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Colour analysis recommendations

31 replies

SwiftPeak · 21/03/2024 06:12

Can anyone recommend somewhere to get your colours done? I'm in Manchester, but it would be easier to do it online rather than in person. I think I'm a soft summer but I'd love to know for sure.

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crikesdostop · 21/03/2024 06:17

Clare Watkins in altrincham. Don't know if she does online though. Suspect it works better in person

RoadToPlants · 21/03/2024 06:18

I used www.stylemehappy.co.uk for an online analysis and was really happy with the results

flutterby1 · 21/03/2024 06:19

I got mine here: www.houseofcolour.co.uk/

Darklane · 21/03/2024 09:18

Hoc
There are a few in the North West. Website can locate them.

SwiftPeak · 21/03/2024 22:04

Thank you all, im going to see if i can get booked in with the HOC consultant near me

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StopTheGreyness · 22/03/2024 05:29

I can second Clare Watkins, she is AMAZING and it’s much more fun getting it done in person. I really wish I’d got it done sooner as it really was life-changing.

SwiftPeak · 24/03/2024 19:41

In the meantime I've tried StyleMeHappy, waiting for the results but really want to go to someone face to face.

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usernother · 24/03/2024 19:47

SwiftPeak · 24/03/2024 19:41

In the meantime I've tried StyleMeHappy, waiting for the results but really want to go to someone face to face.

Can you let us know what you think of what they recommend for you please.

SwiftPeak · 31/03/2024 09:02

usernother · 24/03/2024 19:47

Can you let us know what you think of what they recommend for you please.

@usernother Will do, I'm just waiting for my result. It's taking a bit longer because of Easter, the turnaround is normally 10 - 15 working days.

@StopTheGreyness @crikesdostop I've followed Clare on Instagram, I think she's the easiest to get to for me and she looks great!

@midlifepisces thank you, I'll have a look. I'm rubbish at being able to see what suits me. I can't tell whether summer colours harmonise or wash me out.

OP posts:
Normandy144 · 31/03/2024 09:10

In person is best as online is not as reliable. I'd recommend house of colour as that's who I used.

rustyvor · 31/03/2024 09:44

I had a consultation with Clare last week. She's amazing. Absolutely needs to be in person. The 2 women I went with were both a clear Autumn and Spring respectively from the first set of drapes. Mine was trickier with both summer and spring seeming to work at first. Without being able to really scrutinise my complexion up close Clare said I might have been deemed summer, but it became clear I am spring. I have very bright blue eyes and this skewed the results at first as summer made my eyes pop too but it's about your skin tone.

rustyvor · 31/03/2024 09:45

Also Clare said out of over 1000 clients, less than 10 are summer.

SwiftPeak · 31/03/2024 09:55

rustyvor · 31/03/2024 09:45

Also Clare said out of over 1000 clients, less than 10 are summer.

Interesting. I suspect that I'm not that clear cut too. I'm either summer or winter, I can't tell the level of contrast myself. I have mid brown hair, a cool (maybe slightly neutral) skin tone and blue eyes.

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LadyEloise1 · 31/03/2024 10:08

I can't tell if I am a Light Spring or Light Summer.
The veins on my wrists look green and blue. I don't know if I am warm or cool toned.
Online quizzes don't help as I can't answer the question re skin tone.
Some Summer colours like lilac and grey "wash me out".
If I lived in the UK I'd get a consultation with Clare Watkins. She sounds great.

midlifepisces · 31/03/2024 16:29

If you look at the more complex season colour wheels though you see that spring and summer almost overlap at points (light I think?. I think it's possible to be too reductionist about it - many people can look nice in these crossover zones.

Also, I think it can be a bit of a gut feeling as to whether you're warm or cool rather than going through every criteria.

midlifepisces · 31/03/2024 16:35

LadyEloise1 · 31/03/2024 10:08

I can't tell if I am a Light Spring or Light Summer.
The veins on my wrists look green and blue. I don't know if I am warm or cool toned.
Online quizzes don't help as I can't answer the question re skin tone.
Some Summer colours like lilac and grey "wash me out".
If I lived in the UK I'd get a consultation with Clare Watkins. She sounds great.

This flowchart might help. It goes on averages of cool/warm features so discount your skin and see

Colour analysis recommendations
Colour analysis recommendations
Topsyturvey10 · 31/03/2024 16:59

I used Laura Fawcett who lives in York but travels to Leeds etc to do sessions. She was brilliant, it's changed how I shop and I had a huge clear out after I had them done and sent everything that didn't suit to the charity shop.

She does 'shops' too and I'm planning on having one to help me formulate a decent wardrobe as I've lost the ability to put together a decent outfit.

rustyvor · 01/04/2024 09:19

LadyEloise1 · 31/03/2024 10:08

I can't tell if I am a Light Spring or Light Summer.
The veins on my wrists look green and blue. I don't know if I am warm or cool toned.
Online quizzes don't help as I can't answer the question re skin tone.
Some Summer colours like lilac and grey "wash me out".
If I lived in the UK I'd get a consultation with Clare Watkins. She sounds great.

I'd always presumed I was cool toned based on the blue vein theory but I'm not. Like you, lilac/grey/oyster wash me out.

The first time I suspected I was warm was when I went to buy a new red lipstick, the sales woman helping me went for an orangey red and I said I needed a blue red. She asked me to trust her and she wasn't wrong! Always get complimented when I wear it.

rustyvor · 01/04/2024 09:23

midlifepisces · 31/03/2024 16:29

If you look at the more complex season colour wheels though you see that spring and summer almost overlap at points (light I think?. I think it's possible to be too reductionist about it - many people can look nice in these crossover zones.

Also, I think it can be a bit of a gut feeling as to whether you're warm or cool rather than going through every criteria.

I agree with this, and I think there are a couple of duplicates between the seasons. Clare stresses it's what is directly next to your face that is important so one of my friends, also a spring was happy that she doesn't have to abandon her beloved black blazers but choose different t shirts etc for underneath. White is not strictly in my wheel but it still works on me.

2024horizons · 01/04/2024 11:48

HOC, in person, all the way here.

I have brown hair and brown eyes and many would think Autumn. When I asked my mum (good old mum) she said I looked best in bright colours. I was very confused. My mum is deep autumn so maybe psychologically I thought I should be too.

Anyway in person it became clear I was Spring. Autumn muted colours looked heavy and serious and made my face more square with shaded lines. In Spring colours my face was more oval and smooth (you get into this level of detail and navel gazing in person 😂).

Not just any Spring, Paintbox Spring which is the brightest and most saturated of all the palettes. My eyes are bright and my hair colour is strong so it can take it. I would never have seen it myself and doing it online I didn't quite have the confidence. When you do it in person and trust the person you can see it yourself. You won't agree on every colour, she loved me in purple and man I find that colour hard to wear, although I do agree it's good, I just have negative associations of it.

I did have a minor existential crisis afterwards, but they give you a colour palette with useful tips. I now just mainly buy my top 9-10 colours. They tell you what % a colour looks good, e.g. light pink 25% so like a scarf, or bright navy 100% so wear it at any proportion from a scarf to a full dress. It makes shopping such a doddle as I can discount 75% of things and my whole wardrobe matches. I'm not super strict, I do wear black as its the corporate colour but not near my face etc.

2024horizons · 01/04/2024 11:55

Re warm or cool, don't over think it. If you generally look cool you probably are or vice versa. Jen Thoden has a good website for online colour palettes etc.

Re. soft seasons, the eyes are a real giveaway, if your eyes have a bright quality rather than a watercolour quality then you're probably not soft. Mine are brown but they have a brightness too them.

Easy to say with hindsight though 😂. I look really nice in some of the autumn colours, like gold mustard, some colours are very universal like teals.

There will be some colours that are very revealing of your season though. When I put bright navy on, I had a literal wow moment, it was like I came into focus. My other wow colour was chocolate brown which I have never worn in my life. I would say it's your neutrals in your right season that have the wow power.

2024horizons · 01/04/2024 11:58

And ditto red. Getting the right shade of red. I think we can intuitively tell when we've got the right shade of red, it doesn't look like trying to dress up, it looks expensive and classy. Spring colours on a non spring look cheap etc, on a Spring not so.

2024horizons · 01/04/2024 11:59

You defo need to hold up different fabrics under natural light under your face. Hard to do in shop lighting.

suburburban · 01/04/2024 12:04

Do your shades change as you get older itms

I'm a spring flowing into Summer. This was done in 1991 by C MB

I do tend to stick to the colours to some extent never wearing black against my face

I have blue grey eyes