Colour Archives

Discover Your Colours

In this article, you’ll learn how to discover your colours so that you look and feel fabulous every day.

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution to transform your look and feel amazing this year? A great place to start is to wear colours that suit you.

Have you noticed that every time you wear a particular piece of clothing people compliment you on how beautiful you look or how well you look? These compliments give you a lift, don’t they? You feel your self-confidence surge and it puts you in a great mood.

Wouldn’t you love to feel that way all the time?

What is it about that garment that attracts these compliments? It could be that the colour is working for you. Dressing in colours that compliment your skin, hair and eye tones creates a naturally harmonious look. People respond positively to this harmony at a subconscious level and it helps to shape their impressions of you in a positive way both socially and professionally.

So how do you know which colours suit you best? Here are 3 simple questions you can ask yourself that will help guide you to discover your colours. They are some of the questions I use when determining a client’s colour palette during a personal colour analysis consultation. Knowing your best colours puts an end to buying and wearing colours that are unflattering on you. Say “good-bye” to the days of spending money on clothes you never or hardly ever wear and living with the ‘I have a wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear’ syndrome.

Ask yourself these questions:

Does this colour overwhelm me? Do I see the colour rather than me? Colours that suit you best will blend with your complexion, and give you a natural glow.

Does the colour make my skin look ruddy, yellow or pale? Look at how the colour affects your skin. If you look unwell or the lines on your face look deeper or the bags under your eyes look darker, best leave it.

Does the colour enhance my eyes? If it’s ‘right’ your eyes will sparkle. If it’s ‘wrong’ they’ll look dull.

For most people colour perception is a learned skill. You can learn it too by using the questions. The more you practice the better you get.

If you find it difficult to see how different colours affect your skin tone, an easy way to find out your best colours is to have a personal colour analysis with a professional colour consultant. The consultant is a colour expert and will be able to determine, (with a technique called draping*), which hues suit you. *Different coloured fabrics are held under your chin. The colours reflect onto your face. Your best colours will have you looking radiant, healthy and energised.

If you would like to know your best colour palette, why not gift yourself a face to face or virtual colour consultation?

We also run Personal Colour Analysis Workshops. These fun, 3-4 hour, small group (max. 4) workshops help you discover your colours and how to successfully combine them. You’ll receive a complimentary colour swatch of your colours and a detailed information booklet to take home. Use your colour swatch, (a purse size ‘fan-deck’ of your best colours), to determine if the clothes, accessories, glasses, jewellery, make up and your hair colour are right for you. Having a personal colour analysis is an investment in you 🙂

Discover Your Colours using colour swatches

Discover Your Colours: Use your swatch as a colour guide when shopping for clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories, make up and when choosing your hair colour.

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By Ann Vodicka

January 10, 2018

In Colour, HomePage-Blog

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Wearing Black

Should I be wearing black?

Recently, Emma, (one of my clients), asked me, “Should I be wearing black? I have so many black clothes, but I think they’re making me look old.” It’s a question I hear often.

How would you describe the way your skin looks when you wear black near your face? Is your response something like “washed out”, “pale”, “drained”, or “sick”? If you have light to medium hair or undyed greying hair and a fair to medium complexion or a skin tone with a golden glow you may have noticed that wearing black near your face is ageing and unflattering.

Our eye and hair pigments fade over time, and skin colour changes too. You may find that after many years of feeling happy in black, you now instinctively feel uncomfortable in it.

Despite what the fashion magazines and media say, black does not work with every skin tone and hair colour. Shock! Horror!

Why not test it out for yourself?

You need two pieces of fabric – one black, and the other a colour you love wearing; you know, the colour that people always comment on when you wear it. Place the black fabric over the coloured fabric and hold them under your chin. Look closely at your face. Are the circles under your eyes dark and pronounced? Are the wrinkles more pronounced? Does your skin look sallow? Now drop the black fabric and do the same again. Do you see a difference?

Some ideas/solutions

So, if you feel like you’re in the same boat as Emma, here are my top 5 tips I shared with her to help her achieve a healthier look when wearing black:

Create contrast and distraction by wearing a lighter neutral or colour near your face. This could be a scarf, a statement necklace, colourful earrings, hat or pashmina.

Adding colour to soften black outfits

As your black clothes wear out, replace them with other neutrals that are dark but less harsh, like navy, charcoal and chocolate. Introduce colours that suit your complexion.

If you feel you can’t give up your black tops just yet, wear the ones made from softer, sheerer fabrics with lower necklines so that your skin colour shows more. Lace, mesh and chiffon are good options.

If you have lots of black bottoms (pants and skirts) and black shoes and boots, find patterned tops that have some black or grey in them to link them together.

Patterned tops with black skirt and pants

Accessorise your LBD (little black dress) with gold, silver, rose gold or pearl necklaces to steer eyes away from the heavy, draining black. Knowing if you have a warm or cool skin tone will help you decide which metal or colour of pearl you should wear.

Little black dress with yellow gold accessories

If you would like to discover the colour palette that best suits your complexion, hair and eye tones so that you look fabulous every day and shop for your best colours with confidence – contact ann@imageconfidence.com.au

Your colour guide

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By Ann Vodicka

September 26, 2017

In Colour, HomePage-Blog

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Fashion Colours for Winter 2017 – Your Trend Forecast.

For those of us in the southern hemisphere, we’re in the thick of winter right now: time to be adding some fun, fashion colours to liven up your day and your wardrobe.

So how do we know what colours are on trend for this season?

Every year fashion colour trends are summarised in reports from world renown colour authority, Pantone. These reports highlight the colours we will see in shops for the upcoming seasons. Forecasts are based on colours showcased at New York and London Fashion Weeks.

Pantone’s Fashion Colour Report for Fall/Winter 2017 has a collection of warm and cool reds, deep port, soft pinks, olive to lime greens, autumn leaf colours like rust, terracotta and spiced mustard and some light to medium cool blues.

Pantone’s New York Fall/Winter Fashion Colours 2017

Use accents of these colours to add interest to your winter outfits. Style with accessories like scarves, earrings, necklaces, ties, hats and gloves. It’s the easiest way to incorporate colour to achieve an on trend look.

If you have warm undertones consider hues like Grenadine, Lemon Curry and Golden Lime. If you have cool undertones choose colours like Blue Bell, Shaded Spruce and Ballet Slipper. Experiment with these fashion colours to discover what works well for you.

Pantone’s London Fall/Winter Fashion Colours 2017

Choosing colours that best suit your hair, eyes and skin tone will have you looking healthy and vibrant even on the greyest of days!

Have you been trying out various warm and cool colours, like those in the Pantone winter colour range, but are still baffled by which colours work for you? A personal colour analysis will eliminate all of the confusion and guesswork. You’ll know your best colours for every season, including this winter.

Discover what colours work for you.