Earlier this year, I wrote about being more intentional about clothing purchases. To me, shopping with intention would help decrease the amount of impulse purchases I was making. I wrote a feature about the color consultation services with Marissa Ray, House of Colour consultant. You can read that post here. Wanting to get my own colors analyzed, I recruited two other friends for a fun morning of learning at Marissa’s office in Eden Prairie!
Arriving barefaced and a little giddy about what was to come, the three of us all took turns guessing what color ‘season’ we might be (I was thinking I might be a spring or summer, as I tend to gravitate towards those colors when shopping). Marissa draped a number of different colored silk scarves around our shoulders. Each season had its own set of scarves, so a ‘red’ isn’t the same ‘red’ from one season to the next. These colored scarves help the consultant see if your undertones are cool or warm, and if your coloring is clear or muted. I will admit, at first my eye had a difficult time seeing the difference between flattering and unflattering colors on my friends. But, as the session went on, it became a little clearer to me which colors looked good, and which didn’t. (There’s a reason Marissa is a trained consultant, because I struggle determining what season my family and friends are!)
After determining your color season, Marissa then places the scarves near your face again to pinpoint your ‘wow’ colors – colors that harmonize with your natural coloring, and just make you look your best. At the end of the session, you are given a booklet and 36 color swatches. The booklet indicates what percentage of a certain color you should wear (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%) and serves as a good guide when shopping. Although the swatches don’t include every color in the color wheel, it is a strong tool to help you see what colors to shop for.
The girls and I had a quick lunch break that Marissa generously catered for us, and then we got to tackle the next portion of the consultation: makeup. Between the three of us, we ranged from wearing makeup every day, sometimes wearing makeup, to never wearing making. I’m the latter! Marissa picks out certain shades of color that matches your newly discovered color palette: lipstick, foundation, blush and mascara. If you’ve ever been unsure of what color makeup to apply, then this 90 Second Makeup routine will make you feel more confident about your makeup wearing ability. With the number of virtual meetings now taking place, having the perfect combo of say, lipstick and blush, can really highlight your features onscreen. You can purchase any of the makeup as you wish. I ended up buying a lipstick, lip gloss, and blush.
So, what did I think of this color consultation? What were my takeaways?
– I learned that my season is Winter; I look best in cool, bright, vivid, and ice colors with high contrast (now I understand why I always second guessed my heathered, muted pieces); and I look better in silver versus gold jewelry
– I’ve come to embrace color, and that I have better alternatives to black
– Wearing the right colors will make me look brighter, while the wrong ones will make me look dull and tired
– When shopping, I am much more deliberate in choosing items that fit my color palette, therefore reducing impulse purchases
– Yes, anyone can wear any color they choose, but wouldn’t you rather wear colors that you know were more flattering on you?
The entire process took a few hours from start to finish, and we were all excited to dig into our closets and purge items that didn’t fit our seasons. I donated or consigned items of clothing that I found I didn’t love (yes, you need to Marie Kondo each article of clothing). The idea isn’t that you toss your entire wardrobe and buy new, but that you slowly replace items as needed (making those intentional shopping decisions). I put together a pile to donate to PROP, and then a pile to consign through thredUP. How thredUP works is that you send in your clothes and they post them on their website to sell for you. You earn a percentage of the sell price that can be paid out in cash, thredUP credit, or credit with your favorite retailer. If items don’t sell, you can pay to have them shipped back to you, otherwise it will be recycled. You can also opt to donate your items for charity. thredUP will make a $5 donation (per bag) to the charity of your choice. If you’d like to shop the secondhand love, you can shop via this link www.thredup.com/r/KEN2WE where we both earn $10 if you make a purchase!
A House of Colour Color Analysis consultation might be a good fit for you (or someone else you know!) if:
– You want to learn how to wear colors that you know will look good for you
– You end up buying clothes and never wear them
– You want a wardrobe that works with itself
– You want to be more productive and have an easier time shopping
– You are looking to build a capsule wardrobe
If you are interested in ‘having your colors done’, please reach out to Marissa! She is so fun to work with and you’ll get so much out of your experience!
Marissa Ray, House of Colour Consultant can be reached at:
marissa.ray@houseofcolour.com
952-392-9818
www.houseofcolour.com/stylists-directory/marissa-ray-minneapolis-minnesota/
www.hocmplsmarissa.com
@houseofcolour_marissaray
#houseofcolour_marissaray
