y (entirely Caucasian as far as I know but my mum is often mistaken for being from Italy/Spain rather than Northern Europe, if that helps with colour descriptions)

Eyes are a nondescript brown.

I like to wear dark green-teal colours, dark reds (closer to purple than to orange), and some deep purples and pinks. I strongly dislike pastels.

Realised that "teal" is a difficult word

I am always drawn to things that are this sort of green colour

And I actually really want this top even though I just looked for it to demonstrate my purple colour

Trills of course! You sound like an autumn/winter mix. From your description I think deep/dark winter would be the closest one. Lots of yellow toned skin is actually cool. It would explain the hatred of pastels.

Have a look at deep/dark autumn too just in case you lean warmer.

Trills- that was really helpful. Both those colours are on dark winter sci/art charts.

What's sci/art?

Thank you for answering, this must be getting dull for you if you have hundreds of people demanding a diagnosis! :)

Random picture from the interwebs looks good for dark winter although it has more pink-ish colours than I would expect and there's no "real red" for me.

Milminge - thank you sooooo much I just had a look at clear/bright winter palette and then I looked at deep winter, and I am definitely a deep winter - I've always loved them deep jewel colours and orange has never looked good on me !

Can't believe you did this without actually seeing me - you are amazing

The sci/art palettes are better. It's the twelve season analysis thing that other companies reference with different titles. They basically have the four true seasons and then the neutrals who are a mix of two of the other ones.

If you are a deep winter you can borrow from the sister season of true winter because you are predominantly cool.

Remember though this stuff is just supposed to be a fun guide and not a system one must adhere to.

Right off to catch up on the weirdness that is the Leftovers.

It takes me a long time to get bored hence why I have a head full of this stuff guff

Am I cool? My hair has red highlights, I thought that made me warm...?

I am confused. Maybe this is like music.

It's confusing doing it online Trills because there are just too many unknowns to make a definitive answer. Pick a palette you like the look of and go with it - it's got as much chance of being right as someone guessing online, and most wardrobes will be improved loads by being formed from a cohesive colour palette that mixes and matches well with itself.

As an example of the confusingness, the info I would post about myself if I didn't know my season would never get you to the right season: very pale skin, slight olive tint, very very dark brown hair with no red highlights, just flat brown, green/hazel eyes, quite bright and light compared to my hair colour, veins are a mix of purple, blue and green. I like strong colours, especially blue, I never wear yellow or pink.

The logical answer based on answers given so far on this thread is Winter, or possibly some kind of Summer (the one leaning towards neutral, i've forgotten what it's called, sorry!) because of the olive skin, love of blues, not liking yellow. I am in fact an Autumn.

Trills- a bit if red in your hair doesn't make you totally warm. That is why I asked what colours work in your opinion .

Going on from what you said you are a deep cool who leans fractionally warm according to this system used -hence the dark winter. I did say look at dark autumn as well as you may be warmer.

You are the best judge of what looks good on you.

There are lots of great links on here to enable you do do it yourself.

mil and stokey Thank you for your answers, it's just you don't really get that much info online.

Any ideas for me?
Green eyes, porcelain skin, freckles but rarely tans, mostly burns, red hair
Have an aversion to all pastels, red/orange/yellow colours

Pics
instagram.com/p/t2PhI2NdwH/

Close up (ignore brow colour, it's not natural!)
instagram.com/p/suKPVcNd5c/

Mils - can you cope with another?? I'm curious as to what the answer would be

I have fairly dark blonde hair (but eye brows are naturally dark) dark hazel/green eyes, skin tone is fairly pale and probably veers towards yellowy rather than pink undertones (I tan easily).

Pastel colours look grim on me. Navy blue, grey, greens that aren't too shrill all suit me. I can wear some reds but not a pillarbox red - it needs to be deeper than that...

Thank you muchly!!! or !

Ooh yes, that looks plausible! Thanks so much, Mil! xx

If you've got any mates who are good at painting, and know general colour theory, hit them for their opinion (or have them round to check out your wardrobe to pick out the best colours).

A good starting point for cool or warm is whether silver or gold jewellery suits you best. If you suit gold better, you're warm, if you suit silver, you're cool. If neither really "pop" then you're likely to be more neutral.

bluesbaby It's interesting you mention those good at painting/know general colour theory. I have a degree in Fine Art and wrote a dissertation in colour theory, so am very good at colour work. When I was a personal shopper, I was excellent at sorting out the best colours for people (and still do this for my friends), yet when it comes to my own palette, I have no idea. Sometimes we're unable to see things clearly on ourselves? (I also think having to wear sombre colours for much of my adult life has made me quite scared of colour.) I also have a very mis-leading colouring. I remember getting Prescriptives custom blend foundation and colour in my late teens and they could never mix the right shade because at first glance I appear to be fair skinned with freckles, with green eyes and reddish/dark brown hair. But the minute I sit in the sun, I go incredibly brown and my hair lightens by many, many shades!

The one thing I do is know is that I look ghastly in black and camel.

I have no idea what I am but I know I look lush in dark bottle green.
My Mother never let me buy dark green because it wasn't ever worn in her house so she never liked it

Sometimes it's difficult to get an honest appraisal from someone else ?

I will be back later ( painting a room today) but just wanted to say that I have read a lot about this because I am very interested in colour but found when it came to draping the various organisations are full of people with hideous personal style who don't have a clue how to dress themselves let alone anyone else.

I hold the view that people can work out what suits them and extend their palette accordingly if they are aware of these colour formulas. Only some colours will work from the palettes and some you will just hate. It's all about finding what works for you from what makes you feel good. Disregard it as all bollocks too if that's what sense you get .

The whole mantra on here about 'one must get draped' by 'experts' is grating. It's simply not true. The amount of stealth ( and not so stealth!) advertising that these companies are getting on here and the way it is spoken as gospel is irritating. If anyone is having a wobble style wise I just wait for the 'have your colours done' push along side the 'only way to know is to get draped by an expert' etc.

Anyhoooo colour lovers have got to crack on.x

Ps. Have highlighted an enormously funny thread called 'anti-colour analysis' which is well worth a look . Be aware though it's very irreverent.
it has ruffled some feathers shall we say