What a Colour Consultation Actually Looks Like
I have gotten asked this a lot, and I think people picture either something very clinical (lab coat, colour wheel, verdict delivered in Latin) or something deeply mystical (”you’re an autumn, spiritually, in your bones”). It’s neither. It’s more like spending an hour with a friend who happens to have a very specific obsession and a lot of fabric. Here’s what actually happens, from start to finish.
Before we even meet. I send a few short questions in advance - what you’re hoping to get out of the session, whether you’ve done any colour analysis before (quizzes count, even the ones that told you you’re a “summer moon rising”), and what’s been frustrating you about your wardrobe lately. This shapes the whole session. Someone who wants to finally crack the code on why their work clothes feel off needs a slightly different conversation than someone who just can’t stop buying the wrong shade of red. I also ask about any specific occasions or goals - a wedding, a new job, a general “I have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear” situation - so the tips I share after your analysis is complete is actually useful to your real life.
Setting up. Here’s where I become briefly particular in a way that might surprise you: lighting matters enormously, and I will politely but firmly move you away from the cosy warm-lit corner and toward something closer to natural daylight. Not because I’m difficult, but because warm indoor light is quietly flattering to everything and everyone, which sounds nice but makes it nearly impossible to see what a colour is actually doing to your skin. Think of it as the difference between trying on shoes in a dimly lit boutique and then wondering why they look different outside. Same principle. I’ll also ask you to pop off your foundation and anything that’s changing the appearance of your skin - mascara and a tinted lip are fine, a full beat is less useful for our purposes. You can put it all back on afterward, I promise.
Looking at you. Before any fabric comes out, I take a moment to look at you - your skin, your hair colour, your eyes - as a whole picture. Think of it as me forming a working hypothesis before the experiment begins. It gives us a useful starting point and means the session moves with a bit more direction rather than us both staring blankly at a pile of drapes.
Draping. This is the bit. I hold coloured fabric near your face, one at a time, and we watch what happens. That’s it. No complex formulas, no quiz, just paying close attention to what each colour does - does your skin look brighter and more alive, or a bit flat and tired? Do your eyes look more vivid, or does something just feel slightly off and we can’t quite say why? The drapes do the talking. I’ll guide the conversation, but honestly, by the time we’ve gone through a few, most people can start to see it themselves without me saying a word. It’s one of my favourite parts of the whole process, watching the moment someone’s face changes when we hit one of their best colours.
Talking it through. I narrate as we go rather than keeping a mysterious scorecard and announcing the verdict at the end. I’ll say things like “see how that one makes the shadows under your eyes look heavier?” or “notice how different you look in this one compared to the last - your whole face looks more awake.” And this is also where your preferences matter. If a colour that works beautifully on you is one you’d never wear in a million years, that’s completely useful information too, and we talk about it rather than me insisting you make peace with khaki green.
The result. By the end we’ve found your season and your palette, and I share your season’s written guide with you afterward - the colours that work best, the ones to use with a little more care, and practical direction on how to actually apply this to shopping, getting dressed, and choosing makeup. The goal is something you’ll actually pull up on your phone in a dressing room six months from now, not something that lives in a folder being technically impressive but never consulted.
After the session. I leave room for follow-up questions, because the real penny-drop moments often happen later - you’re standing in a shop holding a sweater, trying to remember if your particular shade of rust is “warm enough,” and a quick message in the moment is worth ten minutes of trying to reconstruct the session from memory.
I’m finishing my certification training in Toronto next month and cannot wait to run this properly for the five-plus people already booked in. I’ve spent the lead-up time making sure every part of the experience - from those first questions to the guide you leave with - is as useful and unfussy as I can make it. If it sounds like something you’d want, bookings open on July 1st for after my training wraps! If you register interest before I hard launch, you’ll have the opportunity to grab some pretty steep discounts (either virtually or in-person!) of 25%-50%!
A few practical questions I get asked, answered here so you don’t have to wonder.
How long does it take? Plan for around 60 minutes for the session plus any questions afterward.
Do I need to prepare anything? Mostly just: minimal (or no, preferably) makeup as mentioned, and ideally a plain, neutral-coloured top on the day - grey or white works well - so your own clothing isn’t throwing extra colour onto your face. I do have a drape to cover you, so no worries if this isn’t something you have! Come with questions if you have them. Come with nothing but curiosity if you don’t.
What if I don’t like my result? This comes up more than you’d think, usually from people who’ve already half-decided they don’t want to be told they’re a particular season. Every season is a good one - each has a full, beautiful range behind it, and a lot of the initial “ugh, not that one” tends to shift once you’re looking at the actual colours rather than just hearing the label. That said, if something doesn’t sit right, we talk about it. I’m not here to hand you a verdict and show you the door.
I think it’s worth being upfront about the fact that I’m building this consultation experience in real time, refining it as I go, even as I head into certification. I’d rather be honest about that than pretend I arrived at a perfect, fixed system on day one. The version of this you’ll get in six months will likely be even sharper than what I’m describing today, and that’s exactly how I want it to work.
Why in-person rather than a photo-based analysis? There’s obvious appeal to the idea of sending a few selfies and getting a palette back - no scheduling, no commute, done-by-next-Tuesday kind of vibes. But a photo taken on your phone in your bathroom under the overhead light is carrying a lot of distortion I can’t always account for after the fact. When we’re together, I control the lighting, I watch your live reaction to each drape in real time, and that makes a meaningful difference to the accuracy of what we land on. That said, I understand that in-person isn’t always in the cards for everywhere, whether distance or price being a limiting factor. So a virtual session can sometimes be a good entry point. I try to provide very clear instructions to give us both the best chance of getting an accurate result - so while not totally foolproof, and in-person will always be the gold standard, a virtual session can be an option for those that need it!
All that said? I love the in-person part of it. There’s something wonderful about watching someone’s face change in real time when a colour just clicks. A screen simply can’t replicate that.
Want a chance at your own in person or virtual session? Register interest here before July 1st and grab the chance at some pretty sweet discount codes for my first handful of bonafide clients! ◡̈