There are many ways of adding silver to your wardrobe this spring 2016.
If you have a cool skin tone silver will really flatter your skin tone – but if you have a warm skin tone – here are some ideas to add it into your wardorbe.
Wear away from the face with a silver skirt or add to shine with your accessories.
Face Paint The Story of Makeup ~ Lisa Eldridge 
Publisher: Abrams £ 18.99
ISBN: 9781419717963 Hardback
“This is definitely not just a coffee table “how to” book but a truly inspiring guide to cosmetics.”
As many of you know I am a fan of Lisa Eldridge and so am excited that her first book Face Paint: The Story of Make-up is now published and receiving 5 star reviews.
She has extensive experience having been the creative director at Boots No 7, Chanel and currently Lancome. Her creative work is frequently featured on the covers of Vogue and Harpers to name but two and she works with the top photographers in the world.
The passion that has driven her stemmed from the first time she picked up a box of vintage cosmetics for five pounds in a market in London, resulting in her amassing a huge personal vintage collection with some items dating back 2000 years.
Using her 20 years of experience in the beauty industry, she has created a book filled with the history and origins of makeup, colours, trends and influences.
This is not a “How to Book” which was expected from Lisa given her experience and her videos and blogs. This is a history book. It’s not linear – each chapter has a theme. This means that you can dip into it – making it an ideal coffee table book.
There are two sections: The first is Ancient Palettes – featuring the colours Red, White and Black and Section 2 The Business of Beauty.
Her book was launched at Liberty on 13th October – and to advertise the book she has made a number of videos.
If you have a couple of minutes you’ll love watching this one – The Best and Worst Moments of Makeup in History. (Click the photo to be taken to You Tube and the Video)
I’m definitely adding this to my Christmas list this year – but if you can’t wait you can get a copy here: Face Paint – Lisa Eldridge
Mustard is a dark yellow color that resembles culinary mustard – it also is similar in colour to Flax. It’s a relative newcomer as colours go and was first recorded as a colour name in English in 1886.
It’s been out of favour as a fashion colour for a while but seems to be growing in popularity again and there are quite a few mustard items hitting the High Street at the moment – no doubt a reflection of the 70’s retro trends, which was when the colour was last popular.
Your autumn skin tone clients will love this shade and find it a welcome change from the orange and sage colours that they can wear so well. Here are a few ideas for adding it to their wardrobe to “spice up their lives”.
Author: Helen Kendall-Tobias
How one of our Consultants Uses Colour In Her Business…
Barbara Laws qualified in Advanced Colour Analysis with Colourflair in 2013. For her it was the next step towards launching her personal colour and bespoke jewellery design company, Gem and Tonic.
Barbara was born in Austria into a family of Jewellers. Her grandparents and both her parents were Goldsmiths/Jewellers. So there was never any question that Barbara would not also become a goldsmith and join the very successful and well known family business.
“My sister and I took over the family business where I looked after the workshop and completed my Master ‘Goldschmiedmeister’. Then life intervened and I married, had two beautiful children, which are by the way my “masterpieces” and focused on bringing them up while helping my husband with his business. As my children are now grown up I felt it was time to go back to my roots, back to the bench…”
Barbara believes that jewellery is and should be very personal. And this is what is lacking from the choice available on the high street. She has always been passionate about matching a gemstone with the right metal. But, since her training with Colourflair, has the knowledge to go further and be able to match metals and gemstones with the skin tone of her clients.
Gem & Tonic is an exciting concept which combines jewellery, design and colour analysis. ‘Gem’ represents the jewellery and ‘Tonic’ the colour consultancy. Her collections, Tints, Tones, Hue and Shade are named after the technical colour terms – and as gemstones come in all hues, tints, tones and shades combined with white- yellow- red- rose- gold or silver the possibilities for her jewellery collection are endless.
But that’s just part of the story. The jewellery in her brochure and on her website are examples of her skill. Gem and Tonic also designs bespoke pieces sourcing the gemstones and metal to meet a clients’ requirements – making totally unique pieces that are personal to her clients.
Barbara also upcycles jewellery that may have been handed down or left unworn in a jewellery box, giving it new life and a more contemporary design to suit the style personality of her clients.
You can see more of Barbara’s work on the website gemandtonic.uk
Oh and of course…if you’d like to book for a Colour Analysis, please contact Barbara here
A Grumbacher colour wheel is an essential tool when you are learning about colour.
There’s one in the Colourflair Advanced Colour Analysis Training Kit.
Unless people paint, relatively few people have used the colour wheel, and so are interested in finding out more. I find it a really useful tool when shopping to find complementary tones and shades, especially for special occasion outfits. It’s helped many of my clients accessorize outfits in a more interesting way than adding safe neutral accessories.
Search “unusual colour wheels” on Google and you’ll find some fabulous examples: Here’s a jewellery colour wheel from stylerocks.com This company specialises in customising jewellery using different stones.
Then there are floral colour wheels, food colour wheels, ones made from books and even Converse Trainers!
And it’s not all about Colour as this Vintage Grumbacher colour wheel shows. It also gives valuable information on Value, Hue and Chroma Scales.
Helen – Colourflair Trainer
Each year the colour authority PANTONE decides on a colour palette for the year and chooses one to be THE colour.
For 2015 it is Marsala
“Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness.”
Whilst at first glance you may be forgiven for thinking this is a tricky colour to wear pantone says:
“Whether in a flat or textured material, or with a matte or gloss finish, this highly varietal shade combines dramatically with neutrals, including warmer taupes and grays. Because of its burnished undertones, sultry Marsala is highly compatible with amber, umber and golden yellows, greens in both turquoise and teal, and blues in the more vibrant range.”
A quick visit to Pinterest searching on Marsala will show you just how many colours it can be teamed with. It looks set to be a favourite for weddings – bridesmaid dresses and flowers, and of course this is a colour that works well in home decor.
Not sure about whether it suits you? Why not find a local Colourflair Consultant who will be able to helo you with your colour choices.
Author: Helen Kendall-Tobias
Spring is well and truly here in the UK and looking through my window I can see all the daffodils in my garden are in full bloom. It got me thinking about the colour yellow…
Yellow is the colour of the sun, it brings happiness, it radiates warmth and makes you smile. But it’s a colour that has positive as well as negative associations. It’s used for high visibility warning signs, traffic lights and taxis but is also associated with negative feelings and emotions such as cowardice – you can be describe someone as “yellow bellied”.
I read a fascinating book this month “Why are you wearing those colours” by Thelma Werff.
Thelma says that “wearing a yellow shirt or T-shirt says that you approach life with trust, joy and delight blessing you with a flexible and adaptable openness to new ideas. You are capable of making quick decisions and putting these into action, with the ability to share your acquired knowledge. You have high self-confidence and self-esteem making you articulate and self-assured. With this colour you share your positive and optimistic attitude with others.”
Colours are of course used to cure, too. Yellow is suitable for anorexia, digestive problems, liver, and stomach. It’s also good to clear your mind, to relax your nerves, and to be more organized. It helps you get focused. So from a decorating viewpoint – makes a great colour for a study or workspace.
A little book on my bookcase, called “The secrets of colour healing” by Stephen Norris says that you should avoid this colour if you have stomach problems, are feeling excitable or restless are stressed or unable to wind-down or if you have trouble sleeping.
Quite often ladies seem to shy away from this colour when it comes to clothes, and they often pull a face at all the variations while being draped during a colour analysis. But it’s surprising how much they like the colour on themselves once they’ve seen their best shade against their skin.
As I was researching the shops this week in preparation for a personal shopping client I was struck by the amount of yellow on the High Street. I can’t help thinking that the retailers will be left with masses of unsold items. This is of course where we can help…showing our clients their best shade of yellow.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this article and would like to find out more about colour and which colours really suit you and how you can show other people to wear colour confidently – please contact us for more information on how you can train in Advanced Colour Analysis.
I recently received some information from another Training Provider. It made me see red…Here is what they wrote:
“There are numerous ways you can charge for your services, and you will have to identify the one that works for you. Your fees will be based upon:
* Nature of the tasks involved (the amount of work you have to do and the time involved).
* Your level of expertise (experienced consultants will be in greater demand, and can therefore charge more).
* The affluence of your client. Richer, more expansive clients will be prepared to spend more.
* The competition in your area. See what your competitors are charging and think how you want to position yourself in the market.
THE PRICING OPTIONS
When you enter the market you will have to make a choice about how you want to charge your clients. The options available to you are:
1. Service based flat fee
2. A fee per hour
3. Daily fee
A very important point is to look at the competition in your area. If there are other image consultants make sure you are competitive in relation to their prices.”
OK so why was my blood boiling? Well this advice while well-meaning is quite simplistic and could see your business travel down a very slippery slope, very quickly.
It’s not that the information is wrong – but in an attempt to make the text as short as possible they’ve left out several critical factors for a pricing structure:
Is the consultant in your area who is charging £50 for a colour analysis really making any money – is she working as a business or just making pin money?
Can you be certain that someone charging £75 for colour has their pricing structure worked out properly…or are they just a month from closing?
Pricing is “multi-factorial” but comes down to two things – the value that your service can bring to your client and knowing very clearly who your ideal client is (see last months “Keeping in Touch Article”).
“If everyone bought on price we’d all be driving around in the same car.”
Case Study:
I have recently been mentoring another Image Consultant (not Colourflair trained). As a new business she was offering a 2 hour colour analysis including swatches for £35, as a special offer. (Yes, I was shocked when I found this out!) Offering this service for such a low price had given her quite a few contacts and some business, but these had not converted or “up-sold” to other services, and although a super cheap offer, it was not attracting the number of clients she wanted. In fact her most popular service was 4 x more popular than the Colour Analysis at £35.
Her potential clients did just not see the value of the service, even priced at £35!
When we looked at her business model and her aims and objectives it was clear she needed to put her prices up. I advised her that her colour analysis session should be priced at £90 minimum.
In the first week of January she was phoned by a friend of someone who had had a colour analysis during 2013. This lady had seen the results (the value) of her friends Colour Analysis and wanted to book herself for a colour analysis – for £35.
What happened next? The lady was advised that the £35 Colour Analysis was a special promotion and that the price was now £90. The lady at the end of the phone went quiet for a short while…and then booked for £90.
Our services give real value to our clients, please don’t sell yours short! Now is a good time to review your price list and just take a look at what your competitors are charging. Could you up your prices, or could they do with a little adjustment?
PS Just so you don’t have to search my website: www.imaginationonline.info I currently charge £175 for Colour Analysis – which leaves me scope to offer special offers at £99 or £145…and yes I do have customers!
The Colour of 2014
Each year, the International colour standards authority PANTONE, announces a colour palette for the coming year – and nominate one of those colours to be THE colour for the year. For 2014 it has been named as Radiant Orchid… Read More
“Think Pink”, which featured in the Audrey Hepburn film “Funny Face” in 1957
I’ve just finished reviewing my August copies of (Harper’s) Bazaar, Vogue and In Style magazines…and whether you call it “A Rose Bouquet” (Vogue), or “Blush Up” (In Style), what all these magazines have in common, is that they’re thinking pink for AW2013. “Think Pink” (Bazaar) is their take on THE colour for the autumn winter 2013-2014 season, from the catwalk collections. Read More
