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Colour Analysis Make-up Tips

Make-up and skin tone tips part one | part two | part three

Several years ago, I attended a full day's presentation by one of the top Health celebrities in the UK. Marvellous day, excellent lunch, and some great talks - except for one.

The celebrity concerned decided to enlighten us all as to grooming (or some such title). Can't remember much of what she talked about but I do remember two items that she mentioned that made my blood boil. Now, this lady might have been an expert in her own field but colour analysis was clearly not one of her skills.

She took the time to name the make and shade of tights she was wearing, saying that these should suit everyone. A bit outrageous, I thought, but I concluded, "What the heck! I suppose you could get away with it - at a stretch."

But when she named the make and shade of her lipstick and said that it would suit virtually everyone, I was absolutely horrifed and, for once, I was struck speechless.

Let me tell you, that particular lipstick would NOT have suited me one bit. In fact, I would probably have looked ill wearing it. And, looking around the room full of women desperately scribbling down these pearls of idiotic wisdom, I could see that it most definitely would not have suited about half of them either.

What amazed me more than anything was the way the women in the room devoured everything this celebrity was saying, as though it was gospel.

What's even worse is that this kind of irresponsible lunacy still exists in 2009

The following email was sent to me by a rather more enlightened image consultant:

Dear Kim,

I forgot to tell you about the xxx networking event I went to last evening - if you'd been there you would have slid under the table with laughter!!

It was themed 'Business is Image and Image is Business' and had three ladies talking about what to wear, etc.  There were some good points but then this particular lady got up and started saying that:

• black suits everyone or at least grey
• we should all have a cowl neck woollen black dress in our wardrobes
• we should all buy black high-waisted trousers from Oasis because they fit and flatter every shape

Well, I had to look away in order not to let her see my amazement at her pronunciations especially as she herself was wearing a very tight woollen dress in totally the wrong colour for her - brown hair (couldn't see her eyes) wearing a sort of dirty mink colour (do you get the impression I wasn't exactly impressed?) and the audience was taking it all in and agreeing with her. 

As it was my first attendance at xxx I erred on the side of caution and kept my thoughts to myself - there will be a time for me to say my piece, but oh, how I wished for reinforcements!  One day!

MB, Image consultant, UK
January 2009

My answer (with steam coming out of my ears!)

Dear MB,

This is so ruddy typical of the idiotic nonsense that was churned out in the 80s still being regurgitated by people with their heads up their bottoms nearly 30 years later.

Your note about the audience ‘taking it all in and agreeing with her’ is so annoyingly true.  Have you read my article (above) that I wrote in 2003? 

Good job you didn’t take me with you – I wouldn’t have waited for reinforcements, I’m afraid.  I am so fed up of this twaddle going on that I would probably have challenged her right there and then.  And then, I would probably have turned on the audience and asked them what the heck they thought they were doing, listening blindly (can you do that?) to such rubbish? 

I'm now going for a lie down in a darkened room and a LARGE gin and tonic!

Regards,
Mrs. Angry (aka Kim)

Please don't listen to rubbish

So, why would that lipstick not have suited half of the women in the room?

• Because the celebrity had warm skin tones and around half of the room had cool skin
• People with warm skin need make-up and clothes with golden or honey undertones
• People with cool skin need make-up and clothes with undertones of blue or rose pink
• This warm lipstick would have made the cool-toned ladies look yellow and ill

And let me reassure you:

• some people look perfectly ghastly (or should that be 'ghostly'?) in black
• some people should NOT be caught dead in grey
• high-waisted trousers do NOT fit and flatter every shape, no matter what ruddy colour they are!
• we should NOT all have a cowl neck dress in our wardrobes, and even if you discover that you look good in this particular style, the very idea that it should absolutely be in black and made of wool is utter poppycock

And while we're at it, let's take a look at three completely different dresses that all carry the title 'black cowl neck dress':

Courtesy Principles		Courtesy Overstock		Courtesy Oasis

Which one exactly did this silly woman have in HER mind? And which style did YOU think she was talking about?

Find out what suits YOU, not blindly follow some generalised recipe for the world and his mother!

Please, please, please! Find out what suits YOU. Not what some celebrity with an over-inflated ego or out-of-date image consultant suggests. These generalities only add to the current recipe of mediocrity that fashion magazines and the media propound on an almost daily basis.

• You are not general
• You are not average
• You are special and unique and you deserve the very best
• Don't settle for less

You could start by completing our free Tonal Advisor online colour analysis questionnaire to discover immediately which Tonal colours are the best for you.

Then I would suggest that you treat yourself to a personalised session with a professional image consultant She will help determine which Season you are and give you personalised advice suited to YOU and no-one else. Immediately, you will be able to cut down your choices to only those shades that suit you. It makes shopping easier and quicker and you will save loads of money by not making mistakes.

This goes for:

• foundation
• eye shadow
• blusher
• lipstick
• hair colour
• eyeglasses
• jewellery
• nail polish
• shoes
• handbags
• scarves
• hats
• and CLOTHES

Everything will then match YOU, and you will look gorgeous all the time.

Find a professional colour and image consultant now before YOU have to take to the gin bottle!

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Make-up, Beauty, Hairstyle Tips & more

Skin care tips | Make-up tips | Hair tips | Lingerie tips | Health tips Learn the rules and play the game | Style tips | Size charts | Quotes Colour capers | Snippets to brighten your day | Top tips home Colourful tops - all year round

Colour Analysis Make-up Tips

Make-up and skin tone tips part one | part two | part three