Five ways to know if you're wearing your Colours.
Getting your Colours right is just so important to your Ultimate Image so read today's blog with 5 ways to tell if you do have them right or not.
10 Things to Personal Shopping
My top 10 things to personal shopping
Looks like you can go shopping again!!!!!
But before you hit the mall running, let’s talk about the 10 top things I as a personal shopper consider for my clients to get them the best bang for their bucks.
And how those 10 things ensure success each and every time we go shopping with lot’s of happy purchases, the clients just love.
I mean let’s face it, who wants to employ a personal shopper and come home with nothing or worse still come home with things you’re still not happy with and will never wear?
You’re quiet good at that yourself that’s why you may need a personal shopper.
A personal shopping experience is meant to be something you could not do on your own. Right? Or at least an experience that helps you to shop better in the future.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A PERSONAL SHOPPER.
What are the 10 most important things I consider when shopping with my clients.
THE most important, necessary, mandatory thing I consider is the colours that suit the client. I WOULD SAY COLOUR IS 80% OF THE STYLE EQUATION. The difference between wearing the wrong colour outfit and the right colour outfit is ridiculous.
I cannot stress how important the colour component of your wardrobe is if you want to look your best.
Why do I say that? Because most women are not reaching their true image potential and it’s always because they can improve when it comes to wearing the right colours.
Unless you have had a correct colour analysis with accurate colour swatches you will have clothes in your wardrobe in the wrong colours. It always happens. And when the client clears the wrong colours out, they and their wardrobe change, dramatically.
- YOUR WEIGHT
Gained a few kilos lately? Or has your body shape changed? Body changes are a fact of life and a really important thing to factor in when you dress and when choosing styles that are the most suitable for you to wear.
Women over 40 especially may notice a few extra bumps and lumps. Your weight determines which styles suit your body.
Have you noticed when you lose just 5 kilos, how much better an outfit will look?
3. YOUR AGE
“Mutton dressed up as lamb”, is something most mature women don’t want to be. So how to dress appropriately? One major mistake women make is showing too much skin. They forgot to look in the mirror and realise their once taut and toned arms and legs are no longer. That’s why we have things like knee length dresses and not mini’s. Check out my other blogs about being “Age Appropriate”
4. YOUR SIZE
This one is pretty obvious. I am not going to dress a 60 year old woman that is a size 20 in the same styles as a 60 year old woman that’s a size 8.
A smaller frame will look much neater in her dress. Now being a size 8 is just a pipe dream for most of us, so best to know that we can find styles to flatter every shape and size. It’s all about knowing what designs of clothing are your best option.
- YOUR HEIGHT
Style is all about proportion as well. You may be a short stout rectangle or a tall pencil thin rectangle and in the case of a shorter larger frame woman, you could almost be a square shape.
Obviously the style of dress for a taller slimmer woman is not the style of dress for a shorter fuller shape woman with maybe a very full bust. It’s great that dressing your shape can give the illusion of a more balanced frame, and there are style for every shape and size.
- YOUR PROPORTIONS
As mentioned with height, style is about providing a balanced well-proportioned look. Think about width of shoulders, bust size, hip size, leg length, neck length etc all the body measurements that make up your proportions play a role in your style summary.
- YOUR STYLE PERSONALITY
I may have 2 women of the same age, size, height, weight and colours but I will dress them in completely different outfits. One woman may be quiet and sophisticated in nature, the other woman playful and outlandish. I will let the clothing match the character.
- THE BUDGET
I love budget shopping. I really get a kick out of looking fabulous for a few dollars. I’m that one when I get a compliment to say. “Oh and these earrings only cost me $3.
It’s amazing, how knowing your colours can help you put the whole look together and can be a really fun adventure of finding those cute and edgy little bargains that make “your signature style” so unique.
Going shopping? No. Hang on a minute. Before you go anywhere, take a look at what’s in your wardrobe first.
You can revamp an existing wardrobe if you’ve been diligent to cull the wrong colours first. Last seasons outfits become “new” again if you see them with fresh eyes when the calendar ticks over. If your wardrobe has ONLY the right colours, creating lots of outfits becomes easy.
Grab a belt, put that outfit with boots. Try a different cardi or jacket over the top. Cinch the waist in, let the shirt out, roll the sleeves up, turn the collar down. The main thing is get creative. Try a new hairstyle. Add a different statement piece of jewellery to make the outfit brand new. You’re only limited by your imagination.
- Last and final tip. YOUR ACCEPTANCE TO CHANGE.
This last tip is a big one. You’re so used to seeing yourself a particular way and your impression of yourself is very strong. Some people love change and some people will oppose it with every fiber in their body. Which type are you? Be aware of that whenever you make any real changes in your life.
If you’re a resister, take it easy. Be kind to yourself. Make gradual changes you can live with and love and then tackle the next change. If you don’t change you’ll stay the same and who wants that?
If you have any questions contact Your Colours and Style always happy to help. Happy Shopping!!!
How to wear your neutrals
How to wear your neutrals
What is a neutral colour?
I would describe a neutral colour as one that is quite benign. One that's not screaming for attention, and one that's a base for all of your other amazing colours.
Not everyone feels good in a pink and green outfit for example but they may enjoy wearing perhaps a green top with a neutral like grey.
It's good to start your wardrobe with your neutrals then add your colour in next.
But are all neutrals created equal? Definitely not. Many stylists are firm about having a base of dark cool neutrals like black, pure white, greys and navy’s with a splash of brown thrown in. But those neutrals are only found in the Winter Palette. Black doesn't go with everything, as we've been led to believe. And Winter neutrals don't go with Summer, Spring or Autumn neutrals.
As a colour consultant of 20 years, I have found these ideas to be quiet damaging as a whole to the fashion industry. Using black as a style staple is not useful to your Image picture.
Here's an example of working with a warm Autumn neutral and Black a cool dominant neutral to create a mismatched look.
YOU NEED TO FIND YOUR COLOURS AND THEN WORK WITH THE NEUTRALS IN YOUR PALETTE ONLY
For a stylish, complete, co-ordinated wardrobe that suits you down to the ground, you need to work with YOUR neutrals only.
The reason being, neutrals from another palette will not look good on you, and also will not go with the other shades or neutrals in your palette.
THE NEUTRAL COLOUR PALETTES.
Some stylists categorize people as neutrals. But I like to call only colours neutral not people.
Every colour is either a Cool Deep or dominant colour,(Winter) a cool muted colour,(Summer) a deep warm colour (Autumn) or a warm bright colour (Spring)
That's it. Every colour on the planet will slot into one of four palettes only. And you will be one of the four palettes as well. No sub colours or flow people in my opinion. Some colours "flow"but not people.
THE COLOUR SWATCH BOOKS FOR THE FOUR SEASONS
Get your colours right. There is Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter. What season are you and there is no need for any sub seasons.
You will have thousands of colours to choose from that will all look amazing on you.
So what are the four types of neutrals I’m speaking of?
Warm Deep or Autumn neutrals are lovely deep olive greens, rich creams, clays, golden browns, deep apricots, muddied burgundies and pumpkins to name a few as well as rich warm khakis and golds.
The bright Spring neutrals on the other hand are still warm but much lighter than their deep counterparts, so colours like light soft caramels, light creams, warm light browns, tans, peaches and apricots are part of the Spring neutrals.
Moving into the cooler palettes we have the boldness and clarity of the deep Winter colours, black, pure white, all greys, silvers, dark navys and deep deep browns.
Forget burgundy as some may include in the Winter palette. I reserve that for the muted cool neutrals of Summer. The denim which is a winter denim is dark navy blue.
Summer neutrals are cool and soft and muted. Ones like off whites, soft grey, cool taupes, cool beiges, light cool khakis, burgundy and maroons create a nice base and don’t forget your dusty navy’s. Please don’t forget light denim teams best with these colours.
With all this in mind you can see there is a plethora of colours, considered to be neutral.
So once you know your colours, you can stick to the neutrals within your season for best results. Ask your consultant how to incorporate these into your wardrobe.
It’s always best to get professional advice about your colours and be sure the colours actually “fit”with you.
If your not happy with your results after a colour analysis, my advice would be to get a 2nd and sometimes even a 3rd opinion until you get your colours right.
I have had so many clients over the years who have had their colours done incorrectly.
There is a mindfield of systems now so I hope you find a solution that’s right for you.
HOW TO TELL IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT COLOURS?
Here are a few checkpoints.
You'll look younger and more attractive in your colours
Your hair colour will compliment your colours
3. Your make up will blend into your skin and not sit on top
4. You will have 100’s and 100’s of colours to choose from
5. You will feel at peace in your colours
6. All the clothes in your wardrobe will coordinate
7. You will have heaps of outfits even if you have a small wardrobe (capsule)
8. You’ll always get compliments about what your wearing
9. You'll find it easier to accessorize and mix and match
You’ll look very stylish all the time.
For more information contact Your Colours and Style Sydney
5 Best Foundation Tips
The New Year might just be a good time to revamp your make up
Your Image is not the same without a good face of make up
You could wear the most amazing outfit but if your face is not right the whole thing will look below par
So let’s get down to some great ways to improve your make up with some tried and true tricks to applying your foundation.
Here are my 5 top tips?
Beautiful skin is always the best place to start when applying your make up.
If you apply foundation over dry skin, the foundation will appear dry and flaky. Make sure you have subtle moist skin as your base.
My clients are always asking for a foundation and powder that doesn’t make their face look more lined. Even if you are more mature and have a number of lines and wrinkles, having the right foundations and powders as well as knowing how to apply them will make the face appear less lined and much smoother. Actually it can take years off your appearance.
The first step is prepare your skin. That doesn’t happen overnight. Skin should be looked after from an early age by using the right products and treatments and taking the right care.
Stay out of the sun and wear a sunscreen daily. Have regular facials if you can afford them or have good home care.
Cleanse and moisturise and apply vitamin C serums and retinols so the skin is soft and moist.
Tip no 2. The right colour foundations, powders and concealers.
WRONG COLOUR FOUNDATION
Have you ever noticed foundations that look bad?
The most common problem is the colour. The wrong colour can make the face look heavy and unnatural.
How do you choose the right colours?
Our Colours foundations stick mostly to beige or pink based foundations. Yellow and orange tones have become mainstream and popular but these tend to make the foundation look thick and heavy.
The wrong colours are somewhat better on very young flawless skin, but who has young flawless skin?
The rest of us look better in pink based foundations because skin colour is pink.
If your face is too red try the beige neutral based colours.
To know if the foundation you choose is right for you, apply a tiny streak of foundation on the base of the cheek.
The foundation should be unnoticeable. This is a good colour match for you.
The same apply’s for powders and concealers. Powders are meant to sit on top without changing the colour at all and concealers are meant to conceal, dark areas and spots etc.
Tip no 3. Apply a tiny tiny amount.
Take a close look at your face in the mirror. Can you see the skin isn’t perfectly one colour.
It’s actually quiet spotted or mottled. This is completely normal. Some people have more pigmentation than others and unevenness.
Not to worry. A good foundation will smooth the skin out to more uniformity, as long as it is exactly the right shade for your skin.
The secret is to apply as little of the appropriate foundation as you possibly can. This can be done by applying a small amount with a foundation brush and then buffing it in with a buffer brush or stipple brush.
Tip no 4. Seal with the right powder or not.
A light dusting of wet and dry powder. Medium skin tone
Powder is a personal choice. A lot of mature women are afraid of powder as they think it settles in the lines and wrinkles.
This isn’t the case if you dust lightly over your foundation and buff it in and also if you have the right colour powder as well. It needs to be somewhat translucent as you don’t want to change the shade of your foundation.
If you prefer a dewier look you can skip the powder, but remember powder is a good setting agent, it dampens shine and allows your make up to be more long lasting.
Tip no 5. The right concealer.
Concealer #500 applied as eyebase and inside eye area and part of the under eye.
Light porcelain skin colour
Your foundation, powder and concealer trio is the whole base for your make up.
First prep, then moisturise, apply foundation, then powder and finish with concealer for a good palette to work with.
All your colour and definition can be made once you have a good clean face to start with. Begin with the wrong foundation and your make up is all downhill from there.
Light skin tone above. Deep skin tone below.
If you would like a free make up appraisal contact Your Colours and Style.