Color Yourself Beautiful

Are you living life in technicolor? We’re not talking about motivation, goals and dreams — it’s much more literal, as in do the colors you wear light up your life? If you are more mature than 40, “your colors” might sound familiar, as the color swatching days of the 80s and 90s are back and shining bright thanks to social media.

Color analysis or color matching is serious business. It’s the process that determines a color palette that best complements an individual’s eyes, hair and skin tone. It answers the question, “does this color look good on me?” For some, it comes naturally; for others, calling on a professional for a full-color analysis can make fashion more fun and ultimately lead to confidence in and out of the closet.

How hard can choosing colors be? It isn’t black and white — it’s a process of categorizing results in palettes relating to seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Cool or warm colors are part of the formula, as is factoring variations in undertone, contrast and saturation. Sound confusing? We’re with you. And we’ve got a “guy” for that.

Hiring a certified color analysis expert to do a full workup is currently a hot service. The process is typically 2 to 3 hours, ranging from $100 to $400, where an expert dives deep into draping clients in colored ponchos, educating along the way on seasons, undertone and why certain colors work for an individual’s features versus others. Ultimately, you leave with a roadmap (color wheel or booklet) identifying what colors bring out your best features versus choices that may unknowingly mute your ability to shine bright.

Online services priced from approximately $8 and up offer less time-consuming and detailed experiences. On social media, testimonies are plentiful, with TikTokers and Insta influencers exclaiming they’ve seen the light — most rate color matching as 10-out-of-10, recommending it wholeheartedly.         

If you’re color-curious but not ready to drink the (winter undertone) Kool-Aid, perhaps give a color analysis as a gift this holiday season and sit in on the experience. We’ve rounded up a kaleidoscope of resources below for more.

• Instagram: @colourlabstylist @_thecolorco @agile_styling
• Website: houseofcolour.com, yourcolorguru.com
• TikTok: @carolbrailey @coloranalysisbymako