Color Analysis is a hot topic right now. I don’t think it has been this top-of-mind since the 1980s when Color Me Beautiful came out. Thanks to those TikTok filters, there has been a new resurgence of interest.
I warn you against those filters. There are just some things that technology can’t see, can’t do and I wouldn’t trust them over a trained eye. Now, you might be thinking, “Getting my colors done by a trained analyst is expensive and this is FREE.” Well, my friend, you get what you pay for.
When you think about the impact that knowing your perfect colors has on your wardrobe, the fee is quite small. An accurate color analysis by a trained professional will help you save time and money when you shop. You will be able to build your wardrobe around these colors, which means you will spend LESS on clothing that doesn’t suit you. MUCH LESS than the fee a trained color analyst charges.
The opposite is true if you go by a free filter on TikTok. Do you REALLY want to base your closet, an overhaul of your makeup on a technology that is not perfect? That’s wasting money.
I have lots of friends who were trained in the same system and by the same Master Color Analyst as I was. Several of them have tried those filters….multiple times. And guess what? The result was different each time. It is not a reliable source.
Today, I’m going to share a bit about the intricacies of color analysis.
The Dimensions of Color Analysis
When you have your colors analyzed, the analyst should always be doing this while you are not wearing makeup and lighting is key. For instance, I typically schedule sessions to begin between 9am and 1pm because that daylight is the BEST.
I also request that you send me a picture of yourself in your teenage years in advance. The reason for this is as we age, our coloring softens a bit. When we are teenagers, our hair is typically undyed, and our skin is at it’s most saturated.
When I am doing an analysis on you, I will, well, analyze. I am going to look at your overall coloring. I’m going to look at your hair, your skin, and yes, I will look at your eyes pretty deeply for a few seconds. All of these features are important for a proper analysis.
I will then cover your hair. Why? Because I now have an overall idea of your contrast (more shortly) and so I want to see how the colors are reacting to your skin and your eyes as I drape them.
Dimension 1: Contrast
Contrast is another word for Value. This is very important in color analysis, because the colors you wear should harmonize with you. So that means that when it comes to your personal contrast, the colors you wear should have the same level of contrast. Take a look at this image and pay attention to the white-black track:
If a person is high contrast, you will see that their features have light values AND dark values (i.e. Black and white). Look at the celebs below. They have light skin and dark hair and either dark or light eyes. They are all high contrast:
Now, someone who is low contrast will be all on the lighter end of the value scale or all on the darker end. So, look at these celeb images. These women are all low contrast:
There is not much of a difference in color between their hair, skin and eyes.
**There are Medium values to all of these dimensions, but for the purpose of this blog, I am just going to discuss the extremes.**
When you know your personal color contrast levels, it helps to determine where you fall in color analysis and what level of contrast you should be personally wearing.
Dimension 2: Intensity
You may also hear this called Saturation or Chroma. What it translates to is how muted or how bright you appear.
When we talk about Intensity, this is where color is bright or color is more muted and toned down by grey. As a person, you also have levels of intensity to you. You could have a softer appearance or a brighter appearance. This dimension can be seen on a person more obviously with draping.
Look at the two images below. Robin Wright has a more greyed out skin tone while Megan Fox has a brighter appearance to her skin. This means that, for harmony, Robin should be wearing softer colors that have a grey haze to them and Megan should be wearing bright colors.
Dimension #3: Undertone
You will have also heard this referred to as the temperature. Your undertone does not change. There are three things that impact what your undertone is and those are Hemoglobin, Carotene, and Melanin.
This is where it is determined if you are a Warm Undertone, Cool Undertone, or Neutral Undertone. The chart below shows the difference between warm and cool colors:
If you have a warm undertone, you have more yellow or carotene in your blood. If you have a cool undertone, you have more hemoglobin in your blood. If you have a neutral undertone, you are have a good blend of both. When you look at the celebrities below, both Jennifer Aniston and Lupita Nyong’o have a cool undertone while Emma Stone and Zoe Saldana both have a warm undertone.
As we age, many of us begin to color our hair and it’s so important to make sure that you are coloring your hair to match your undertone. If you don’t it can have negative impacts on your overall appearance because wearing the wrong undertone can make your skin appear sallow or sickly, and can drain color from your appearance.
As a brief aside, many people confuse undertone and overtone. Overtone is not the same as Undertone. Your overtone on the outer layer of your skin can be impacted by tanning medicine, diet, illness, skin conditions, heat or cold. This is why seeing how your skin reacts to color is so important from an undertone basis.
Also, take note that just because you are a neutral undertone does NOT mean you can wear any color. This is where your intensity and contrast come into play!
Case Study
As you can see, there are a lot of factors that come into play when it comes to getting an accurate color analysis. I am sharing more about color analysis and how it works in the video I am attaching below. If you are intrigued by color analysis, you should definitely watch it.
Would you like to book your color analysis session? I can analyze you either in-person in my studio if you are local to Charlotte or virtually if you are not. Learn more and get on my calendar using this link.
Stylishly Yours,
Michelle
