There's no denying the important role color plays in style. From boosting mood and energy levels to sending the right message, and even helping create balance and proportion and camouflage any troublesome areas. It's also the thing that can make our clients look brighter, healthier, and even younger when we find their perfect color season. But color analysis is often one of the more challenging skills to learn and even the most seasoned personal stylists sometimes struggle to find the right color season for their clients. If you currently offer color analysis services or it's something you're thinking of adding to your business then there are some simple things you can do to make the process easier and more accurate for both in-person and virtual color analysis.
1. Choose the right lighting - Lighting plays a major role in how color is projected! Fluorescent lighting can drastically affect how an undertone is perceived and change warm into cool. Having the wrong lighting or not having enough light will make it more challenging to determine the undertone of your client and may even lead to inaccurate analysis. Natural light is a must for color analysis so make sure the location you use has plenty of windows or check their undertone outside. For virtual color analysis, always make sure your client takes a photograph in natural light.
2. Choose the right background - When we see bright colors or patterns in the background our eyes are naturally drawn to them and we can often, without realizing it, start analyzing them instead of our client. If the background is close to the client's face it can also make their undertone look different. Whenever possible, remove the distraction by having your clients sit in front of a plain colored wall for their analysis. You could even tape a white sheet on the wall to cover any busy wallpaper or bold paint. For virtual clients make sure they take a photograph in front of a white background if they can, or use a background remover app before starting your analysis.
3. Choose the right clothes - If your client is wearing color in their face and neck area it can reflect in their undertone and will make an accurate analysis more challenging. Have your client wear a white t-shirt, or use a white drape to cover any clothing around their face and neck. By having white next to their face you will be able to see their true undertone more clearly.
4. Ask for a baby photo - If your client colors his/her hair, then it can sometimes make color analysis more challenging especially if they choose a hair color that doesn't match their undertone. A simple way to help confirm your undertone analysis is to look at the color of their hair as a baby or child. The undertone they were born with is the one they will always have, so you'll see it in their natural hair color.
5. Remove make-up - To get an accurate undertone analysis you need to be able to clearly see your client's natural skin color and skin tone so it's important that your client is not wearing any foundation, blush, or contouring during the analysis. If they're wearing eye shadow it's also a good idea to have them remove this too so that it doesn't reflect in their eye color.
If you follow these tips, and of course practice as much as you can, you'll find the color analysis process easier and you'll also be able to confidently offer your clients an accurate analysis.
Happy Styling!
Louisa 💕
P.S. If you want to take your color analysis skills to the next level then grab a copy of my self-study advanced color analysis e-book, available now in the resource store.