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The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love colour the most.-John Ruskin
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Donna..........
Spring is finally here and it´s time once again to put away the winter jackets and bring out the colourful spring clothings. Like you already know from my last post, fashion wise it´s going to be a very colourful spring/summer season.
Have you ever wondered why that bright orange dress looks super on your girlfriend but not on YOU? Or that red lipstick you saw on your favorite youtube "beauty guru" looked horrible on you?? Do you want to know which hair colour, makeup, clothing, or accessories will look fabulous on you? The answer to these questions according to experts lies in: "Colour Analysis".
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| colours of the Rainbow......which is the right one for me??? :-)) |
Do you actually know which colours look best on you? In my opinion there are two ways you can go about it. Do it all by yourself by following your intuition(Colour Intuition) or follow the experts advice and go with "Colour Analysis". Today i am going to look into both ways and then it´s up to you to decide which way to go, or if at all u need it :-))
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| Colour intuition is all about having good instincts. (photo by Alice Birkin) |
If u are like me, you will just choose and wear your favorite colours. Or maybe you go for whatever colour that gets you compliments without knowing for sure which colours actually make you look your best. I personally don´t see anything wrong with doing the above but according to the "experts" if you have never had colour analysis, you may not know which colours look best on you and you can end up looking a hot mess :-))
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| The complex structure of "Colour Analysis" |
Before i go off and start exploring the "colour analysis"concept, i just want to say i am personally, a "Do It Yourself" believer. I just love the excitement that comes with experimenting and discovering my potentials on my own :-)) I never had any colour analysis done at any point in my life. So please don´t feel like you have to go get one just because the "experts" recommend this :-)) Nothing against the experts but i believe no one knows you better than yourself and so you should be the one to decide what best suits you. If you feel comfortable in it and it makes you feel good, just go ahead and wear it... :-))
My favorite colour is orange and i love all colours that come in this hue. I call it my "good mood colour" because my spirit is uplifted each time i wear it and i also look good wearing it.... :-))
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| me in my all time favorite colour "Orange" |
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| i can never get enough of my "good mood" orange :-)) |
Over the years i did experiment with different colours and with time i kind of figured out what colours work best for me. I mostly used my intuition and i also just followed my instincts. I once read an article on "Colour Intuition" and i immediately recognised myself in it. It said something like everyone who has a favorite colour does have colour intuition. The great thing about colour intuition is, there’s no particular skill involved in acquiring it. You dont need any expert consultation to understand it. It’s not learned. There’s no class you can take. You just have it because it is an inborn ability. So how do we tap into our colour intuition? Quite simply by just following our instincts.
What are the colours that immediately catch your attention when you walk into a shop?? What colour does call out your name each time you walk pass your favorite shop window?? Take a look into your closet....what colour does dominate in there?? What colour does your favorite dress have?? What about your living space, ....what colour do you find over and over again? If you had the powers to create a rainbow just the way you wish a rainbow to be, what colours would you use??? If you did have answers to all these above questions then you sure know what colour intuition is all about... :-)) Colour intuition is all about having good instincts.
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| i luv all colours in the orange hue. If orange is too strong for you then go for the lighter hues like peach |
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| or maybe coral |
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| or maybe a floral print......the possibilities are endless :-)) |
Don´t be afraid to experiment. When it comes to colour, most of us won´t dare go out of our comfort zones. The older we get the less adventurous we get. The neutral shades are mostly all we go for but i dare you to be adventurous no matter what age. Experimenting will open up possibilities you never could imagine for yourself. Go for colours that make you feel alive. Who says you are too old for bright and vibrant colours? Create your own style, do you and don´t be a fashion victim who only copies what is in fashion. Most often what is in fashion might not suit you personally. Find your own personal style and make your own rules. Always remember fashion should be fun! fun! fun:-)) Remember what fashion legend Yves St. Laurent said: “Fashion fades. Style is eternal.” Your favorite colours are part of your style. My personal style is like my second signature. I always stay true to it ... :-)) It reflects who i am and how i feel. Paris Hilton once said "The only rule is don’t be boring and dress cute wherever you go. Life is too short to blend in.” — (Yes, Paris Hilton! said this and how right she is -;))
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| you could even go blue..... |
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| or why not even brighter....yellow!! :-))) |
So Listen to your instinct when finding your best colours and you just cant go wrong and this applies to lots of other things too and not just colour and clothing.
If after reading all this and you still feel like i cannot do this by myself...i need some help in figuring out this colour thing, then maybe you are a candidate for the experts afterall :-)). Colour analysis may help bring in more light for you.
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| if you want to play safe, then go for the neutrals.....like brown and beige |
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| or ethno prints and animal prints |
So what is colour analysis??? According to wikipedia, Colour analysis, also called skin tone colour matching, personal colour or seasonal colour, is the process of finding colours of clothing and makeup to match a person's skin complexion, eye colour, and hair colour. It is often used as an aid to wardrobe planning and style consulting. Colour analysis is the process of determining the colours that best suit an individual's natural colouring. There are a wide variety of approaches to analyzing personal colouring. The most well-known is "seasonal" colour analysis, which places individual colouring into four general categories. (click here to read more on what Colour Analysis is about).
The first time i came across Colour Analysis was through a book by Carole Jackson, called "Color Me Beautiful" (1980 edition). I was like....wow! what a fascinating concept. Color Me Beautiful has made lots of women more confident in choosing their clothing and makeup, and is the first step for most women who are interested in making their clothes work for them. Sadly though, it's not perfect. The colour groupings work very well for blonde and brunette Caucasian women, light-skinned women of African descent, and women of eastern Asian descent, but don't work very well for dark-skinned women of African descent like myself :-((
If, however, you're interested in colour matching, this book is the first and best step. Invest in it before you get your colours done by a professional; you may find you don't need to spend the extra money :-)) For those in Germany interested in this book click here to get a copy. (for those outside germany just do an Amazon search in your country).
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| or you can even go black if you want to be reserved :-)) |
After reading this book my interest for this concept grew and i went online for more information.But the more i read about it i realised it is not only a very complex but also a complicated concept and quite tricky to understand. To be honest, sometimes i felt like i was trying to understand rocket science....yes, that complex :-)) To make matters worst, the experts even make it more confusing for us because they all have different opinions when it comes to applying this concept.
When reading i had a hard time identifying with this concept. I would say, it is far easier for a Caucasian lady to identify with it compared to a dark skinned afro lady like myself. The colour group descriptions are too caucasian-centric. After lots of online research on how this concept applies to africans, i finally came across some informations that could be of help to my fellow dark skin sisters :-))
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| but hey! we are going to stick to colourful and vibrant.....that is our style for sure :-))) |
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| it was my birthday on the 24th of March and who says age has got anything to do with colour..... :-)) |
Below are some of the information i personally found helpful. To save you the trouble and the headache i went through during my research, i tried to stay away from the complex and complicated explanations :-)) I also took into consideration my fellow dark skinned sisters. I hope this information gives you a sense of direction of what type of colours (cool, warm, deep, light, clear, muted) look fabulous on you. Hope it helps bring in more light into finding that colour or colours that do the magic for you. Remember it should be fun! fun! fun! and at the end of the day you and you alone can decide.... you make the rules!! Enjoy the reading and have fun while at it :-))
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| my partner in crime was there to celebrate with me... :-))) |
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| 35 years young an yes, i still love my colours......colour never ages :-)) |
- Are you interested in general information on "How to Find Your Colours". Click here to know more.
- Are You an "Afro" lady wearing the Wrong Colours? Click here to find out how to change this :-))
- Do you want to find your colours no matter your Ethnicity" (something for my "deep chocolate sisters" :-))) Click here to find out more.
- Do you want to Analyze Yourself and Find Your Accurate Colour Palette? Click here and here to find out how.
- Are you an "Afro" lady trying to determine your own season? It might help seeing some sample analysis. Why not check out these celebrity analysis done by blogger and certified color analyst, Jeanine Byers Hoag.(click here for the analysis)
Are you a youtube fan?? Click and watch the below video to see what one of my favorite "Afro" beauty guru has to say on this concept. Or check out her blog for more information on this concept. (Click here)
Hey, i hope you did have fun with me exploring the world of colours. So what are you waiting for??...go ahead, and apply some of this aquired knowledge in choosing those colours for spring and summer. Wish you lots of fun and stay cool as always until we meet again.
from "Deutschland" with luv,
Nakutana
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