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Original poster

Shall I get my colours 'done'?

64 replies

Whichseason · 28/05/2015 13:45

I have name changed so I can include my location to ask for recommendations.

I feel stuck in a style rut, hate shopping and not feeling good about my clothes. I am thinking of have my colours and body shape done.

I am confused about house of colour/colour me beautiful/john lewis/kettle well colours. I have heard that colour me beautiful are not as good but their web site is better and their prices are clearly displayed. Kettle well is near me but I don't think they do body shape. Can anybody recommend someone or offer advice? I live in Newcastle.

OP posts:
Maraki · 28/05/2015 22:39

OP I really rate the HOC makeup too. No more expensive £25 nars / chanel blushers or £15 mac lipsticks recommended by the painted ladies. I now use ONE blusher that matches with everything and 3 lipsticks and I look a million times better. I have saved a fortune in makeup and highlights since having my colours done 3 years ago (I was told I look awfull in highlights as I am a winter and they were so right!)

iloveoz · 28/05/2015 23:08

Life changing for sure cost me £100 about 12yrs ago loved it makes shopping easier enjoy!

Bumblebzz · 28/05/2015 23:13

Just had mine done this week as part of the John Lewis personal shopping service and it was well worth it, I didn't keep everything from JL but I have already bought quite a few things in my new colours and it's been a revelation.

Twooter · 28/05/2015 23:19

I'm thinking of getting my dd done - they're preteen but it's s lot cheaper and less time consuming for kids than adults.

Eigg · 28/05/2015 23:26

Bumble did you get a swatch book as part if the JL colour analysis?

MargoReadbetter · 28/05/2015 23:26

Don't you want your DDs to have fun finding their style and making their own mistakes? How old are they?

I've had this done with HoC 2 years ago. Well worth it. No huge surprises but I've ditched the beiges, Browns and greens since then and IT all looks better.

Original poster
Whichseason · 29/05/2015 07:18

What was the john lewis one like?

OP posts:
CambridgeBlue · 29/05/2015 07:58

Re getting kids done, I was lucky enough to win a HoC session for myself and DD (12) last year (only entered because I wanted it done tbh Blush).

I enjoyed the session and found it useful but DD thought it was cringey, couldn't see what colours 'worked' on her and hated the palette she was given. I could see how much some colours suited her but at that age with perfect skin and natural un-coloured hair, pretty much anything looks good really.

She's at that age where she wants to find her own style and doesn't like being dictated to (knew she wouldn't take it from me but wondered if it'd be different with a stranger!) Colours are not important to them, only what's in fashion or suits the look they're going for that day.

I'm also conscious of the fine line between learning to make the best of yourself as you get older and making it all about appearance - I'm not sure selfie obsessed teens need any more reasons to look at themselves in the mirror! I find DD to be very self-critical and reliant on outside approval and also far more into appearance than I was at that age which I think is a sign of the times. I don't really want to encourage that.

I don't regret doing the sessions as it was a fun day out and DD didn't take it too seriously but on reflection I don't think it was great for someone her age and personally I wouldn't recommend paying all that money for something a preteen may not actually get a lot out of.

MargoReadbetter · 29/05/2015 21:21

Good post, CambridgeBlue. I agree, at that age it's not about what a middle-aged stranger tells you but what your friends wear, what's in fashion etc.

KittyB52 · 29/05/2015 21:47

I enjoyed getting my colours done, and I do look much better in my colours. Unfortunately, they are not easy to find, so my advice is to try to be a season that has a lot of black or grey in its palette, as the shops are nearly always full of those. bitter Autumn Grin

Doobigetta · 29/05/2015 22:24

Don't bother with a consultant. Google the 4x4 system on www.prettyyourworld.com and buy the book. You'll save a good £70 and the humiliation of staring at yourself, makeup-less, while draped in sweaty nylon before being decked out in clown lipstick. The palettes in the 4x4 book all look the same because it's quite cheaply produced, but the advice on identifying your season is spot on and easy to follow, and you can find much better palettes on Pinterest.

AWholeLottaNosy · 29/05/2015 22:33

I had mine done 14 years ago and although I hated it at the time ( I'm an Autumn), it was actually really useful and I now have a wardrobe of beautiful colours that match and really suit me! I used to wear black all the time and it was really draining on me. I never wear black now, apart from undies and am so glad I did it!

RaisingSteam · 29/05/2015 22:50

I had both the HOC colour and style days last winter. I was classified as winter not autumn which I'd attempted to work out myself. I can see it now in old photos. I found it very helpful, wish I'd done it years ago. I've never been confident with style or choosing clothes so the guidance is really useful and saves me time shopping. of course there are lots of stylish people out there who instinctively know what suits them & don't need rules and seasons - good for them but that's not me!

Bumblebzz · 30/05/2015 00:31

Eigg you get a little book with your colours, a bit like a dulux paint index so not swatches exactly.

TulipBluebell · 30/05/2015 07:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Jemster · 30/05/2015 07:52

Bumble how much did the John Lewis one cost & how long did it last for? Did they also help with what styles/shapes suit you? I'm thinking of going there as I have some JL vouchers to spend.

LimeFizz · 30/05/2015 08:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BL00CowWonders · 30/05/2015 08:15

But Limefizz, we all see things differently. I can edit the written word very easily, for example, but I have no clue about colour and shade. I used to wear a wide variety of colours but I couldn't see what suited me. I like my restricted palate and now I've been told, I can finally see how the colours suit me and go well together.

MyVisionsComeFromSoup · 30/05/2015 08:16

I did this last year, and was totally gobsmacked to discover that really bright warm orange is my best colour. I'd've never in a million years worn anything orange, then I bought a Kettlewell orange wrap cardigan, and every single time I wear it, I get compliments. Completely gobsmacked.

Also turns out that the DDs knew for years that black made me look dreadful, but didn't say anything as they thought I knew Confused.

Waves at fellow autumns - Primark is surprisingly good for autumn colours, although I haven't been in for a few months, so don't know what their summer stuff is like.

RockMummy · 30/05/2015 08:19

They cover your hair if it's dyed so it has no influence on their process.
I had my colours done a couple of years ago and was diagnosed a leaf autumn which was no great surprise as I had gravitated towards green since I was a small child. The greatest part for me was introducing me to colours I had never considered such as mustard and brick red.

Jemster · 30/05/2015 08:41

I did this many years ago but am thinking of trying the JL one.
I was told I was an Autumn & so I started buying beiges & camel colours. I have a cardigan in beige but whenever i wear it I think it makes me look washed out & a bit ill. I don't understand why as my swatch book suggests it should be one of my main neutral colours.
Any other Autumns struggle with beige??

RockMummy · 30/05/2015 09:19

Yes Jemster. I do. Some beiges are quite cold, with blue undertones. I go for warm toned beige but much prefer ivory or sage or cream at a push as pale neutrals.

mirpuppet · 30/05/2015 11:54

I read on a blog somewhere that beige is soul destroying. It is very bland. I am autumn and I look good in beige but next to my face not so much.

CMP69 · 30/05/2015 11:58

I had mine fine about 18 months ago with a lovely House of Colour lady in Blyth. She's called Gill Bushnell I think. look on the HoC website Smile

Bumblebzz · 30/05/2015 21:59

The JL one costs £125 (style profile folllowed by style experience - roughly 3 hours ) and they measure your proportions and tell you what shapes and styles (and brands) will suit you, as well as doing the colour. Proportions are not the same as size/weight, which was news to m, it measures things like waist length and leg length etc.
If you spend £500 on clothes that same day the £125 is refunded. And I have discovered this week that you can return some clothes without incurring the £125 fee again IYSWIM.