Monday, February 16, 2009

Top 10 tips to guaranteeing a precise color analysis


Ladies,

Options for color analysis abound, from online color tests to color consults at the makeup counter to professional color analysis in a studio setting. Research your options carefully, because the more accurate the analysis, the more rejuvenated, slenderized, polished and put together you will appear as a result!

Here are my top 10 tips for guaranteeing a precise color analysis:

1) Be sure that natural sunlight or full spectrum lighting is used. Poor lighting makes it almost impossible to complete an analysis.

2) The room's walls and surroundings should be in a neutral grey that will not compete against or detract from the colored drapes used for analysis.

3) Hair and body should be covered with a neutral grey cap and gown, as well, and the analyst should wear an analyst's gown to cover her own clothing.

4) Test drapes used must be measured for color accuracy. The results of a color analysis are only are accurate as the test materials used!

5) The color analysis system used must account for the possibility of neutral skin tones, since up to two-thirds of women are neither cool nor warm in undertone.

6) No makeup should be worn during the analysis, as makeup both masks and alters the look of the skin. During a color analysis, it is imperative that we see the visual effects of both right and wrong colors on the skin.

7) No facial tanners should be used for at least a week prior to the consultation, as some self-tanners shift the look of skin tone too much. Additionally, colored contact lenses should not be worn, because part of the analysis involves observing visual effects of certain colors on a person's eye color.

8) How many colors are included in your palette? Be sure that the consultation includes at least 60 colors that all mix and match. This provides a breadth of color to work with and facilitates easy wardrobe planning.

9) Personal books of color should be provided as part of the consultation. Some books of color contain fabric squares, which are extremely difficult to match against other clothing fabrics seen in stores. Matching fabric to fabric is complex, even for master colorists, because fabric has a sheen that changes appearance as light reflects off of it. The most accurate personal books of color, when printed on archival canvas, are not only lightfast and guaranteed to last a lifetime, but they serve as a constant against which various fabrics can be compared.

10) Training of the color analyst is the perhaps the most important dimension here. There are so many online training programs, but an analyst should ideally be trained in person by a company that specializes in the field of color. There is simply no substitution for receiving hands-on training, despite the many online training programs available today. The art and science of color analysis take practice to understand and time to perfect.

Live in color!
Lauren

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