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Your Colour and Style

Call me:  023 8000 1017  or  07469 246722

Colour analysis

Susan’s season confirmation and rating review

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Initial colour analysis

Susan had been colour-analysed ten years ago as a “Spring”. She was very happy with this and had a wallet of her colour spectrum to help her shop for clothes, glasses frames, accessories like jewellery, bags and shoes, and makeup.

Stop The Clock!

The natural ageing process affects skin elasticity and shine, as well as hair colour. Sadly we can’t “Stop The Clock!”. Nowadays we are more aware of the changes our bodies experience, and there are specialist products for mid-life skin, as well as great hair dyes.

Susan’s story

Susan had decided, about five years ago, to embrace her natural grey as a “fact of life” and with the help of her supportive hairdresser grew the dye colour out over a couple of years.
This was all fine until someone made a comment which made Susan question whether she could still be a “Spring” with her more mature look, so she sought Fiona to answer the question.

What Fiona did

Fiona went to Susan’s home and spent time explaining how her eye colour hadn’t changed (beautiful clear blue eyes) and the natural pigmentation in her skin hadn’t changed. Fiona also explained that she sees different shades of grey in her clients, which she would describe as warm or cool. If Susan had been correctly analysed as a Spring, and Fiona had no reason to doubt that, then Susan’s natural grey would be a warm grey.

Fiona went through the “Spring” colours of her drapes and proved to Susan she was still a Spring and looked lovely in the warm and bright colours, but the way she may now look best was a slight tweak to the shades of her colours. Susan rocked the medium shades now, not the deepest ones of her palette.

Susan said she could see this, and that our time together had been very useful. Not only can she now be more confident with any new purchases, but as the time of year had changed, Susan had just got her autumn and winter clothes out. Fiona showed her what she had that currently worked in her work wardrobe, and together they identified a few key pieces that would give Susan a capsule wardrobe when she is on the lookout for something new. They spent time looking at combinations of colours as well, especially after Fiona explained the “colour wheel” and left Susan with a mini version to remind her of the discussion.

Whilst Fiona was there, she showed Susan how she could make some new outfits and how to use her scarves to make some wardrobe pieces work better.

Conclusion:

  1. We should not need to change our palette (if we have been correctly analysed) as we age, but the way we wear it may change.
  2. Further consultations with your image consultant are never wasted as there’s always more to learn.
  3. Fiona gives confidence and excitement to getting your clothes and wardrobe the best for you, and she will be helping Susan look for new pieces when the time is right, now we are clear about Susan’s best colours.
If you would like to see how Fiona makes you love your clothes and look your best, please get in touch for your personal consultation. It will definitely be worth it. Call or message Fiona on 07469 246722.

Tips for sticking with your colours

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The goal of every Image Consultant is to leave our clients with a wardrobe of clothes that are not just ‘easy’ to wear but that make them feel good when they wear them.  (As one friend put it “My wardrobe makes me feel like a million dollars without costing me anything like that much!”)

Hopefully, that confident feeling you have gained from your consultation will last forever (what incredible value for money!) and you will continue dressing with comfort and confidence for years and years to come.  However, we are all only human and it is only human to have little lapses or to revert to old habits. How easy it can be to get carried away in the moment, only to find you have bought a really expensive cashmere sweater in a colour that makes you look ill every time you wear it!

So here are my five top tips to help you stay on track and carry your new-found wardrobe confidence into the future.

  1. Your Image Consultant will have left you with your personalised selection of colour swatches so, of course, the ideal is that you take them when you go shopping. If you don’t want to carry the whole selection around all the time, could you slip a few of your favourite colours into you purse so they are always handy?  And, with technology today, Fiona has created some that can be kept handy on your phone, so you need never be without them again!
  2. Make a note of how you feel in an outfit (and if you got any compliments) to keep yourself motivated. It will help remind you that your colour selections really do suit you and make you feel ready for anything. Just a notebook by your bed would do; read back over your notes whenever you need a little boost.
  3. In your wardrobe, try hanging garments in colour order: all skirts in colour palette order, all shirts in colour palette order and so on (rather than random shirts here and skirts there). It will provide a visual reminder of what your colours are, as well as what contrasts or blends well together. It will help make those wardrobe decisions on busy mornings a little easier.
  4. If you do ‘fall off the wagon’ and buy something that doesn’t suit you, don’t despair. Make a mental note of how often you actually wear it (I bet you’ll go with the tried and trusted garments that you know suit you instead!). If it’s hanging in the wardrobe more often than not, could you dye it, dress it up or donate it to a friend who it will suit?
  5. From time to time, remind yourself why you visited an Image Consultant in the first place. Remember the ‘old’ you, who never knew what to wear, worried about if things suited her and never seemed to have the same style confidence that others seem to have. You are not that person any more and it’s down to what you have learnt about your personal colour and style.

If you need more motivation, I have designed just the product for you. It is being launched this month (November), so look out for more information and how you can obtain yours through me.

Emerging from lockdown with confidence and colour …

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This is the type of feedback I love! Helping someone roll back the years and emerge from lockdown with confidence. Just knowing what suits in terms of clothing and accessory colours can make such a difference.

“I had become jaded and fed up with my choice of clothes…. Following the imminent end of lock down I wanted to review what I had in my cupboard and transform it into a place which brought me joy!

The few hours we spent together were hugely informative and taught me all sorts of things about what suits me – some of which was quite unexpected.

I placed my first online order after (which Fiona checked for me – thank you) and yesterday received my new clothes. Apart from noting that the colours were 100% not what I would normally buy, I have to say that when I tried on the pieces, they were all stunning!

I took the opportunity to wear something I would never wear today as I had one of my first days back in the office. It made me feel more confident and I certainly feel that it helped me to look the age I would like to be 😊 thank you for all you have done – it so helped to take me out of the style rut I had been in which resulted in many clothes which did not actually suit me.

I look forward to exploring my new found colour sense!”

Thanks Christine for your lovely feedback, and for letting me share it. I look forward to helping you further in the future.

If you’re bored with your wardrobe and want to emerge from lockdown with confidence and flair – it’s time to invest three hours in yourself and contact me. It’ll be worth it. I promise!

Fiona

Your Colour & Style Consultant

07469 246722

What a delight! Carole needs bright!

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I met Carole earlier in 2020, when she'd just started her business as a 'Virtual Office Manager'. She seemed lovely (just the type of person who I'd love to work with). I kept meeting her at different events throughout the year. She saw one of my posts, which prompted a conversation about colour analysis, and you can read Carole's story about what happened from her perspective over on her website:

www.caaadmin.com/new-blog/colour-your-life-with-change

I was really delighted to help Carole examine her wardrobe in a new light. She now knows she needs light, 'warm' and bright colours to light her up and make her look younger and healthier. She's happier in her clothes too, and enjoying quite a lot of compliments from what she tells me! Funnily enough, she already had some great pieces in her wardrobe to work with, and can now be more confident to wear them.

What do you think?

Carole's "before" photo, wearing darker colours she now knows to avoid.

Carole's "after" photo: with blue and pink already in her wardrobe.

Carole wearing a black cardigan over a grey cami
Carole's "after" picture

Carole's colour analysis was conducted in September using the 'remote' process I devised during the Coronavirus 'lockdown' in March. My process is to post a goody bag of essentials to my client. When they receive it, a two hour Zoom call is set up. After that a one hour meeting is held at the client's home to finish off the process when allowed, and it can be safely conducted. The process includes information about the make-up and clothes you already own, and a wallet of 30 colours to represent your "season", if the process can be concluded this way. (I cannot guarantee it will work over the internet as there are some variables like lighting and screen colours. If I cannot be sure of the result I will tell you and we can make alternative arrangements, or you can have your money back.)

If you would be interested to find out how £150 investment in yourself can improve your life, please contact me on the number below. I look forward to your call or email!

Fiona

Your Colour & Style Consultant

07469 246722 / fiona.yourcolourandstyle@gmail.com

“Remote” Colour Analysis: how it works with Your Colour & Style

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What is Colour Analysis?

Colour analysis is the process of discovering which colours of clothing, accessories, make-up, and hair-dye look best on someone, so they can shop with knowledge and focus to make themselves look healthiest and most attractive, and save wasting money on items that don’t serve them well.

How Covid-19 changed things

When I trained over 11 years ago, I never imagined I would be able to colour-analyse through the internet! Yet, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing since the world adapted because of Covid-19. I, like many business owners, had to re-think my business proposition to make it work in this new world. (Thank goodness for the internet and Zoom I say!)

Because I am experienced, I have worked out a system that works for my clients and me, although I cannot guarantee it will work in 100% of cases because there are a few variables that I can’t control when working “remotely”. So, my system comprises of posting some drapes to the client in advance of the consultation, them sending me some pictures, then carrying out the analysis using Zoom (so they can also have a recording – a new bonus from this process) and completing the analysis at their home face-to-face when possible. A total of 3 hours for £150, backed by the guarantee that if it cannot be completed on-line either money-back, or conducting the analysis in the usual face-to-face way at my client’s home, with adequate safety measures in place.

A recent client example

I recently had the delight to conduct an analysis for the lovely Suzy, who helpfully (as a seasoned brand photographer) was able to take her own before and after pictures! I think you’ll agree they are stunning and show how the harmonious “autumn” colour shades create rapport with her features and make her look the warm and friendly person she is.

We discovered she was an “autumn”, meaning that she needs warm and soft colours to best combine with her natural skin tone, hair colouring and eyes. As it happened, one of those colours (a teal or kingfisher) she had chosen as her business brand colour, so she obviously loved it.

Suzy’s “before” photo

Suzy Ellis' "before" photo
Suzy Ellis in a bright blue (“winter”) dress – before she realised she needed warm and soft colours to make her look her best

Suzy Ellis' "after" picture
Suzy Ellis in her autumn top that she loved, and which loved her!

As part of the analysis I offer, I like to connect the theory with my client’s reality – and that involves discussion about the clothes they already own. It may be that I can give advice about making something work better; combining items that the client had never thought of; or what to do with something that the client is ready to put away or move on as they now know it is not best for them. All clients declare, as did Suzy, that this would be the scariest bit, but I can reveal that 100% of my clients afterwards say this is “the best bit” (I think because it makes the theory come alive and is practical for them).

The Client’s Perspective

Suzy kindly wrote about her experience, from the client’s perspective, and I am delighted to share it here with you.

The words of Suzy Ellis, Brand Photographer

” I’ve never been particularly into fashion, much preferring comfort over style. However I recently met Fiona in a networking meeting and what she had to say really grabbed my attention. I decided to join her online clothing swap as I was getting very depressed wearing the same tatty jeans and ancient T-shirt’s every day and thought this could be the opportunity for a change. My body shape and size has changed since having children so my wardrobe was full of clothes which I was desperately hanging onto in the hopes that I might fit back into them one day. Fiona’s event seemed like the perfect opportunity to get some new clothes. 

The event was great fun and I ended up with some lovely new items, however one thing I did notice was that the other ladies on the call all seemed to be aware of their “colours”. This is something I’ve never really considered before.  I’d always just bought clothes which I liked the look of and which (I hoped) were a flattering style. It never really occurred to me that there were specific colours which would compliment my skin tone, hair and eye colour. That would make me look healthy and bright.. and that would cause people to actually compliment me on my outfit (not a common occurrence for me). 

After chatting with Fiona I booked one of her remote colour and style consultations. She explained how it would work, partly via zoom meeting and partly face to face when we were able to safely work together. She then arranged for me to have a pack of colour charts, multi coloured swatches and a colour wheel delivered to my house. I sent Fiona some images before the consultation of my face without makeup or jewellery so she could see my skin, eye and hair colour.

The Zoom Meeting

The Zoom meeting was fantastic! Fiona explained all of the seasonal colours to me and how and why colours compliment each other. We discussed my usual clothes and what colours I usually wear and why. I then used the colour swatches to hold up near my face for Fiona to see which tones suited me best. We both came to the conclusion that autumn colours worked best with my complexion. Afterwards, Fiona helped me go through some of the items in my wardrobe to see whether they would work with my colouring. It wasn’t just a case of … no that doesn’t work, get rid of it. She recommended how I could accessorise some of my clothes to make them look better, possibly take them to a tailor to be adjusted or even save some of the nicer items for my daughter when she is a bit older. I was slightly worried about this part of the consultation as my wardrobe is not something I’m proud of, but Fiona was so wonderful. She didn’t bat an eyelid about the random things I pulled out, and even encouraged me to give some of my older clothes a second chance. It was a lovely experience and I am very much looking forward to our meeting in person to talk a little more about makeup and accessories. 

I have now had a sort out of my wardrobe and bought some new items in colours which I’ve never considered before but I think will suit me. I’m looking forward to going shopping again with my colour palette and I finally feel like I can spend my money wisely on clothes that I will actually wear and feel happy and confident in. “

Fiona says:

I am delighted that this analysis was able to be concluded for Suzy, and that she is now on her way to looking her best every day with ease.

If you want to see what can happen for you, Fiona can offer on-line analysis, as well as wardrobe consultations and support if you are buying new clothes, whether that’s brand new, or just new for you (ie previously loved).

Suzy’s website, for anyone wanting her help for their brand photography, is https://www.suzyellisphotography.co.uk

 

Suzy having finished her "remote" colour analysis
Suzy in relaxed pose, happy after her “remote” colour analysis

 

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

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In this blog I bare all about how being bullied at work and how some chance encounters (literally) saved me and led me to create “Your Colour & Style”. I’m now the happiest I’ve ever been. Read on to discover why I’m so passionate about colour and its power over people.

In the beginning …

When I was just starting out in the world of work, I had a dream: I’d been drifting a bit as a secretary but knew I could do more. I landed in a position as Secretary in a big Personnel Department, where there were several specialist teams totaling about 80 people. I would sometimes over-hear the conversations of those HR practitioners and think “that’s just common sense, I could do that!”

So, for my personal development, I asked to do an HR qualification course (a four-year undertaking as I had to do a foundation year). I really enjoyed all that we were learning, even though I had to catch up with the afternoons’ work I’d missed going to college by working on Saturday mornings and doing my college work on Saturday afternoons.

As the months went on, I did well in my studies and managed to keep my busy job going too. However, I was finding it difficult to get my foot on the ladder in the department.

A random ‘phone call was the trigger …

One day I received a random phone call. The lady on the other end of the telephone asked “does anyone in your organisation give presentations?” (Obviously I replied “yes”.) “And, do they need to look good for those presentations?” (Obviously, “yes”). “So, can I come and give a presentation to show them how they can look good for their presentations?” (“OK, I’ll set it up.”) Well, her presentation was so impactful I realised that I needed to book with her and have my colour-analysis, to help me break into the world of HR.

Those few hours of colour analysis changed my life …

I’m not sure how soon it was after that colour analysis (where I realised I was making myself look much older than I actually was just by wearing the wrong colour clothes and make-up), but suddenly the HR door opened and I got my first opportunity.

At last …

I was moving into the career I now desired and I loved it. Still studying, I did not realise my happiness was to be short-lived.

My team leader announced he was leaving and I was to get a new boss. As it was really just us two, it would be important for me to like, or at least get on with, my new boss.

She didn’t join for several weeks so there was a halt in the section’s activities. When she did arrive, she worked from home a lot, which in those days was unusual and communication was more difficult than it would be today!

She wasn’t like other bosses I’d had, who were motivating and great leaders. She was not a “regular communicator” and more of a “thinker” who didn’t communicate her thoughts often, which I found difficult. After several months when the section still hadn’t “got going” I was struggling to know what my role was. On top of that she was actually hindering my studying and career progress at every opportunity, something I wasn’t used to.

Fortunately, many dark days were brightened up by my new colours! I was enjoying wearing my colourful new clothes. I’d say that my colour analysis was definitely the game changer for me. I’d learnt how to put colours together and look amazing, even if inside I was demoralised and underconfident due to what was happening at work. Getting compliments regularly about my appearance really helped lift me after a daily dose of mental crushing. The more I dazzled with my appearance, the more it seemed to annoy her and the more vicious she would be. (I didn’t realise until years later that this was bullying behaviour.)

Finally, after a painful year, I decided to request a meeting with her boss

To my relief…

She was brilliant and my training plan got back on track.

Eventually, I was sufficiently prepared, and newly qualified, for my first professional role. I secured it and didn’t look back.

Dreams do come true…

I now had my dream job and am qualified in a profession that I loved. At last, things are going well again.

Although I had been given a chance, I hadn’t actually had a lot of experience.  Having been badly bullied, my confidence wasn’t high. But my new manager was excellent, and I was adapting quickly to my new circumstances and learning a lot very fast.

I also began studying again (the Financial Planning Certificate), to put my knowledge into context. After three happy years, there was cloud on the horizon.

A devastating day changed everything…

One Monday, we received the news that our department leader had died over the weekend. What a shock. He’d made me laugh so much: I was devastated. He was one of the founders of the business too, so the whole company mourned. This changed things radically.

After six months of keeping the show on the road, my line manager boss announced she was leaving. Unfortunately, it was a familiar story again; the next boss didn’t live up to the previous one, and gradually, one-by-one, the team jumped ship.

When I jumped, I made a mistake, and wound up at sea. It took me another nine months before my next lucky break. But, I wasn’t about to admit defeat after all I’d been through.

What goes around, comes acound…

Ever heard the saying “What goes around comes around”? Well, it seemed a cycle of fortune was about to come my way. The person who employed my first great boss (which led to the replacement bully) was to now ‘rescue’ and employ me! This chance was to be the absolute making of me, and I landed somewhere that I loved, back in financial services, and where I could move forward in my career. All was to be good for several very happy years.

Looking ahead to another dream…

I used to plan ahead five years at a time. I decided I wanted to work for myself, and to work from home. I thought that I couldn’t be an HR Consultant, as there was a lot of competition and I wasn’t sure it would really ‘play to my strengths’.

Another day that changed everything…

As a birthday present, a good friend paid for me to have a twenty-minute coaching session with a coach and image consultant. Well, within twenty minutes we were talking about working together! I embarked on the training to change others’ lives like the lady who’d changed mine, and that was to be the next chapter in my story.

I was still working in my HR role, and using all my holidays to attend conferences, training sessions, and working towards getting clients and helping them change their lives with colour, in all my “spare” time: evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Five years on…

Five years flew by, and I was getting more and more exhausted, without realising, because I was enjoying my new life so much. The day had come to make a decision about whether I was ready to jump fully into self-employment or not. Scary, but liberating. Time to realise the second dream, and I do still pinch myself most days, thinking how lucky I am in so many ways.

Living a new dream…

So, here I am another six years on and absolutely living my second dream. It’s a brilliant job, literally “lighting people up”: giving them confidence that they didn’t know they could have, rebuilding their belief in themselves (especially if they’ve had some knocks) just by the way they dress, helping them get their dream jobs, and creating the wardrobe that’s perfect for them, loving getting dressed and often getting compliments.

I draw on all my previous paid and voluntary experience and training (HR, training, Victim Support counsellor, shopaholic, personal stylist) to help others avoid the wardrobe and shopping mistakes I’ve made.

My mantra is “every day’s a school day”, so I am making steps to improve myself, and my knowledge in all sorts of ways. Latterly it’s been about social media and technology, but I’m still learning my trade too, especially as things are changing there, like how people are shopping on-line more and the shops aren’t sustainable in their current form.

P.S. Some years later…

I connected through social media with the brilliant manager that rescued me from my bullying boss. I remember she used to wear black and white all the time. We had a long discussion and during that conversation she mentioned what a stir I had caused all those years ago – wearing colour in financial services. (I had just been using colour to boost my confidence and enjoyed wearing my new clothes. I hadn’t realised people were perceiving me as more confident than my boss because of this.) I would never have upstaged my boss on purpose, so that was another lesson for me about the power of colour – you do need to have more knowledge about what you’re doing than just wearing colour for the reasons I did then …

Ring me for your free discovery call. What might you learn that could save or change your life for the better?

Fiona Mobbs

Your Colour & Style Consultant

07469 246722