BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Inspiring Colours

Congratulations everyone! What a fantastic year.

I’m not a Sports fanatic, but I do love to watch a variety of disciplines, especially given the amazing summer of 2012.  As a Personal Style Consultant, in the background I’m wondering about people’s colour and style choices. 

Invariably it’s about choosing something appropriate to the occasion, hence lots of men in suits.  It also has to express the wearer’s personality - how appropriate then that the ‘Sports Personality’ himself, Bradley Wiggins, chose a quirky, on trend, velvet, double breasted suit, rather than the classic we’d expect and was delivered by Lord Coe?

Practicality is a good word to bear in mind when selecting your choice of outfit, this is where men definitely have the advantage.  The challenges of standing up from your chair and walking those long lonely steps to the stage with the eyes of the nation on you cannot be underestimated.

Jessica Ennis and the Duchess of Cambridge both chose Classic glamour with small details expressing their personality, simple lines with the main statement being through their choice of a strong, bold colour.

So I was left with a question:  Jessica’s choice of red seemed obvious, a confident and bold colour appropriate to her achievements, but the Duchess of Cambridge left me wondering about her choice of green; without knowing what her season is, a cooler, lighter or brighter shade may have suited her better, potentially a critical decision in her state of pregnancy, it’s the 3^rd trimester where you are meant to bloom! 

So WHY particularly that shade? And then it came to me –as with all branding, and this is personal branding, she is representing the event, the product and herself.  What better choice of dress than a sleek, elegant, understated dress (it wasn’t her show after all) in the most appropriate colour for sport after our patriotic red, white and blue, known to us all as British Racing Green?

An inspired choice!

 

 

 

Choosing the Perfect Party Dress

It’s that time of year again to get the Christmas party outfit. Worried about what to wear? Do what I do and take inspiration from the pantomime!

Sounds unusual? Well when you have your Personal Style done at House of Colour they associate your clothing personality with a pantomime character. If you haven’t done your Personal Style Day yet, think back to your childhood and the character you liked to play when you raided the dressing up box. Although the characters of the pantomime are extreme, their attributes can help you understand your clothing personality.

Fairy Godmother from Wizard of Oz

I’m a Romantic and my pantomime character is the fairy godmother. Think the glamorous, glitzy saviour of the princess with a soft side (but if you’ve ever seen Shrek 2 you know some fairy godmothers can be moody too!) 

The fairy godmother knows grown up glamour so that’s what I look for in my Christmas party outfit.  Now I’m not intending to go to my Christmas party with wings and a wand, but I can take inspiration from the embellishments, lace and the sumptuous fabrics for my own outfit.

With that in mind I know the dress I choose will be perfect for my clothing personality and will make sure I sparkle for Christmas.


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It's Christmas - Don't Panic!

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring ............

…that’s because they were all out panic buying!  So I went looking for a bit of light entertainment prompted by considering the contents of the earlier blog entry ‘How to Avoid those Christmas Disasters’ -  “Use your initiative!”

so too, I love the initiative employed by Eddie Izzard in this self-styled video clip!

It covers:

·         Being clear – he makes a list of what he wants,

·         Having a budget … and sticking to it!

·         Researching the market – he looks into different providers

·         Thinking outside the box – most of us wouldn’t have thought of KFC as a possible   present

·         Alternative uses for things – lighters for children – not recommended, but I know my 6 year old loves to light the candles with them if he’s allowed!

·         Being resourceful – what a demon idea to get other people to help with wrapping your presents, jobs are usually so much more fun when shared!

Humour is subjective but one thing is for sure, it’s a powerful antidote to the stress of panic buying!

What tips do you have to avoid those last minute panics?

 

 

 

Retail Therapy & Christmas Shopping: Buyer beware!

·         Therapy: ‘treatment to cure or rehabilitate’

·         Retail: ‘selling goods to customers’

Retail Therapy must therefore be ‘the selling of goods to cure or rehabilitate’ which, as with any therapy will work with varying degrees of effectiveness (and cost/investment) for different people!!

Christmas in the UK becomes sensory overload and I’m guessing that ‘Christmas shopping’ doesn’t exclusively involve buying presents for someone else.  How easy to ‘treat yourself’ to something, whether on-line or through a quick diversion while out shopping!   I’m sure you could give me more examples (anonymity guaranteed!) of other forms of retail therapy. 

Positive experiences include the joy, release, satisfaction of a great find; negative experiences range from guilt, dissatisfaction, frustration through to ensuing debt. 

I’m not saying you shouldn’t indulge; it can be fun.  But how many unworn items fill your wardrobe?  Worn once then abandoned in the wardrobe? The amount spent (‘it cost a lot’) or saved (‘a bargain’), a subtle blackmailer daring you not to discard it!

Knowing my colours and styles so clearly, I enjoy indulging in a ‘little retail therapy’, getting most of the benefit and minimising the pain.  I ordered on-line items so I could clear my brain and return to work; returning the unwanted items once I’d tried them.  The effort of getting undressed for a lovely dress which was 5cm (2”) too short however, was enough for me to walk away refreshed and able to refocus on my present buying with my money still in my pocket! 

As for those unwanted presents – what about getting a gift receipt, or a gift voucher to give the recipient the joy of choosing something they really want?  I’ve just discovered that this month we’re offering free P&P on all our Gift Vouchers to help you.

 

If you’ve indulged in some retail therapy and realised on getting it home [the clothes] don’t flatter you…..Send it back - the therapeutic need was fulfilled in the purchase not the item! Save your hard earned money for something that will make you look and feel great and…

….Have a wonderful holiday season, whatever you are up to!

 

How to Avoid those Christmas Gift Disasters!

 

I’m sure we’ve all experienced that feeling of dread on Christmas morning as we unwrap yet another set of underwear or a negligee, usually in the wrong colour or size, or a king-sized box of ‘smellies’ that we’d never use!

It wasn’t until I met my husband that I realised the majority of shoppers in my local department store on the afternoon of Christmas Eve are men, mostly with a look of panic on their faces.

Recently, a friend was remembering that when she worked in Marks & Spencer’s many years ago, the store was even opened for an extra hour for MEN ONLY!

She said they’d have to let men buy the most ridiculous things, usually in the smallest size; they had to have exactly what they wanted, no amount of persuasion would be listened to and invariably, much of it was returned or exchanged in the following weeks! 

Somehow, I don’t think things have changed very much! 

If you want to avoid that Christmas gift disaster why not drop subtle (although not TOO subtle!) hints to your loved one that this year you’d prefer gift vouchers.  Like our clients, House of Colour Gift Vouchers come in all shapes and sizes, for specific classes or any amount from £25 upwards.

 

 

 

Top tips for Smoky Eyes

This trend is always popular as a Christmas party look.  While flicking through Instyle magazine recently I saw 26 different interpretations!

Hilary Duff

It’s a scary concept for most women - how do you accomplish it without looking like a Panda!?  The answer is knowing what colours to use.  Black eye liner and mascara doesn’t work for everyone and it can be a severe look if used incorrectly.

I learnt how to create the smoky eye look at my House of Colour Make-up Class. You need to emphasise your eyes by creating a frame, using a highlighter, soft shadow shade and a defining shadow.  Using the right colours to complement your skin tone will make your eyes appear larger and brighter.

House of Colour tailors their eye shadows for each season so you can choose shades that complement each other. With a range of highlighters, soft shadows and defining shadows for each season your consultant shows you which colours to use to achieve a look that works for your eye shape.

Read more hints and tips here

As a Winter, my favourite combination uses ES72 Marshmallow as a highlighter, ES116 Pale Lilac as a soft shadow and ES191 Purple as a defining shadow – giving a smoky eye look that’s perfect to smoulder!

Take advantage of our special offer to buy yours! 

SkyFall, The Merchant of Venice & Pretty Woman

What do they have in common?  All these productions have impressed me with the use of appearance to help create credible characters, particularly SkyFall which I’ve just been to see.  

As someone who has seen the effect Colour and Style can have on people, one of my secret joys is observing with wonder the way people’s perception of someone is transformed by changing their appearance.

My first experience, aged 13; ‘The Merchant of Venice’, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford.  Having my attention drawn to the Star of David as subtle inspiration for Shylock’s gold cone shaped hat. 

Pretty Woman is a timeless classic - moving Julia Roberts’ character believably from where it started into higher social circles would have been impossible without the use of costume, make-up and hair.

For local inspiration, head out to the pantomimes soon to grace our stages.  Pirate, princess, cowboy, pixie, fairy godmother, take your pick, but to be believable they have to be obvious from first impressions.

What? Don’t you believe me? Next you’re going to tell me that Javier Bardem is not really a sexually confused villain but a really nice guy?

 

 

 

 

 

What’s Your Look?

Are you glamorous, pretty, stylish, chic or stunning?  Chances are you’ve already said none of these, possibly with a snort of derision that I’ve even asked the question, but I want you to revisit it – seriously.

Ask yourself what you think you are - use adjectives with a similar magnitude and positivity such as ‘beautiful’, ‘elegant’, ‘glamorous’, ‘stylish’.   Inspiration may come from our Brand Values Page because we've realised that many of these attributes are associated with looking successful or this article on the top ten most stylish women of all time.

Does that feel uncomfortable? As women (especially in the UK) we are extraordinarily reluctant to claim our own attractiveness, yet, if we were offered it as a free gift, would we turn it down?

I have found that what you would most like to receive as a gift is almost certainly what you already possess, often it’s buried so deep under the wrong colours and clothing choices that it’s inaccessible – acknowledging your look is a gift that has to be claimed by you.  Make sure you know what form your own loveliness takes and then grasp it with confidence.

And shhh, you don’t have to tell anyone - they’ll tell you!

Halloween Colours – Orange or Black?

Until last year I always said that there was only one day in the year when I would wear black - 31st October!

OK, so I know some of you hate it, but I adore Halloween and always dress up the house with spooky cobwebs, ghosts and witches galore. Yes, I do go out trick or treating with the kids!  So last year it was out with the black lace, high black boots, hat and raven curls, lots of black eyeliner and a dramatic carmine lipstick.

But alas, no glamorous witch awaited me in the mirror, just an incredibly raddled old crone!  I was so shocked. Then I realised; this is the magic of colour.

I am used to my Spring colours making me appear ten years younger, but hadn’t realised that the Winter colours of Halloween would make me look fifteen years older. What’s more, those fifteen years have not been kind ones!

So, this year the witch has been relegated to the back of the fancy dress cupboard.  Dramatic witch be blowed; I’m going as a cute and pretty pumpkin in my double-star tangerine!

Take your choice! 

 

 

 

Why your face is more important than what you say

Recent research has shown that in social (and business) media, such as Facebook, Twitter and Linked In, the majority of people make their contact decisions based on your photograph, not your words. No – they really do, look up tricitypsychology.com for the background.

Our triangle of communication is head, shoulders and most importantly, our eyes. Interestingly, while the top of our heads can be cropped, we can never lose our chin and a bit of neck is essential. While the photograph doesn’t have to be fully face-on, our eyes should always be at a point roughly two thirds up and we need to smile. A smile makes us appear friendly, happy and competent (and therefore much more attractive in every sense) and it is a great disguise for any little ‘marks of maturity’ (wrinkles!) we may have earned.

Remember that the right lipstick makes your teeth look whiter and your eyes brighter, while too much eye make-up will draw attention to itself.

Take a look at your profile photo and see if it’s sending the right message!

 

‘Think Pink’ – The Courage to Look Good

Sometimes we forget the quiet courage that goes on around us. Last summer I met my neighbour Denise who told me she’d just found out that she had breast cancer and was due to have a mastectomy.  Our neighbour Claire had also found out she had breast cancer, so they’d agreed to support each other.

Over the next few months I watched these two powerful women go through their treatments. Denise had to have a full mastectomy and chemo; Claire got off ‘lightly’ with a lumpectomy and radiotherapy.

They always seemed to be smiling and never appeared to lose faith or courage or succumb to bitterness.  Denise was never seen without her makeup, even when she had no lashes for mascara and she kept on wearing the bright and cheerful colours of her Season.

This October I bought her the House of Colour ‘Think Pink’ nail varnish. It will look fabulous with her colouring and it also helps support Breast Cancer Care.  Both my neighbours are ‘clear’ now, which we all celebrate. I liked and respected these women before, but now I am awed by them. Their graciousness, generosity and beauty have been an inspiration to us all! 

Why can’t you dress like all the other Mummys?

Ouch!

Sitting over a cup of coffee with some Mums I realised this was a variation of a familiar question on many a child’s mind over the years and many a Mummys dilemma along with it – to listen, or not?

Interestingly, on reacting to her daughter’s request to ‘wear skirts’, the advice was later retracted in favour of the previously worn jeans, the problem? Apparently Mum hadn’t interpreted correctly the 'how' to 'wear skirts’, obviously missing some nuance involving the latest fashion trends!

As a Mother and an Image Consultant many things struck me about this conversation:

• Appearance does matter and it does make a difference to more than just the wearer

• Your appearance is noticed by others (I wonder if the ‘other’ Mummys are aware of their stylish credentials?)

• Children are actually only referring to the Mummys they see and notice.

• What one person thinks is often based on their personal likes and preferences rather than an objective opinion

On our Facebook page we recently highlighted an article in the Daily Mail stating how most people don’t find their style until the age of 57  Click here to read the article. I’m sure the average age of Mothers is increasing, but I wonder whether 57 is a little too late for most of us to impact the playground critics?

Style is personal and thanks to varying lifestyles, backgrounds, values, beliefs and budgets, we can all create our own unique and appropriate style, whether it’s one our children like or not may be down to their personal preferences however, rather than whether it suits us!!!

 

The Pitfalls of Judging People by Their Appearance

Recently I took my family to a Paralympic session of Athletics in the Olympic Stadium, which had a big impact on me. 

We saw several events, including Shot Put, Discus, Long Jump and the Men’s 5000m.  Absolutely incredible, watching visually impaired runners with their guides who needed to be equally or even fitter than the competitors, runners with one or two blades - how hard must it be to learn to walk again after experiencing the loss of a leg? They’d learned to master that skill and run faster than many able bodied people – it was both inspiring and moving.

While watching the competitors leave the stadium at the end of the evening it hit me really hard, we’d been watching the Discus events all through the evening when the competitors are sitting down to make their throw, but as the athletes with Cerebral Palsy walked out of the stadium some were able to walk unaided; some had supporters to help ensure they didn’t fall over.  If we saw them ‘staggering’ down the High Street, I'm sure we’d ‘write them off’, yet here they were, competing on a level we can only dream about. 

The insight for me came when I moved past this point of embarrassment and accepted that we do judge people on their appearance and always will.  There is too much variety in the world for us to hold everyone in the same space.

At House of Colour we are passionate about Empowering People through finding their own  Colour and Style to make the most of themselves so that the REAL person is seen before whatever masks or disabilities they may have. 

I wonder how my  perception of people might differ from now on?