Sometime in the early fall, when I began my yearly search for a good coat and something to keep me warm, I realized I had become paralyzed from buying anything. I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed sooner, but it finally hit me that I would never wear at least two of my eight colors as anything but accessories, leaving me with six, which as you can imagine is pretty difficult. I began to rail against the orange energy color in particular, which I was SURE looked hideous on me. As ever, the ladies in the groups assured me, with the absolute best of intentions, that the problems I was having with my palette were effectively in my head. My initial misgivings about the archetype he gave me magnified, and I felt strongly for reasons I probably couldn’t articulate properly that I was not the person that palette was saying I was. After months of ignoring or writing off “Sci/Art” as not having a category for me, I started to wish ardently that I could see a different analyst using that system and find out once and for all whether I could do better there. I just wanted to SEE some colors next to my face with an experienced set of eyes looking on with me. At the same time, my previous attempt to become a trained analyst had obviously fallen apart, which set me searching around online.
Originally, I researched being retrained in another Caygill style system, but worried that I would feel as I had using that system thus far: not feeling that I truly knew that I was giving clients the correct results. Somehow while poking around on facebook, I saw that one of my friends from the groups, who has a long history with color analysis herself, had been draped by one of Christine’s trainees. I asked her for her review of both the analyst and the drapes, and she was very positive about the experience. Poking around on Christine’s website, I was impressed at the progress she’d made with her training and drapes in just a few short months since I last looked – she even had luxury drapes available! reading through her description of training, I realized that I would also be redraped by Christine and my co-trainee. I discussed the options for my future as a color analyst with my mother, who knows little about this whole world but is very similar in many ways to a typical client and an excellent business mind besides. After several hours of combing through websites together, we decided I would train with Christine, and sooner rather than later as she had misgivings about me traveling to Canada any later in the winter (it was currently early November). I convinced Christine to allow me to train in 2 weeks time, which she partially allowed because of my fashion and art background.
I booked my flights and hotel and spent the next two weeks mostly agonizing about my own upcoming analysis, when I probably should have been thinking about my training. I doubted, FINALLY, that I’d be a Light Spring, hoped against hope that I’d be a Bright Spring, and feared but was ready to accept Dark Autumn or Dark Winter. Perhaps most importantly, I decided whatever I was on the flight home, I’d be forever more. Thankfully, upon arriving at the hotel, I quite quickly settled into the work of learning to be a color analyst. Christine had such fascinating things to show me, I was able to forget about my own issues and history for a while, which was good because I was not scheduled to be draped until the end of the second day. Just by reading the training manual, I knew I was going to be able to accept whatever the result was, because no decision would be made without a “better than” comparison, a fact which was only confirmed to me after seeing Christine drape the first model for our course.
By the time my draping rolled around, I wasn’t very nervous anymore, partially because my skin is so reactive that even though I couldn’t see myself draping in the mirror, several of the observers coming and going were noticing that even as I held the drapes up the the client faces, my face was changing as well, in ways that hinted we were going to go bright. Much of the draping process was pretty decisive and quick, because as I said, my skin is highly reactive. In many ways, the early tests weren’t that different than they were with Nikki, except that here no one liked the silver drape or Summer at all – I lose all definition and become “one big silver/grey circle”. Things started to get tough for me once we reached near the end of the red test, and in comparing the neutral warm to neutral cool, (BSp to BW), everyone liked the neutral cool better but me. Still, at this point, I clung to the belief I was warm somehow. We pressed on, being left with a definitely neutral heat level, and not Autumn or Summer, tested the neutral Springs and Winters to each other and came out Bright in both. I just want to reiterate that I overpower Light Spring so much that in a one-to-one comparison you would be hard pressed to miss Bright Spring being miles better. The final test between Bright Spring and Bright Winter, however, took quite a while, mostly because I had to be convinced. I wailed that I had tried that well over a year ago to ardent insistence online that it was wrong, but eventually I just decided to put the Bright Winter makeup on, and it did look excellent. I took the Bright Winter palette to my room that night, and by the morning, I was over any reservations. At this point, I hope you’ll see that if I’m not convinced of something, I will search to the ends of the earth and never give up. On the flip side, once I’ve seen that something is true, and why it is true, I’m past it and will never unsee it. It is my opinion that clients should come away from an analysis with knowledge, not beliefs. It is my opinion that I do color analysis, which happens many times to also be a spiritual and emotional experience, not spiritual and emotional experiences that happen to be color analyses.
As a bit of a post script, I had the pleasure and privilege to meet the incredibly skilled Terry Wildfong this past weekend, and I asked her to do a little mini redrape on me, not because I had any doubts but simply because I wanted to hear her “drape talk” and see her point out reactions as a learning exercise for me, and I was an available subject. As you probably guessed, I am and probably always will be Bright Winter, but the interesting thing was that Terry felt that unless she had a specific reason to show me why I wasn’t a Spring (such as, I came in thinking I was one), she would not have needed to check the neutral Spring comparison, because my coolness and darkness were so definitive at that point, which is quite true. On the other hand, she would have checked back against True Winter, because while most of the drapes were clearly too cool, a couple were passable.
I’m telling you this last bit because I want to answer the question I know you’ll have – “How did so many people see you as warm?” and “What about the fact that you look kind of yellow?”. I have an apparently warm overtone, it is true. If you scan my skin at Sephora, you get a color that looks like smearing dark fake tanner on my face, and carries the most warm color designation. This machine, and the eye with no help, cannot distinguish undertone. We need to harmonize against something else to know what we’re looking at. I’m proud to analyze others using a system and tools that do this methodically and accurately, the one that brought me home after so much wandering.
One last thing I’d like to address: how you can shorten up your journey and be a smart consumer. Don’t want to believe, want to KNOW. Expect your analyst to be eager to tell you why and how he or she is making decisions. Don’t be so eager to “get” any season, archetype, or set of colors that you accept them despite every red flag being raised. Don’t be so eager to avoid any season, archetype, or set of colors that you reject them despite having been handed all the evidence to prove it. Don’t mistake information about your personality, decor, or candle preferences for information about your coloring. Ask questions and don’t leave the room without understanding why you’re leaving with that particular palette or a follow up appointment to help explain it to you scheduled. Don’t expect any human to be infallible, either. Come into this as the savviest consumer you can be, knowing that even with the most thorough analyst, it may take more than one analysis to get it right. Be open, be curious, and be ready to have to learn what right feels like. And finally, may all your color journeys lead to as happy a conclusion as mine.
Oh Rachel, I wish I could get an analysis from you in person!
Let’s see if the universe can conspire to make it happen 🙂
I really enjoyed reading about your color journey, Rachel! Thank you!
It’s my pleasure, thanks for reading!
Thank you for your write up. It’s always good when you find your colour home. I have a colour journey that spanned Winter (4 seasons), Soft Summer, Summer and finally Dark Winter . I kept looking because nothing felt right until I had the Sci Art Dark Winter draping with Christine. I have had other palettes since then (because I just can’t seem to stay away from them). All my subsequent colour palettes have been contained with in my 12 Tone DW palette. Other peoples experience may differ. But, when it is right you can feel it. I felt relieved and like I had come home.BTW, I would be interested in your doing a similar article regarding your style journey.
So glad you found your color home, Pat. I would also love to hear about your style journey, Rachel!
Me too! I am currently lost on style. Can’t see the forest for the trees.
I must say, Pat, I never really “saw” you until I saw you in DW. I remember you posted that picture of you in the DW Coral polo soon after you analysis, and it was the first time I saw you in more saturated color, and I just went “Now THERE’S Pat!”
I’m afraid my “style journey” is much less eventful, but perhaps I will try to share something about it eventually! 🙂 And certainly some style related posts are overdue!
Ooo, you look gorgeous in your bright winter colors! Happy dance! Thank you so much for sharing all of this to help those of us wanting an analysis someday. I think also that you will be a better analyst because of your experiences. Onward and upward! 🙂
Certainly when a woman comes to my door having been called every season, I will be able to understand what she has gone through. And, I know what the client needs to see to KNOW. I’m willing to stand there as long as it takes for her to see it and understand why she is whichever season she is and no other, because I know what it’s like not to. And thank you for you kind compliments 🙂
It’s so funny that you thought you were warm-neutral and had to accept you’re cool-neutral. My experience was opposite, all my life I thought I leaned cool because I have a lot of red in my skin and autumn colors looked terrible on me even though others thought I was an autumn, you know the old ‘If you have dark hair and warm eyes then you’re an autumn’ thinking. When I discovered I did in fact lean warm it was a little devastating. But when I accepted that fact, the floodgates opened and I could SEE as if for the first time, color. I had thought I’d be bright winter and instead was bright spring. Finally, after hit and miss for so many years, there was harmony. My crazy skin was calm and my eyes were no longer dull or clashing with everything. Every color was a hit! I wanted to shout from the roof tops 🙂 No more maybe, no more doubt. I knew it ‘balls to bone’. (Excuse my french ;)Pat is right it’s like coming home.
And you’re right, educate yourself as much as you can and question even the experts. Knowing is so much better than believing.
Very VERY common for people who have redness to be told or tell themselves they are cool. Because “pink” = cool, right??? Wrong on so many levels! Every season can have redness, it has no bearing on the skin’s undertone. Also, there is definitely pink skin out there, but it has nothing to do with whether your skin is flushed or not. It is a revelation when you get the right season, indeed. Suddenly, you can just buy things from the palette, and they all look great! Even if you know the theory, when you experience it for yourself, it’s such a thrill!
Oh, this was so great to read! I’m raising money for analyst training, and for my own education exploring every system of color analysis I can get my hands on. I cannot find anything else with the integrity of Sci/Art, for the reason you mention: everything is done with comparison, a color is never accepted as best unless it beats the whole pile, twice. Anything else is guesses. You might have a guesser with a good eye and fabulous taste (coughDavid Zylacough), and he might even guess correctly or mostly correctly, but why guess when you can measure? If I needed an illustration of how important that is, your story provides it in spades. Thank you for being vulnerable and putting your pics and your story out there!
Again, I have to reiterate that it comes down to what you expect from your analysis. For example, I don’t make an pretense of having the intuitive knowledge of your inner life that David Zyla does. I don’t know whether you cut the tags out of your clothes or not, or which sort of candle you might like. So if you are looking for that kind of experience, I just don’t have it on offer. I use a methodical, genius process to determine in tests we both see in excellent lighting which colors produce the healthiest, youngest, most glowingly beautiful face for each client.
That is what I wanted as I client, and hence what I provide as an analyst. I can’t say wanting to buy or provide another service is right or wrong, but expecting method and explanation from someone who never suggests they provide that doesn’t seem logical.
Wonderful series Rachel! Do you also subscribe to the Sci/Art mantra that ALL of the colors on a person’s fan will be flattering? I have a very hard time accepting that even though I know my draping result to be correct. I also hope you will continue to do blog posts, it’s wonderful to have another Sci/Art analyst writing from her own personal point of view.
I’m not sure that IS a mantra, if it is it’s probably oversimplified. I don’t consider myself a Sci/Art analyst, but I’ll give you my perspective. Not every color in your palette, with no makeup, is going to be excellent on you in a large block. Further, not every color that belongs to your season can be contained within your palette, which is why we teach harmonizing the palette rather than matching.
By the end of the draping process, I am able to identify how the person “leans” within a season. Many times due to the persons particular expression of their season, a drape or two that is absolutely within their season may still show a minor negative skin effects. For example, my brother, who is Dark Winter, leans soft within his season. My blue DW test drape is too bright on him in a large block, and there is something comfortable about the DA one in comparison, however all the negative sallowing skin effects are still there in the Dark Autumn drape. On him, Dark Winter’s more muted “army” blues would be more flattering in a large block. To be clear (because I know it’s coming, you guys are so smart), Soft Summer is nowhere NEAR enough for him, so we’re talking about a relatively small increment of movement that occurs within each season. Ideally, I would have five of each color for each season at least just to show the client, and I do have multiples of many in my luxury drapes, however, it’s not necessary for testing purposes, because the major skin effects will still be consistent.
Many people (I would say I am one of them), are very fortunate to be able to wear the vast majority of the colors in their season equally well in large blocks with no makeup. I would say that most people seem to be able to wear the vast majority of their colors well in large blocks with makeup (and not even necessarily skin makeup, you’d be amazed what the perfect lipstick and blush can do). The main point is, your best colors WILL be grouped within your season. And for those that are more A- than A+, you can certainly wear them as an element in a print, a stone in a bracelet, etc. They harmonize beautifully with the colors that are in your palette, and add interest and variety that will help you enjoy your palette for many, many years to come. Probably this issue could be it’s own blog post, but I hope this has been helpful for now!
In the spirit of an open, honest, and balanced conversation, and because I think Rachel would agree that keeping concerns unspoken only ensures that they become larger, I would add the following…A few voices have felt mild offence about this series of articles, as unfair exposes. Others may have had the same reaction.
We are all allowed to have any personal reaction to anything, often one that we can’t control, but it’s important to think about other reactions and reasons. For instance it may be that Rachel felt that this was not an expose so much as an honest retelling of events. She didn’t pass judgment. She didn’t say anyone was right or wrong, gossip, or include hearsay. She’s just telling what actually happened to her first hand. It may be that she found a certain amount of personal distress from the last two years And needs to close a chapter in her life. Many people will recognize that in their own story.
What about the service to the larger community? My primary concern is not in any analysts business, ego, reputation, or public image. I strongly believe that everyone’s dignity must be preserved in balance with the greater good and the best possible outcome for this situation. My interest is focused on the client in the chair and our industry at large. Fact is that there are problems and it does nobody any service to pretend they don’t exist. The client does not get service she expects to get. She is disappointed, she is confused, and she does not know how to shop. The industry remains weak in the consumers opinion. There was a time when I wanted to include all practicing color analyst and I continue to do so because we are all colleagues and professionals. But the public is not well served by any pretense or omission that we are all offering an equivalent service.
My greatest commitment is to transparency and creating a clear and strong positive public image for our industry. For analysts who have lowered their standard of performance, not implemented the process as it was intended to be carried out, or simply taken what they consider to be justifiable departures from the method that I was taught, believe in, and taught Rachel, I remain polite but I think I have to be honest too.
While I respect every person’s feelings about what Rachel wrote, the truth is they have not stood in her shoes. If you trained and began a new business and life journey, you realized how differently you will practice, how much more accurate might be your method and your drapes from those of colleagues, Sci ART and otherwise, will it be okay with you to be grouped with analysts who are so different from that level? Nobody is saying that other analysts or systems are incorrect, only that they use a very different process to arrive at different conclusions, and it is in the consumer’s best interest to have awareness. Wouldn’t you want the people in your town to have a clear understanding of your service before they commit money and time?
I have only two things to add to this. First, that as Christine pointed out, this is my experience and only my experience. I can’t comment on whether anyone else who saw any one of these analysts experienced at all what I did. If others chime in that they did, or that they didn’t, well, that would be their experience.
Two, I can’t tell you how many people have messaged me privately asking about part or all of what I’ve written. Rather than tell each person, and start a game of whisper down the lane, with rumors flying in every direction, I prefer to present publicly this account of my experience. I believe that in the end, this will be to the benefit of the reputations of everyone involved.
I feel like you are inside my head as you write these words. I am currently living this. It is a feeling of uncertainty, imbalance, almost irritation. Like something is pricking me, but I can’t see what it is. And no one else sees anything wrong. So the loop starts. It’s just me. I’m too picky. I had a great analysis – who am I to doubt it? What other season could I even be? I’m being unrealistic in my expectations. I’m expecting miracles. It was an analysis, not cosmetic surgery, for goodness sake!
But still the doubts linger nearly 2.5 years later. And fear. Fear that the analysis was right and this is as good as it gets. I was so excited that now I had all the answers and I was going to look great! But I never felt like it happened. I looked better but that could be because everything was cohesive – makeup, clothes, jewelry, hair.
So after this very long vent….. My question is, ” Is a redrape within the same system/same analyst my best bet or are a fresh pair of eyes called for?” I think more that anything else I just want to SEE the truth once and for all, regardless of the outcome. This series of articles has been a catalyst for me and I thank you from the very bottom of my heart for being so open and honest about your journey.
I will start by saying, that if your analyst takes the standpoint of “sure, I could have made a mistake, let’s have a look and see if we can sort it out”, I would *always* go back to them and give them the chance to get it right, or explain to you why you may not have been seeing the effects you’d hoped for. That can be a big IF, because many analysts out there, they give the opinion and it stands for the foreseeable future. I’m not saying this with an intent to expose them, they’d tell you themselves if you asked. Which, you should, if you didn’t before your appointment.I see it as my job as an analyst to show you why I am making the decisions I’m making. For all I know, your analyst got you exactly right, as there are many other reasons why you might be struggling with your results. This is why you have to have seen it during the analysis. If you go to watch the cable, and the box turns on and the tv turns on, but nothing happens, how do you know which part is broken – the cable box output, the tv input, or just the cord between the two? If you know your analysis was right, because you’ve seen it for yourself, it’s like you tested the cord on another set up, so you KNOW it works. It allows you to move on, either on your own or with input from your analyst.
I’m happy if this article was helpful to you, and I wish you all the best on your journey.
Here here Christine! Here here Rachel!
Rachel, you in YOUR colours is just poetry! I am a sci-art analysed bright winter too and struggled terribly with dark undereye circles too ( for decades). Your article reminded me of them, as since my sci-art analysis I have honestly forgotten I had them!! So, so liberating!
Thank you, Heather! Now that I have my season, I finally feel my pigmentation is a very minor issue, such a relief!
Bless you for sharing all of this… I nearly cried. I have been through a similar experience but am stuck in the stage of not being able to choose anything because I now have no idea what might be right and I’m thoroughly confused. I am so pleased to hear that the training Christine is giving people is making a difference, because I had a faulty Sci/Art analysis too (by the same analyst you saw, and I also came out as a LSp and I’m clearly not…. she even advised me on the day to stick to the lighter colors in the palette because it was so obvious that the deeper ones we looked at at the very end in the luxury drapes, and after the decision had been made, were badly reflecting on me, but I digress…). I’m so happy you found your season and I would love to have an analysis with you someday.
I fully understand what you are going through, Heather. I get messages from people about this stuff all the time, hence why I felt it absolutely necessary to share my experience. I would be honored to have a chance to sort you out. 🙂
Thank you Rachel for your wonderful account. I would love to come to Philly one day.
Thanks, Cher, I would love to meet you!
Reading about your experiences was fascinating and how wonderful that all that perseverence proved fruitful in the end. I am at the stage of an earlier commentator, stuck for just what colour to wear at all now. As someone with dark hair, dark eyes and pale skin, I was “done” back in the eighties as a Winter type, and did look right in deep purples, red and pinks, but the blues made me look ghostly with deep blue circles under the eyes – just too cold. I stayed in the wilderness for some years then went for an updated Colour Me Beautiful consultation where there were now 12 groups. I was proclaimed a Dark Autumn, and tried to get into the colours, but largely failed. The browns I wore just overheated my skin, making me look flushed and hot – and as for orange tones, even worse. And so back and forth, several times at least, using different methods – always either a Dark Winter or a Dark Autumn – which to me is totally confusing. I wonder, as you say you’ve experienced = the fact that I have a slight warm ivory overtone to skin, is confusing the issue between warm and cool? Actually I have lots of mauve tones, including mauve under eyes, showing through skin, but this very slight warmth over it all. My eyes were very dark grey-green, which read as just dark – but some consultants see the warmth and make a lot to that too. I have tended to dye my hair to go either way – cool or warm, depending on what the latest consultant has said; so if they think cool – I’ve gone natural dark brown and gold brown if they see warmth. Now I’m totally confused and stick to mainly “univeral colours” – teals, pinks balanced between warm and cool, sort of dark blush and well, lots of black. If I didn’t live in the UK would definately come to you for a personal consult; it sounds as if you’re the right person, but alas shall just have to struggle on alone!
I am sorry to hear of your struggle, Trisha. I know exactly what you’re going through! The fact is, you could be any number of things, and the only way I’d really know (or more importantly, you would) would be to drape you.
I am, actually, trying to organize a trip to London, possibly the second week of September or so. If you wanted to be my client at that time, I would consider it a pleasure and an honor to help you on your color journey. Please do feel free to get in touch, or just watch this space for further updates.
Rachel, I would love for you to do this! I will keep looking for details of your coming to London, or perhaps you can let me know as soon as you do. I waste so much money buying the wrong colours as well as time returning items I’m just not sure of after I get them home. Sorry, I didn’t expect you to “do” me online, I know this is impossible anyway, but I feel I would be able to trust your judgement better than many as you seem to read the subtlties much more keenly.
Hmm, maybe in a few years time I will see if I can get draped by you if you end up traveling the US at all 🙂 I do live by a major city (Chicago). My Zyla palette is also really different from my other palettes, though I still feel it suits a side of me and I love my colors (I would have a hard time accepting your palette, too). My Caygill palette is Early Spring and I do feel right about being in the Light Spring/Light Summer area of color (that’s where Kathy placed me, too). LOVE BW for you even if it does overpower less-saturated me!
Bridgett
It may be that I will come to Chicago at some point, if there is interest, as I have family out there 🙂
Yes, Chicago!! 🙂
Hi Rachel,
Thank you so much for your blog! I thought I was a Spring and so did many others that were close to me. I was analyzed, draped using the color alliance system as a True Summer. I was told I looked good in mostly everything but black and it was a finite detail to decide which was really better. It was a toss up between Summer which brought out the pink in my cheeks and matched my lip color and Autumn that matched my eyebrow color, and made my face look uniformly tan. Summer made me look lighter, and Autumn made me look tan. There was no apparent difference between warm mid to dark colors and cool mid to dark colors on me. The light colors are what gave more definite answers in ruling out Winter and Spring. When I was told I was Summer because it was slightly better and I had blue eyes I then tried on the Color Me Beautiful cool skin tone summer makeup which made me look sickly and all my warmth was gone. When you talked about the makeup for your face being different that struck my fascination because I feel the same way too. I am still on my journey and I am going to try Clear Spring and Soft Autumn. It was recommended to me to live in the colors like you did. Thank you for the inspiration!
Rachel,
I’m glad that your colors were finally gotten right. I could tell just by looking at you even over a computer screen that you were some kind of winter. It is such a resolution to have a color direction,
Makes shopping and wardrobe planning and really your whole life so much easier.
I’m of the opinion that color sense and discrimination is a skill, just like perfect pitch or a specific kind of athletic ability. And then to have that analyst working within a color analysis system that makes sense. When a PCA goes right it is really life-changing.
The 1980’s Version of color me beautiful was done in daylight, and in the session I was in with a handful of other people it was extremely accurate.
Appreciate you sharing your experience
Hi Rachel,
I can’t seem to find Chapter two of your color journey? When I click on the link it takes me back to your main page. I’ve even tried googling it but the results only show Chapter one and Chapter two. Is there an issue with the link?
I’m loving reading this and want to read it in full.
Hello Rachel,
Like Emma below (10 months ago) I would love to read Chapters One and Two of your color journey. Is that possible?
Hi Rachel
Thank you so much for this article. I had two PCAs in a year- one with a lovely consultant from HOC who helped me see and think about colour in ways I hadn’t before (despite being a 12 Blueprints addict ) and drew the conclusion of Bright Winter, which from the start I knew didn’t fit. It was too harsh, too dark, the colours shadowed my face, although at times people said in surprise I looked very well which was unusual. As I look a muddle of soft and summery type colouring without make up and was used to wearing soft autumn type colours I persevered for a while accepting there was going to be some culture shock, but it just wasn’t working. So I had a second PCA this time with a Sci Art trained consultant.
This consultation was very short – about an hour and a half, so allowing for the introductory talk about the system and the twenty minutes or so with make up recommendations and sorting out forms etc at the end, it was probably about only half an hour with the drapes. My initial explanation that HOC had placed me as essentially bright winter was met with ‘you’re not a bright’ – and at this point no drapes had gone near me, I hadn’t even sat down yet. Now I would hear alarm bells ringing but at the time was innocent! The drapes were whizzed through with little to no explanation, I still have no idea what was being done or why and was very sorry about this as I had been looking forward to seeing Sci Art in action. I couldn’t see any real differences between the drapes and it ended very quickly with light spring as the determined right one for me, make up was put on, I was told it was great and that was it. There were no comparisons with any other seasons, not light summer, not true spring, and the bright spring handful of drapes were put near my face with the light spring ones and a quick ‘I like these best’ ended the process. I felt rushed through the whole thing and while a good PCA can be incredibly positive and emotionally powerful – a bad experience can be equally emotionally impacting! When I tried in the next few days to talk to the consultant and explain how I felt I was told I could come back to be re tested but she would draw the same conclusion- so it was obviously a waste of time trying any further. I went to the consultation with a family member who is a stunning red head, and I think the consultant decided on appearance very early one. She told me at the end of the consultation ‘you’re a light spring just like your family member’, however I have never agreed with that as the family member in question can take far more colour and mostly wears True Spring, able to cheat in some True Autumn!
Anyway. I have lived as a light spring for some years and it’s been ok. I’ve always known it was bland, unoffensive, no magic but I accepted and worked it and found more and more things I liked. The lipsticks disappeared almost as soon as they go on and many always turned out greyish on me, and I never have been able to do the pink lipsticks, but I found a few that worked and thought ok, so I’m a particularly dark and bright light spring, use that end of the palette. Then recently I was trying a few summer tops, saw white come near my face and my complexion cleared in a way the light spring colours never clear it. And I thought… that’s not supposed to happen! And I looked on line and found your articles, and thought yes, that’s exactly what happened to me. It’s time for a re think.
I went through my wardrobe and make up kit with a toothcomb and a fresh eye realised…. all my favourite clothes, the ones I look best in, are near the light spring fan but cheated on. The couple of bright aquas and turquoises. The bright lime. The icy blues and ice lavenders that I love and cheated on while calling pastel. A ton of iced peach. Like the lipsticks that work for me – Monte Carlo which is bright end light spring, but several that really aren’t light spring at all. So I acquired a bright spring 12 tones fan and checked my facts, and yup, I’ve been buying bright spring clothes. Even my chosen work uniform I designed for my company is icy pink and turquoise, and icy beige. My house is decorated in bright spring colours. The lipsticks that were working were bright spring, not light spring.
I’m a bright spring, and when I put on that very clear make up and those very clear colours, I can see the difference. There is excitement in that, I have a chin again, the pudding face disappears, something happens rather than the blah nice of light spring. Interestingly too, as I read your article it finally clicked with me about clarity. I look ‘dusty’ so very easily in make up, any dark colour or browned colour looks mucky to the point I barely wear eye shadow, the light spring eye shadows have always looked muddy. But it isn’t the dark I can’t take, it’s the muting. That’s a different thing entirely.
So thank you very much for this article, it has helped a great deal!
Great article. Thank you for sharing all this! Too me it was quite obvious from the beginning that you were a bright winter. I dont understand how all the experts could be so wrong.
Good you followed Your emotions and how you felt. I noticed in My life I avpid wearing pieces I bought tjat was wrong too me. Young i bought orange lipstick and orangy red top and never felt quite comfortable. In the perfect Colors i feel good and confident and fresh.
Too bad David zyla was wrong! I just bought his book because i heard hes so great..
What an incredible journey! (I know this is an old story, but I only came across the full version now, though have seen the short version earlier in 12blueprints.)
I honestly find it quite scary that so many ‘experts’ could be so wrong… Like dismissing Bright Winter based on just one blue drape… (I wonder what was so wrong with that, as eventually you were proved BW after all, so it can’t have been that bad, in reality!) I can understand online communities getting it wrong, though I had to smile at the irony of you being told Cherries In The Snow is "too bright" for you…! (Incidentally, it’s a lipstick I’ve myself been playing around with of late… And find it surprisingly good. I’d definitely better not ask any online opinions of it or any colour suiting me though! 🙂 Which I usually don’t either, even though I love to follow & take part in the discussions.) My own colour journey has been long & varied, but as it’s been DIY, at least I haven’t wasted any money… Apart from buying makeup & clothes to try various colours & seasons, but those have mostly been very affordable buys, I haven’t spent fortunes on anything, and it has all been so much fun that I don’t regret it in the slightest. If I ever do find the means to get professionally draped, nothing else than a Sci/Art / 12blueprints trained analyst will do!!
I think you really are bright spring
Great set of articles, and so encouraging to those of us that “appear” to have a season’s coloring, that we already know aren’t our best colors. Of the 12 seasons, 8 seasons (2/3) are for combination or neutral coloring, so no wonder so many are so frustrated. We are trying to do more than just find our right colors. We want to stop looking sickly or invisible, and want to look great too.
FYI
Your “continued” and “back” lnks at the bottom of the 3 articles do NOT go to the articles’ webpages, but go to the testimonials instead.
– Feb 11 article 1 the start of your journey with
– Feb 12 Article 2 with David Zola
– Feb 13 Article 3 with Bright Winter – Stunning!
Just to update from my earlier comments (some years ago!). I have been redone professionally as a bright spring. This now feels right – at long last. So, all that procrastinating between dark winter (cool) and dark autumn (warm) was very near to the mark, but just slightly off. There is a neutral warmth to bright spring, but a clarity that feels slightly fresh (I think this was felt as cool by some analysists, hence the winter diagnosis at times). Although your brightness is obviously cool rather than warm, I see some of the same confusion; its easy to perhaps misread brightness as coolness and read it as deep winter, and neutral warmth in an overtone as autumnal warmth (deep autumn). Hope that makes sense, but it became quite breathtakingly clear to me (no pun intended) when I saw the bright spring drapes against my skin for the first time.