Get to Know Jorunn/Nordic Simplicity

 I received the opportunity to join in on a podcast episode from Jorunn Hernes who is the creator of Nordic Simplicity. In this episode, we discuss the answer to the question: How do you find a good Facebook group for your color analysis category? Also, we talk a bit about knitting, dogs and our Moms. 

I hope you enjoy!! Click here to listen.

Click Here to find Rachel Nachmias of Best Dressed US. 

Anna Lazaska is the creator of Perfect Mood Boatd

Contact Florentina Mossou here.

Lisa K. Ford can be found at Invent Your Image

The Long Way Around

It took a while to discover what my seasonal category actually was, and what kept leading me astray were two things: my natural hair color and the well meaning opinions of others. 

If you don’t have dark hair, you can’t be a Winter of any kind. The “shot heard ‘round the (color analysis) world” blog post composed by a well respected educator stated this: she has not seen a blonde True Winter. It was a surprise to read this. 

Is hair color NOT supposed to matter? 

Hmmmmmm…….

Bread crumbs kept appearing over time….

With nail polish- WHY did I only really like brighter colors? Browns, mauve, rose, beige or any other “conservative” color, other than a pink and pure white French manicure did NOT work. And-that white had better be pure! 

MAC Fusion Pink, Impassioned and Full Fuchsia lipsticks were staples. 

Bright Winter made me look 10 pounds slimmer, gave me white teeth and cleared the whites of my eyes. 

The clear navy dress I wore to a family wedding was NOT anywhere near Light Summer territory and I got compliments that evening. 

“You look GORGEOUS in that (hot pink) sweater!”

Hmmmmmm……..

In 2019, I suffered the loss of my dear Aunt Sharon. It was a rough time for our whole family. A road trip was in order.  Lisa K. Ford of Invent Your Image invited me up for  part of a training program, and I was a test subject for her student, Erin. After a meticulously thorough draping process, my suspicions were confirmed: Bright Winter. 

What about Light Summer? Ok…..it’s a beautiful season that is a complete delight to the eye (sigh!!) BUT, these things happen: 

Face, chin and neck melt together.

Gray, far away eyes. 

Blotchy skin tone.

What about Bright Spring? 

Head and shoulders MUCH better than any of the other Spring seasons, but it was a little too light, bright and warm. 

Bright Winter was like arriving HOME! 

However, I wasn’t finished trying “all the methods” and had a few more consultations to give my readers feedback. These were the results:

Light Summer? 

Tinted Summer? 

Toned Sumner? 

I won’t say any of those were necessarily wrong. They hit on the point that my skin loved that cool/neutral color space.

Something was still missing. Frustration set in. I was 100% ready to be rebellious and forge a pathway to travel on my own terms.

Then, another opportunity arrived! 

Just recently, I got to visit Cate Linden and her student Grace. As part of Grace’s training, she went through the draping process under Cate’s tutelage. Nothing belonged quite as well as Bright Winter. The “chef’s kiss” drape was unexpected. Bright Winter emerald medium dark green!! 

When I flew home from Louisville, I wore a simple outfit: fuchsia-red pink blouse with lace inset sleeves, a long black skirt, bright purple tie dye socks and white sneakers. I probably looked a bit like the nerdy Aunt that I am, but I felt SO GOOD!! Everyone else wore gray, brown or black. The scene was devoid of color. Not me! Walking through the terminals was like delightfully moving to the beat of a different drummer!

It feels fantastic to have my color journey behind me. Now, there is permission to be that sparky, joyful, exciting person I’ve envisioned! 

See you next time, when I talk about how to navigate color groups on social media. 

-T

Custom Color Palette

 Heather Noakes from Heather & Co. created a custom palette for me in 2021. I had been reluctant to have a Caygill style fan created for me, thinking it would end up being too subdued. 

Fortunately, that fear was solidly laid to rest! 

Both of us had a conversation on Zoom where we made some tweaks here and there. The results greatly exceeded my expectations! I’m not saying a custom palette works for absolutely everyone. Like everything else, a home run won’t be hit every time-but I’m pleased with what was put together: 

The question may come up from long-time readers somewhat familiar with my color story: “Tina! WHAT are you doing with a Bright Winter fan?” 

That, my friends, is a story for another day. Stay tuned!! 

-Tina

If You Are Blonde…..You Can’t Be X

Bernice Kentner was a genius when she designed her color system. She recognized that in each seasonal category was an individual with blonde, brown, red and brunette hair. With the advent of Color Me Beautiful and several other color systems, somehow hair and eye color were the guide posts. 

Bright red hair means you are a Spring. 

Mousey hair (it is NOT when wearing the correct color palette), Summer. 

Brunette equaled Winter. 

Warm brown hair placed you in Autumn. 

And, what if you are not Caucasian? One of my BIGGEST beefs is with Suzanne Caygill’s book. Not ONE of the models in the photos is anything other than various shades of white. Women of any ethnicity can fall into any seasonal category. I recall fairly recently seeing a beautiful African American woman draped as a Light Summer and she looks glorious!!! (You can see her photo on Instagram Moon Over Star)

Where many well-meaning color analysts drop the ball is by making a snap judgment-you can’t be a certain seasonal category due to your hair and eye color. Then, it’s a case of choosing warm or cool and going from there. This hair color “rule” has misled many women down the wrong pathway, and the myth just persists. 

In the Facebook color analysis world-there was a blog post made by a respected educator that True Winter blondes don’t really exist, at least not in the author’s neck of the woods. However, I’ve seen in photos one of the 12blueprints analysts IS, and she’s stunning!! 

Many beige haired women and men are Bright Springs or Bright Winters, though many analysts would place them in a Summer category that would ultimately “dumb down” their coloring. 

Redheads can end up in any seasonal category from Soft and Dark Autumn to True Summer or Bright Winter! Two really great places you can see variety are on Instagram at Moon Over Star and on the web at Cate Linden.com (Click on Menu, then Color Services and PCA Client Gallery.) 

Here is an absolute truth: How your skin tone reacts to color is king! Once that happens, your eye and hair color automatically look better-and so do you, as a whole. And, that’s the whole point. 

Another fantastic color analysis system is House of Colour. They also acknowledge that hair color is of lesser importance than how your skin tone reacts to color. The resulting photos as shown on Instagram on House of Colour this beautifully. 

In an upcoming article, I will talk about custom color analysis, and how my feelings about it have changed. 

See you soon! 

-Tina

A Return…..

 It’s been more than a few minutes! 

Many things have happened. Last year, my brother, sister, sister in law and I lost both of our parents within three months. It was an unexpected and abrupt change none of us saw coming. Needless to say, the very thought of posting on my blog did not register on the radar and I am still adjusting.

On the good side,  I am the Mom to an 8 year old adopted male Shih Tzu named Bear who keeps me sane. He actually runs the house. (Now, if I could get him to pay some bills!) 

My interest in all things color has not changed. Though I am not directly involved in the color and style communities on Facebook right now, it’s still a hobby of mine I enjoy delving into when I have time.

There’s much more to come in the near future, so stay tuned!