If you haven’t yourself, you’ve likely heard of someone “getting their colors done.” But what does this really mean? I’m going to break down what color analysis is and some questions to ask if to make sure that the color analysis you’re getting is high quality and accurate – if you choose to invest in this life changing service (is it obvious I think everyone should? 🙂
So if you’ve ever asked yourself “What colors look good on me?” This article will help you be color wise and understand what color analysis is and how to find a quality consultant so you don’t waste your money and time.
What is Seasonal Color Analysis?
Seasonal color analysis is very simply analyzing your coloring to determine which family of colors will best highlight your natural beauty. Not every person looks good in every color. The wrong colors can wash you out, overpower you, or make you look tired, older, even ill (you probably have seen this when in a dressing room you tried on the wrong shade of yellow!) While the right colors can give you a natural glow, highlight your eye color, hair color, and skin tone, and make your teeth and eyes look brighter and whiter!
Not all analysts do, but at Color Guru, we strongly believe in analyzing skin tone, eye color, AND hair color to determine your ideal season. Some analysts don’t want to include hair because it is the most changeable element. It’s true – a drastic change in hair color can change your season type – however it doesn’t always. We believe the answer is not to ignore hair color altogether because that often leads to an inaccurate season type, but rather consult with your color analyst when considering a hair color change. Often highlights or a color within a few shades of your original color will not change your ideal color palette. Sometimes, but not always, drastic hair color changes might.
What Colors Look Best On Me?
If you’re asking the question “What colors do I look good in?” getting a personal color analysis will answer your question! When the Color Guru team is performing a color analysis, we start by doing an initial personal color test on the photos you submit in order to determine your season colors – Summer, Autumn, Winter, or Spring.
Once your initial color season analysis is complete, we then do a more detailed and in-depth analysis to determine your sub-type. Our sub-types are made of descriptive words that precede the season type: Vivid, Sunlit, Moonlit, Twilight, Calm, and Copper are our sub-types. There are 12 types in all.
What are the Color Seasons – A simplification
This is a very simple overview of the color seasons.
What are Summer Colors?
Summer colors are light, cool, and muted. These are colors for cool skin tones.
What are Autumn Colors?
Autumn colors are deep, warm, and muted. These are colors for warm skin tones.
What are Winter Colors?
Autumn colors are deep, cool, and clear. These are colors for cool skin tones.
What are Spring Colors?
Spring colors are light, warm, and clear. These are colors for warm skin tones.
If you’re asking yourself – “OK, I’m ready! What are my colors?” do your homework and find a high quality color consultant. There is currently no official certifying body for seasonal color analysis, so there are lots of people who call themselves color analysts who have no idea what they’re doing.
3 Questions to Ask Before Getting Your Colors Done
I realize I’m quite biased here, but I’ve seen so many people come through our analysis process who have wasted money and been mis-typed, and I just hate to see that. So consider these 3 questions before you invest in a professional color analysis.
#1 – Ask how many photos they require
If they are asking for 4 photos or less, look for someone else. Remember, they have never seen you before, so all they are seeing is your pictures. Have you ever noticed how different you look in different lighting? Indoors versus outdoors, old hair color versus new, shadows versus sun, artificial light versus natural – it all makes a difference. We require a minimum of 7 photos and we cross check those photos with the coloring information you submit in our questionnaire.
#2 – Ask if your colors will be the same if you are tan in the summer but pale in the winter?
I feel bad – this is a bit of a trick question to weed out the pros from the amateurs. The answer should reveal what they are basing their color analysis on. The answer is yes! Your colors will remain the same even if you’re someone who is pale in the winter and tan in the summer. That’s because all quality color analysis is based on the undertones in your skin, not your overt coloring! Because your undertones never change – (you were born with them and they aren’t going anywhere 🙂 your color palette remains the same year round!
#3 – Ask how long they’ve been doing color analysis.
Colour analysis is half SCIENCE, half ART. Quality color analysis is based in color theory, and there’s lots to learn. But even when you think you know all the science behind color theory, once you start to analyze thousands of people, you see lots of tricky cases – people on the borderlines of 2 seasons, people who don’t fit the patterns you’ve seen before, people who are equally warm and cool, people who are very color neutral, etc. When this happens, EXPERIENCE is key. Just like a hairdresser who learns over time what certain hair types will do or not do, color analysts see what works and doesn’t work with people’s ideal color palettes as well! Ideally, you want someone who has analyzed thousands of people – not just 30 or 40.
Where can I find a color consultant near me?
There’s no need! At Color Guru, we’ve perfected the art and science of virtual color analysis! We’ve been in business for over 10 years, analyzed nearly 10,000 people, and sent our color cards to 27 countries (and counting!) How to know what colors look good on your is as easy as 1,2,3!
#1 – Choose a Color Guru package on our Packages page – Click here to get there
#2 – You’ll be redirected to a questionnaire and photo upload form
#3 – You’ll have your color results delivered to your inbox in 3 business days or less!