I remember Color Me Beautiful fondly. Yes, wearing the right colors for you makes SUCH a difference, it will bring your appearance to life. I also remember that CMB had a makeup line way back when, I think JCPenney sold it but I'm fuzzy on that. Anyway, I can't tell you how many tubes of "Iced Azalea" lipstick I bought -- I still remember the name, if that tells you anything :0)

I also read one time that if you look at the specific colors in your iris, those are all good colors for you. I know I wear a lot of turquoise/teal/aqua, which aren't necessarily summer colors, but really make my eye color pop. They said black was a 'no no' for me, but I wear it anyway. They say bring the color that's good for you up by your face with a top or scarf or something. Orange is a 'no no' for me which is fine as I don't like it and never wear it anyway.

It seems like a made-up setvice appealing to those with perhaps more personal vanity than they ought to have.

A couple of friends did Color Me Beautiful back then. The concept seems good! But then you are constrained by what is available to buy, in the article, style, and size that you are looking for. It seems to me it would be difficult to shop online now, as the colors you see on the screen might not be what is delivered.

I am sure you are correct Elmer. Why would anyone want to purchase clothes that compliment them to the optimum. It's only money after all. The purchase of a dress for a special occasion was going to happen. How ridiculous to want confirmation the color is just right!

“If the person is good at it, it's worth it.”

Could not agree more...well worth it. The woman I went to had a ”salon” called ”Your Colors.” I think I paid about $80 for the session back then. She really knew her stuff, and, as I already mentioned, I remember watching my face fade with the wrong colors and refresh with the right ones. She’d go back and forth with the color draping with various shades of the same color. Bright, bold blues were bad, but the softer, lighter blues were great. I literally watched almost all the color leave my face when she draped me in black. Luckily for me, my “Summer” colors were pretty much favorites already. She also did make-up and jewelry, and gave me a booklet for those.

Years later I worked with someone who was starting an in-home color consulting business. A few of us volunteered as clients. It was nice but nothing like my first session.

Annegriet, I hope you do it. It can be really interesting, fun and helpful!

bpath, good point regarding online shopping and colors.

I remember it when it was a thing back then but never had it done. I kinda know about my colors and have zero reds ,yellows, and oranges in my wardrobe. I had brown hair (now silver) and hazel eyes never pale skin but not ruddy either. I look best in greens,browns, blues and of course neutrals like black grey and white. I look the best in loden and absolutely horrid in the colors I abstain from.

I would love to have it done if I knew a reputable place to go. I am not particularly good at selecting colors - any color - on a wall, on me, on a new car. As a result I tend to stick with what I'm comfortable with, which isn't necessarily bad, but I would rather be knowledgeable when adding to my wardrobe. I have seen some rather amazing transformations.

maire_cate, check around for color consultants or color imaging. There’s certainly nothing wrong using colors you’re comfortable with. It’s just that it can be so helpful once you know what works best for you. Also, as you posted, ”amazing transformations”…and FUN!

Another thing I wanted to mention was that at least from how I remember it, it wasn't necessarily that for example, all yellow is bad. They would have different levels of the color to drape. There would be shades of colors that were better.

“There would be shades of colors that were better.”

Exactly, salonva. My consultant spent a lot of time by draping me with different shades of one color. Prior to that, I always thought yellows were good for me, any shade of yellow. Nope, only very light, soft yellows. That mirror she had me staring at was proof positive!

But the shades of color are the problem. In any given season, or year, or decade, your shade(s) might be nigh on impossible to find. I suppose the vintage, thrift, resale, and rummage sale market might provide, but in what style and fit?

Although, I do recall that it’s not all-or-nothing. A scarf in your colors can allow you to carry off other clothing that are not your colors.

Yes that's pretty true about shades of colors. My summer brown is a softer cocoa brown, not the deep dark browns or the ones with strong red tones in it. My mother's winter colors were more of the brighter clearer colors where as mine were softer, more grayed down. I've seen too where some shades of off white make me pale right out, but others are very flattering. Same with yellows...some make me look awful while others really enhance my coloring and make me look as if I've actually slept well!

Here's winter vs. summer. If you look at the yellows, they are very different shades.

Winter

Summer

My mom did Color Me Beautiful analysis for the whole family when I was a child or maybe a tween. I don't recall if she used a consultant for everyone or maybe just herself and then she did ours at home. I use that information still today. Just the understanding that certain colors will light up my face make a big difference when I'm trying to decide if I want to buy certain clothing and am unsure if it's "my color". I have some friends today that I wish I had the knowledge to do a similar consultatation for them.

Mom always said it made her shopping much easier as she knew off the bat which items to avoid.

I'd guess that you need to start over once your hair is grey or white. Some of my formerly favorite clothes went to charity when I stopped coloring my hair slightly red-toned dark brown -- which was livelier than my natural very dark brown/near black Irish-heritage color.

I like the new, although I'm still a mix, with the white framing my face and the rest more 'grey'. Someone admired my hair recently. When I complained that it isn't all white she told me that some women pay a fortune for this look! Oh, well.

It sounds to me as though you can do your own color matching with a mirror and good lighting. As for home decor, look to the color of your favorite clothes. (Or your dog's hair if you want to be practical.)

Annie, it made it so much easier for me, too!

This is the little booklet of Summer color swatches I came home with after that first 2-hour session long ago. You can see the yellow is fairly light. I still recall the consultant saying, ”Think of your yellow as Kleenex Tissue yellow.” I rarely wear the browns, at least close to my face.

These are the Summer swatches I received from consultation with the co-worker I mentioned.

@pricklypearcactus, I bet you could help the friends you mentioned more than you think.

Yes those first 2 are exactly what I have...somewhere or other...

Elmer! Do you realize what you just wrote?

You seem to find it hard to accept that not everyone shares your opinions.

A clear example of projection.

"You seem to find it hard to accept that not everyone shares your opinions."

No. I have no problem with people not sharing my opinions.

I don't like boxing. I can't stand it. Turns my stomach to watch people try to injure and do brain damage to each other. I get that other people enjoy it and some even devote their lives to it. What I don't do is go to threads where people interested in boxing are having a discussion and then criticize and insult them. And I don't go to other people seeking support for my position on boxing to bolster my stance so I can feel justified in continuing to put them down. I SOB and let them have their fun.

"Clothes and day to day appearances are superficial and meaningless."

SMH. Coming from the man who would tell women at work when they weren't dressed appropriately. You can't make this stuff up!

Elmer, your wife sounds as obnoxious as you.

Had my colors done many years ago....I was bored and had no 'real things' to do.....and found it very helpful. I still have my swatches though don't need to use them any longer. The class has saved me a ton of $$$ when clothes shoppig over the years.

ETA, my color class was taken at a sewing store I frequented, Stretch and Sew...anyone remember? As a young frugal family, I sewed all the clothes for my kids and myself while I was "bored with no real things to do". Our frugality paid off handsomely.

Chisue...I get you're shocked at the compliments of your white/ grey hair. So am I. My daughter said she will never not dye her hair and she'll be like my mother at 92 who still had brown hair. Never saw a grey hair on her head. I have never had the compliments about my thick light brown hair as I have had in recent years about my silver hair which is subtly streaked with grey.

Re: colors. Looking at the ones posted here I'm definitely a summer girl.

@chisue & @lily316 My observation has been that silver and white hair is often very striking so I’m not surprised that each of you have received nice compliments. That attractive picture is enhanced when the person - male or female - is wearing colors that highlight their skin tones & hair. Some people are naturals at seeing & knowing what their personal color palette in clothing & makeup should be. Others, like me, benefitted from input or coaching from a Pro who had received training in helping people choose their best colors for clothing and makeup. I do not agree that ”Clothes and day to day appearances are superficial and meaningless.” I do fully agree with the statement ”People who are beautiful and confident inside are beautiful and confident outside.” But, the fact is that not everyone is able to feel confident inside about themselves if they’re too shy, insecure etc. I know from personal experience, that if I am confident in my feeling that I am looking my best, that I am outwardly presenting a picture of a confident and self assured person. IMO, receiving personal coaching about any aspect of one’s appearance, speech or behavior falls into several categories; Self Improvement, Self Development, Self Care, Self Respect. Any persons ’working’ on themselves to feel better about themselves deserves praise and respect no matter what others personal opinion about their choice is. And you know what? It’s lots of fun too!

alisande...Yes

Nicely said, KW!👍🏻

Interesting about any male posting on this topic. Can’t think of a single one I know who’d have an interest, unless…

No Elmer, because I specifically remember you boasting that you (can't remember if you were chosen or volunteered or a combo) to talk to women about their attire because of your "sense of humor". If houzz had a better search function, I'd be able to go back and find it to quote you.

ETA: I found it from 3 yrs ago:

"For a number of years, I was one of the partners on what we called the “Dress Code Patrol”. Keeping an eye on the appropriateness of what our people wore on the job. Calling aside those who fell short of our expectations to explain why what they may be wearing was inappropriate. The newer hires commanded the most attention, some were slow to fill their closets with what they needed to wear for their professional, well paid employment. On my part, the task of keeping staff in-bounds required having a certain popularity (and respect) from them overall and a sense of humor. The females typically required more attention than the males because for the males, if told they needed to wear clean and pressed decent slacks and a shirt with a collar, and throw on a jacket when meeting with higher-ups, you're done."

So what I said was correct. According to your own words, you did tell women at work when they were dressed inappropriately which is a contradiction with "appearances are superficial and meaningless". Clearly your firm felt otherwise and you took part in enforcing it including judging what was or was not appropriate attire.

Better than a job?

The PIE model used in many businesses has image even more important than performance in terms of getting ahead. Not that performance was unimportant, but that everyone brought that. It was the other elements that were going to distinguish you from your competition.

So image was part and parcel of getting ahead in the professional world...far from "superficial and meaningless".

Beyond the professional aspects, I think it is very human to feel more confident if one feels good about how they look. There's a reason why people with depression will show it in their appearance with lack of attention to personal grooming. There's a reason why a teen may stress out about an acne pimple on their nose when going on a date. There's a reason why the global fashion industry is nearly $2 Tr. There's a reason why so many people on Dr. Pimple Popper comment on how much energy they've put into hiding their lump/bump/whatever or how much more outgoing and confident they feel socially and at work once it's removed.

But the bottom line is, having one's colors done is not hurting anyone else and can have positive effects on the person. People have to buy clothing anyway and make choices in the process, so why not pick colors that are most flattering? If one doesn't know what colors work best on them, this process can help.

So why would someone, who finds this all meaningless even bother to step into this conversation if it wasn't to dis the whole thing and the people involved? They wouldn't.

“So why would someone, who finds this all meaningless even bother to step into this conversation…”

Annie, I‘m guessing you might agree with me; it’s clearly a need for attention.

Elmer, why do you always have to be such a "kill joy"? Let us girls have our girl fun!

I would love to get my colors done. I am sure that the colors I wore when I had brown hair are completely wrong for the gray I have now. Sometimes I feel that I look washed out--all one pale everything. My credo has always been "if it comes in purple, we buy it in purple". It would be nice to have that validated. But then, what would I do with all the purple stuff? LOL

One time I read...not sure how accurate it is, that if you look at the outer ring of your iris...if it's in the grays, you are either a summer or winter...if it's brown, you are a spring or autumn. It matches me and DH and my mother.

That would make sense for me…green eyes with outer gray ring.

I've thought about getting my colors done for years. When it was a new thing I could not afford it. I've never been sure whether I fit into cool or warm (I suspect neutral or mixed). But there are a lot of people out there doing this and I don't know who is skilled at this and who is not, and how to tell the difference.

Rosefolly, you can try this yourself to see if it helps.

Look at the underside of your wrist in natural light to see if your veins appear more blue (cool undertone) or green (warm undertone).

Observe your skin's natural coloring - if it has yellow or golden tones, it leans warm, while a pinkish or rosy complexion indicates a cool undertone.

That would at least narrow it down to either Winter/Summer (cool colors) or Autumn/Spring (warm colors). Hair and eye color also factor in, but deciding if your skin tone is cool or warm’s a good start. For example, the veins at my wrists are definitely blue with no green in sight. There are no golden tones in my skin. It was always fairly obvious to me pink-ish lipstick was more flattering than peachy/coral.

Also, it’s not likely you fit into a mix of cool and warm. Pretty much one or the other.

That was a revelation. I did what Annie said and looked at the outer rim of my eyes and it is sky blue. The area next in is light grey. I never noticed that. When I got my driver's license at 16 that's what they put on the card. But I noticed over the years that most brown-eyed people have a definite brown color that I did not. My dad had bottle green eyes and my mother brown, a real brown. My kids have hazel/ green(husband has blue eyes) but the odd thing is both grandkids have sky blue eyes even though GD's mother has brown. Genetics is very complicated but interesting.

My eye color is very much like this one. My Mom used to work at a place that filled orders for private school uniforms. One was a blazer that was "marymount blue" which was very similar to that blue-gray-green color. I've not seen it in years. It also suggests there's a shade of gold that would be good for me to wear as well...not something in my "seasonal" colors.

Well I could have sworn this had been downsized when we moved but look what was in my sock drawer....

oops somehow the photos did not come through,

here's hoping once more....

and....for example

There were other pages, as for red.orange, and black white gray.

As I recall though, that is the ONLY yellow that was considered flattering or friendly to a winter such as myself.

I do think it was more skin tone but I wonder as well because I had very dark ( as close to black as a caucasian might have) hair, and now it's gray white.

@Annegriet Hello & how are you? Your question generated quite the response with the mixture of those having had their colors done & those who gave input about how to DIY the concept with a few thoughts about how to assess the cost thrown in. I’m curious about whether or not you’ve decided to proceed or if you’re still trying to gather input to your original question about the worth of the service.

salonva, I bet those clear, vivid and cool winter colors look great with your current hair color.

I'm going to proceed as soon as I can convince a friend to do it with me. I think it would a super fun girls day out! Lattes, colors, lunch, shopping.

Very fun day!!! Let us know if you do it!👍🏻

@Annegriet - I’m really glad to hear your plan! It sounds like a really nice day especially as a shared experience with a good friend. I would love to hear how the day goes if you’re so inclined to share your experience with us.

It does sound like something fun to do with a friend. And you can be each other’s shopping support subsequently.

" One time I read...not sure how accurate it is, that if you look at the outer ring of your iris...if it's in the grays, you are either a summer or winter...if it's brown, you are a spring or autumn. It matches me and DH and my mother. "

Not true for me - I'm a Winter, and my irises are brown. Even since I went gray - still a Winter.

" I think it is very human to feel more confident if one feels good about how they look. There's a reason why people with depression will show it in their appearance with lack of attention to personal grooming. "

True, but none of that is related to flattering clothing - or, more specifically, clothing that others will think flatters you. Those aren't always the same thing. One can think they look good in clothing that others think is a bad shape, colour, weight, drape, etc. Even size - I've known some women that I think look better in clothes a size larger than they want to wear, but they love what they wear and feel confident and good about their appearance. I agree that people want to feel good about what they wear and how they look, but personal tastes vary.

“Even since I went gray - still a Winter.”

TV, I’m guessing it can fluctuate with eyes. I don’t think your color season changes if your hair goes gray, especially due to skin tone. I actually think Winters with gray hair can look even more striking with their colors. Definitely true for both my MIL and SIL.