Services FAQ | Charm Color & Style

So, what's color analysis?

Color analysis works because we see colors in relation to each other; a soft color may seem vibrant surrounded by other muted colors and dull next to bright ones, whereas a bright color may seem gaudy next to dull colors and delightful alongside other bright colors.

We all have a hair, skin, and eye color, and so the clothes we wear can similarly diminish or enhance us. The way our skin reacts to colors is the most reliable way to determine our best colors, and the reactions we have to color are consistent with color "seasons."

I use a 12 season approach. In this system, True Winters have cool, bright, mostly medium to dark colors; True Autumns have warm, soft, medium to dark colors; True Summers have cool, soft, medium to light colors; and True Springs have warm, bright, medium to light colors.

Each True season has two neighbor seasons, which share some color properties with the other True Parent but lean more towards warm or cool. For example, since both Spring and Winter have bright colors, the Bright Winter has cool-neutral, bright, and medium depth colors, and the Bright Spring has warm-neutral, bright, and medium depth colors.

We cannot tell just by looking at someone's surface coloring if they will respond best to, say, deep colors or light ones. During a draping, your PCA, we systematically test different color properties in one to one comparisons, and figure out your personal color boundaries.

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Personal Color Analysis FAQ

Okay, now you know what color analysis is: here's more information on how our PCA sessions go.

How long does the PCA take?

The Personal Color Analysis session, including time to discuss your palette, current wardrobe, and best hair and makeup options, takes an average of 3 hours. It may take more or less time as every person has unique needs, and I want to provide enough time to help you fully understand your coloring and answer your most pressing questions.

What do I need to do before my PCA?

Please remove your makeup before your PCA, or better yet skip your skincare routine for the day. It is rare that a non-tinted moisturizer impacts results, but it can happen, so let's err on the side of caution.

Please avoid a tan for at least two weeks before the session.

For the session, do not avoid turtlenecks or high collared shirts.

Do wear comfortable clothes!

Do bring 4-7 items of clothing for us to swatch once we know your best colors.

Do bring your makeup bag for the same reason.

Do keep an open mind and bring questions.

Why no makeup?

While makeup does not change everything about how our skin reacts to color—our eye whites and teeth may seem brighter in a good color and duller in another, for example—foundation can cover negative skin effects. When we do your color analysis, we want to be able to see those effects to find what colors show your natural skin at its best.

Why cover my hair?

Color analysis works because we see colors in relation to each other. Our eyes also like to "match" colors, even if they do not match. As such, if you have dark hair and I put a dark drape underneath your hair, our eyes might think they go together because of the shared depth, even if the color turns your skin an unnatural shade. The temperature and brightness of your hair may have similar effects, so covering hair helps us both focus on your skin.

Since our eyes, hair, and skin already harmonize, judging our best colors based on skin effects is reliable. Of course eye effects are a factor in the PCA process—just not the only factor. If a shirt looks great with my eyes but also turns me grey and makes me seem tired, I personally would rather not wear it, especially when I know so many other colors flatter my entire appearance.

Where is the PCA studio?

My studio is located on the second floor of my home, and I will share the address after you book your appointment. While guests are welcome, I am unable to provide childcare. Due to sensitivities to all furry (or hairy!) animals, I ask that you please leave cats and dogs at home.

If any of these facts are access barriers to you, please reach out to me; we may be able to find a solution together, and I am committed to your PCA being a safe and enjoyable environment for us all.

I may be able to travel to you out of town for special circumstances, potentially for a higher fee; email me if interested.

What if I don't like my palette?

Please tell me during the session so we can talk about ways to wear it that may suit you better. I can personally sympathize with not liking your colors at first glance. When I had my colors done at 14, I was just leaving my goth phase and I still wanted to look dramatic, elegant, mature, and a bit moody—and I was handed a palette that looked like Easter candy.

While I was willing to trade in my black and plum for baby blue and peach, those colors felt playful and feminine in a way I did not. I went through a period of rejecting my colors and wearing what I liked, and went back to them in late college because I missed looking pretty. As a slightly older adult, it was much easier to realize that just because Spring colors are common in Easter dresses, doesn't mean I have to wear Easter dresses to wear Spring colors.

We all have color preferences, and I don't think you should throw your preferences out the window—but I don't actually miss the navy and burgundy I went back to, and after you start building a wardrobe in your colors, you may find that you don't miss your old favorites either. (And if you do, I'm not a cop! Wear what you want!)

Whatever your palette is, there will probably be some colors you already like and some colors you hate, and I promise you can build a space for yourself in your season. There are only 78 colors shown on your color fan, but those are not all the colors you can wear. The fan is a tool to find colors that fit within your parameters, not a direct swatch system. The human eye can distinguish around 1 million distinct shades. If we divide that by 12, that's over 800,000 colors, so you have options within a seasonal range.

However, if after a few months of trying out your color palette, you feel like we've gotten your season wrong, I am more than happy to do a re-drape free of charge.

Why Get a PCA?

I've told you about the theory of color analysis, how colors are relational, and how the PCA session goes, but just because that sounds good doesn't mean it relates to you. If you don't care about having a closet that works together, or about whether or not you look good in certain colors, a PCA is probably not for you. However, if you do care, here are just some of the benefits.

color coordination

Have you ever seen someone wear yellow and purple together and thought "I could never?" Had a friend look gorgeous in all red, but felt like you couldn't pull off such bold color? Or just wanted to find clothes that look good together without spending twenty minutes on it? With your PCA, you'll know how to find color combinations that are effortlessly chic and endlessly mix and matchable.

effective shopping

Stop wasting money on clothes that don't look good on you and be able to invest in clothes that really, truly do. With the knowledge from your PCA and your color palette in hand, you can walk into a store and know exactly what to look for and what to avoid. Give yourself the power to say no to the bad and yes to the good.

feel like yourself

When we wear clothes in colors that are already in us, we feel more beautiful. Instead of fighting to be seen past the shirt someone else said was cool, or feeling like you need to fix your hair color or distract from your blemishes, you can trust that people see the whole picture of what you look like. And not only will you get compliments on how great that color looks on you—you'll know it without being told.