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The Only Way To Find Out What Colours REALLY Suit You.

The Only Way To Find Out What Colours REALLY Suit You.
Carly Jacobs

As a lifestyle writer, I often end up guinea pigging myself for a variety of weird and wonderful experiences. Last week I had a reader contact me to say that she was participating in Imogen Lamport’s colour consultency workshops and that they needed models to practice on. A free personal colour consultation? Um… yes please!

If you’re anything like me you’ll have tried dozens of times to figure out what colours suit you. I’ve studied the veins in my arms trying to figure out whether or not I have blue or yellow undertones. Am I warm? Am I cool? Am I a summer? Am I fair skinned or is it just mid-winter whitening? It’s so freaking confusing. Enter Imogen and her colour consulting.

Firstly the consultant will ask you to remove all your make-up. You then get covered with a white bib and a terribly attractive head scarf. See the seriously look on my face? I was stifling a rendition of ‘Nobody Solves a Problem Like Maria’ from The Sound of Music.

The consultant (using all kinds of stylish sorcery) will determine whether or not you are warm or cool. Just FYI, I’m cool. Then you get ‘draped’ in swatches of fabric and the consultant will flip over colours and swipe them under your chin, trying to determine which colours brighten your face. It was decided that my colour palette is Dramatic. So jewel toned brights, darker colours and dirtier versions of lighter colours suit me. I was also delighted to discover that my palette is one of the few ones that suits black. Major win for Melbourne. Also I’m to steer clear of primary brights. Thank freaking god because I forking hate them. There’s a variety of different other profiles they do as well like your contrast percentage (whether you should wear high or low contrast outfits), face shape and a ratio of how much of your signature colours you should wear.

These are the brightest of my suitable colours and are a bit deeper in real life. The point of your signature colours is that they are supposed to draw the eye to my face. Does it work do you think?

This is the fabulous Imogen Lamport herself. She runs workshops for women who want to learn to be colour consultants and stylists. You can also book in to have your own colours done by Imogen herself.

Admittedly, I’m pretty good at picking what colours suit me so I wasn’t overly surprised when presented with my colours. However it was fantastic to understand the science behind it and to learn other skills like working within my contrast ratios.

Have you ever had your colours done? Or would you consider having it done?

Disclaimer: This experience was offered to me via a reader (thank you Theresa! xxx) who is a student of Imogen’s. This post is not sponsored by Imogen and I was not offered this experience for editorial consideration. It was just a cool thing I did.

12 Comments

  1. Nadine Armiger 12 years ago

    I would have absolutely predicted those colours for you. Yay I was right! I had my colours done after I read the silver Trinny & Susannah book (can’t recall title), and it was totally worth it! I feel so much better now I’ve given up wearing black. 🙂 It doesn’t suit me and it’s so gloomy and dull, but it’s just everywhere in all the shops all the damn time!

    • Author
      Smaggle 12 years ago

      Awesome! I’ve read all the Trinny and Susannahs and couldn’t figure it out on my own!

  2. Niki 12 years ago

    How cool. Will have to try and find time for this next time I’m in Melbourne! PS: You look amazing in that fuschia!

  3. Sugandha 12 years ago

    This sounds awesome…being in Melb and in the corporate world I obviously am so drawn to black, but have wondered if I am doing any favours for my dark skin. But I feel like bright colours make me look like a clown. Would have loved a colour consultation!

  4. Imogen Cook Lamport 12 years ago

    Thanks for coming to be a model Carly! I’m so glad that you found the process and result useful and confirmed the thoughts you already had about what suits you.

  5. Kelly Exeter 12 years ago

    I’ve ad my colours done and they were a revelation! Except that black drains my complexion *sob*

    • Author
      Smaggle 12 years ago

      I would have been GUTTED if they told me that.

  6. Joanne McEwen 12 years ago

    I first had my colours analysed when I was a fashion design student about 20+ years ago, when the seasons colours were around. I was considered a summer (soft cool colours) even though at the time I wanted to be a spring (warm bright colours). It was the best thing I ever did as I knew from a young age that I did not suit black. My colours have since been re-accessed when I did My colour anaylsis training with Imogen in Dec 2010. I now am a Image,Style and colour consultant in Geelong,Vic, and would highly recommend you have your colours done as it saves you money and time when shopping!

  7. Kristie 12 years ago

    I have never even heard of this! I guess it’s just something we Americans don’t really do. Sounds great though!

  8. Tall Teresa 11 years ago

    I had my colours done a long time ago, what hit me the most was how my eye colour seemed to changed. Sometimes my eyes looked grey, sometimes green and sometimes blue. I have made many less mistakes when buying clothes since having it done and considered it money well spent.

  9. p tabner 11 years ago

    hi had my colours done a while ago but have forgot what the n means over some of the colours,would appreciate help thanktou

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  1. […] One of our models this week was Lady Smaggle, who wrote a blog post about her experience which you can read here. […]

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