W2D-013 Flowers - Colours-1.txt
Colour Perfect Maeve Watt

Colour has a powerful affect

on our lives and about 60 years ago, it was discovered that the colours we wear have a real influence on the appearance of our complexion. Now known as Personal Colour Analysis, this service is available throughout the world to men and women who care about projecting a positive image, who care about getting it right.

THE COLOUR CLASSIFICATION is based on the four seasons - Spring, Summer Autumn and Winter. The Spring person needs to use bright, vibrant, clear colours from light to bright and a Summer person needs soft, muted colours (that doesn't discount darker colours as the range includes soft dark colours that must be toned down or lightened). The Winter person suits very strong, acidy and sharply contrasting colours and the Autumn person suits the deep, earthy tones in the muted, soft end of the range - not just olive, brown and rust, but purples and any golden tones.

During a colour consultation, the consultant looks at personality, colour preferences, the pattern in the iris of the eye, the effects of testers on the skin and does a detailed draping with a whole range of colours under special lighting conditions. The client is given a wallet containing her range of colours, 36 in all, which represent thousands of shades and advised to wear darker or lighter.

Colour consultant Evelyn Burns was running a nearly new designer shop when she started to notice that an increasing number of brand new outfits were coming in. "People had made mistakes and chosen the wrong colour. When they told me they had had their colours done, I remember thinking - my goodness, imagine letting someone tell you what colour to wear! I was so sceptical," she laughs. "But as I watched these women transforming themselves, I thought I might be able to help women to select on the basis of their natural colouring. Then during a trip to London, I had my own colours done and it turned out that I was getting my own clothes wrong! Then I could see, wearing the new colours and make-up, how different I looked and how much better!"

Two years later, Evelyn trained with a Californian company in London and four years ago, set up her offices in the heart of Belfast. She also trains throughout Ireland and has 36 consultants, including one in Australia!
And most women do get it wrong. Studies have shown that over 50% have the wrong colour of clothes in their wardrobe. "The problem is that most people are drawn to two totally different spectrums of colour. That is affected by the person's taste and personality and what she's attracted to, so that's not something I eliminate, just something I have to work with and have to learn to recognise through the procedures in the consultation."
Evelyn also knows that people have moods in colours that attract them more to one than another, from one year to the next, from one season to the next, and that they 're also influenced by what's going on in the fashion world. "Grey is being plugged this year and so many people who have never thought about grey will be wearing it, whether it suits them or not."

Once Evelyn has established the two colours that the client is drawn to, she does a skin tone test where she finds out if the skin tone is cool or warm, followed by an eye pattern test. The iris diagnosis is based on the alternative therapy, Iridology which is a very important tool for working out someone's colour. "About 25 years ago, a connection was discovered between colour analysis and Iridology - they discovered that genetically, people with certain shapes in their eyes had certain personalities." The Autumn person often has a star shape around the pupil and the Winter person has a black spoke or stripe in the eye. The summer person has a 'cracked glass' pattern in the eyes and the Spring person has a golden sunburst. "My eyes are actually blue," smiles Evelyn, "But because I'm spring and have a golden sunburst, they look green! And no, I don't ever wear green eye shadow!" Wearing matching eye shadow does little to enhance the skin. Many Winters who have olive coloured eyes, don't suit olive, they're better wearing emerald. Many brown eyed women wear brown eye shadow which does nothing for them, they should be wearing greys or mauve tones which will have a clarifying effect on their skin.

Evelyn advises the client on all aspects of make-up, doing their faces so they can see for themselves. She also gives advice on the kind of jewellery the client should wear and even the size and colour of glasses that will suit her best. Most women, alas, do seem to get it wrong!

Evelyn drapes her clients in silk scarves with a range of colours, working through the reds and yellows, greens and browns, pinks and blues in a particular order, leading them to the point where they can see for themselves what suits them and what doesn't. "It usually takes about 6 drapes which just cover the shoulders and reflect onto the face, but once they can see, they 're delighted!" Some people respond very dramatically at times, sometimes chatty people are deep in thought at the end of the consultation, but everyone plans to start wearing their new colours.

Winters get it right better than anybody else because, by personality and genetically, they 're set up with real flair and man of them are involved in fashion design. "There's a whole connection between the seasons and the occupations they 're involved with," says Evelyn. "Winters are also compassionate and are often in the medical profession. So, a profession is often a clue to a consultant." Superficial colouring, of course, is not and all the seasons have an equal mixture of colours - you can have a blonde, blue eyed Winder, Spring, Summer of Autumn. Many Autumns are in teaching or training and involved with the organisation of people. They have powerful perseverance and, along with Winters, are often powerful leaders. Springs are the communicators and like selling, they 're good at PR and can do small talk spontaneously. Diversity in their job is a necessity. Summers are the gentle people in life - they 're very methodical and precision orientated and do the support role, brilliantly. "I am spring," says Evelyn. "But remember the idea of two sides to everybody and that they 're drawn to two different types of colour - I 'm a Spring with Summer secondary, like the active and the passive. Spring, yes, I want to be out there with other people and Summer, the reserved, where I 'm quite happy on my own! And precision orientated and pernickety!" Evelyn is drawn to red and golds.
Fragrances also connect with a person's colouring. The Spring person suits light floral or fresh fragrances like like L'Air du Temps, Colours by Benetton and the Autumn woman needs something a little more musky, like Opium, Eternity, Poison. Winters suit spicy perfumes - Paloma Picasso, Safari and the Summers suit the lightest scents like Rive Gauche and Channel

No. 5. "Different fragrances smell different on different people," says Evelyn. "It's because of the undertone, the chemistry of the skin."
Your colour is genetically set up, like your finger prints and eye pattern. If people learn about the particular shades of colour that suits them, in clothes, in make-up, in hair colour, they will be totally harmonious and perfectly groomed. "This is not about looking beautiful in ideal terms," says Evelyn. "It's about looking perfect for them and nothing beats the balance of colour. It presents them in their best light and gives them an aura of good judgement and harmony. Once you discover what suits you, people start saying how well you look and it's a real confidence booster," laughs Evelyn. "And let's face it, we could certainly all do with a daily does of that!"
